Page 47 - January 2019 Voices

Out of the blue it happened. In a cold sweat my Icebreaker. Then it was off to the races with

it dawned on me that I couldn’t be a good leader the evaluation speech one. I was having (gasp
and Toastmaster if I wasn’t myself enrolled in the could this be?) I was having F-U-N! I attained
program. Isn’t the best offense the best defense? I knowledge at the level that was not in the original
had to have proof of what I knew—that it wouldn’t Competent Communicator manual. Could this

work. Yet right in front of me there was a crack be? THE SKY IS . . . CLEARING!
in the grey and gloomy skies! THE SKY MAY What a great tool revising, re-editing, and
BE FALLING? re-presenting that same speech again. There
Oh, my goodness. I made the dreaded and slowly began a feeling of fear and uneasiness

difficult decision. Great Scott! I had to take an in my stomach. What hath I wroth? Like a
assessment? I have a DTM! I then had to pick a Shakespearian character, I wrung my hands,
path? The pain, the pain. Yes—I was truly absolved trying to wash the stain of my erroneous and
in my mind about what I fanatically believed— unfounded opposition, and lowered my flag

this was way too much for me, an experienced of discontent and surrendered myself to my
Toastmaster. How could a brand-new neophyte sorrowful fate.
to Toastmasters wind their way through this Confession Number Two: I finished my
maze—a mine field in my mind. I was dancing research speech and enrolled in another path!

with elation and felt validated: THE SKY IS The fun began anew. Grey skies changed to blue
STILL FALLING!
I would love to say it was one of those
magical moments, an epiphany at the snap of

the fingers, but it took going through the Level
One Icebreaker for me to envision the realism
of my veering off course. I was like the captain
of the Titanic—steaming on with iceberg

warnings, confident in my own abilities to make
the appropriate command decision. And like
Captain Smith, I had many passengers I was
leading to their fateful but certain doom. Yes,

fellow Toastmasters, I began grudgingly working
through the on-line material and pretending
I didn’t know anything about Toastmasters or
my ill-conceived impressions of the Pathways

program.
Confession Number One: I began to like the
material—the layout, the progression, and all the
various videos and resources available. I finished

VOICES! | JANUARY 2019 47