Page 7 - 2016 December Voices
P. 7
The Gift of Toastmasters
Interview with Ryan Avery, DTM
by Phyllis A Harmon, DTM
It’s been said that your dad gifted you so much, and I didn’t
with your first membership in Toastmasters. know it until I went
What was your first reaction on receiving to other clubs, was Club #31 was so diverse.
such a gift? We had black, white, gay, straight, Christian,
Well for me, I thought Toastmasters was Muslim, old, young - it felt like everyone
only for older people. So when my dad said was so diverse, and everyone was getting
you should join Toastmasters, I said “Well I along that it was a really good fit for me.
have to wait until I’m older,” and he says, “No, There’s not a lot of clubs like it. I was lucky
anyone can join Toastmasters.” to stumble upon Club #31 because of the
At first I thought it was a way to get out diversity. So when I walked in, everyone was
of not even joining. Once I knew it wasn’t nice. Everyone was different. Everyone was
for older people, I said “Well I don’t have the willing to say what Toastmasters was about,
money.” (I used that as an excuse to not join.) why it’s beneficial, and how it can help. It was
He says, “Perfect, I’ll pay for it.” a really good experience. I remember within
So it was like “dang it!” So literally there a couple months span, all of the speeches
was like no turning back. I knew that anyone were different. I remember hearing political
could join, and I knew that he could pay for speeches, speeches for needing to find work.
it, so then I realized okay. It was all different backgrounds and different
I did know that I needed it because I used talks. I really liked that about the club.
to say ‘like’ every other word ‘like totally looks Did you decide to come back and to
amazing,’ ‘like it’s great!,’ and I had butchered finally join because of the diversity and the
this media interview. So I knew I needed it, way you were welcomed into it?
I just didn’t want to do it, not at first.
That’s a really good question. I actually
What prompted you to cash in the gift? don’t know when I joined. It had been that
Was it a little pressure from Dad perhaps? night or at the next meeting.
It wasn’t so much pressure from Dad. I This is something that people might
used to work at Special Olympics, I was the not know. We then had an open house, and
Director of Marketing. I had butchered a they asked me to speak. I created a speech
TV interview. I said, “like every, like totally, called Just Jump and it was like ‘just jump into
like y’all should like come down and like Toastmasters, just jump into it, just jump
ah support like the Special Olympics,” and into these things. That Just Jump speech that
I could see firsthand how horrible I was on I gave at the open house for Club #31 was the
camera. So that’s when my dad said, “you beginning of Push Past It, my semifinal speech.
need to join Toastmasters.” I did understand You were in Toastmasters for about
the benefit from it. a year when you decided to enter the
Literally what I did was type “Portland International Speech Contest. What was the
Toastmasters” into Google, and Portland defining moment that made you decide to
Toastmasters Club #31 came up. They were go for it?
the first club that I went to visit, and they In January 2012, my best friend sent me
were the first club I joined.
a text message. He said, “Hey, what’s the
When you went to that first meeting what hardest thing you’ve ever had to do?” The
was your first impression? reason why he asked me that was he had
I liked it. The reason why I love Club #31 recently quit his job to pursue his dream.
VOLUME 3 ISSUE 6 DECEMBER, 2016 7
