Page 13 - 2017 December Voices

FROM THE DESK
The Gift of Giving
(a Toastmasters Membership)
by Emilie Taylor, DTM - Club Growth Director
In the spirit of the holiday season and
whatever way you wish to celebrate it. . . it’s all
about giving, sharing, and love.
Some gifts are tangible and some are
intangible. The intangible gifts last a lifetime.
Tangible gifts may break and shatter. My brother
Edel gifted me with the “idea” of Toastmasters. In
2013, he mentioned on the phone that I should
check it out.
It took me another year to visit a Toastmasters
club. Joining Toastmasters helped me to fill in
voids I never knew I had. I learned what “to
educate” really means. “Educate” is the drawing
out of that which was already there, but yet to
be discovered.
I began to learn to draw deeper and deeper
into my well. The deeper I drew, the purer the
water, or in this case the thoughts and ideas.
These changed me in profound ways.
I was watching the movie, Dying Laughing,
about comedians the other night. It was about
the struggles they went through in order to
make people laugh. One of the stories was from
a woman by the name of Tiffany Haddish. She
said that when she was younger, she had to make
a choice between going to a psychiatric ward
or joining comedy boot camp for 8 weeks. The
boot camp seemed to be the best choice. It was
safe, a place where people were supportive and
encouraging. This allowed her to develop her
comedy skills which completely changed the
direction, course, and outcome of her life.
This parallel flashed through my mind
because that’s exactly what Toastmasters had
done in my life. Did Toastmasters change me?
Transform me? Yes, changed in more ways than
I can ever count.
One of the many ways (and quite a big
surprise) was finding out that I can make people
laugh. My husband in the past would joke that
“humor is a difficult concept” for me. A quote
from Star Trek to a Vulcan. To infuse humor in
VOLUME 4 ISSUE 6 DECEMBER, 2017
my speeches was
hard at first. It has
become relatively
easier now because my writing and thinking
skills have improved considerably. I used to
ruminate about how badly I did in table topics,
evaluation, or speeches. Now, I shrug it off and
say Next! Your feedback and encouraging notes
helped so much!
What a GIFT! Almost a 100 years later, our
founder Ralph Smedley’s ideas and thoughts
have brought transformation to millions
of members who have been through the
Toastmasters program. The program not only
builds on speaking and leadership skills, it also
helps build self-esteem, poise and confidence.
It’s taken us from shyness to boldness, from
fear to confidence, from a feeling of weakness
to strength!
An idea for the season is to use your
education, to draw out from where you started to
where you are, and think about ways and means
to help others transform their lives. You may give
a tangible gift of a Toastmasters membership. If
you can’t, you can give the gift of an invitation
by bringing your friends, coworkers, relatives
you care about to a club meeting. Or, I pose a
challenge for you: plant the seed of Toastmasters
just like my brother did for me.
A gift of a Toastmasters membership can
truly change lives. The best part is the personal
growth, new friends, and new ideas that
Toastmasters has gifted us.
Have a happy holiday season. Tell those you
love that you love them. Your light, poise, and
confidence makes a difference
well beyond the Toastmasters
Experience.
Blessings and
Happy Holidays
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