Page 35 - voices-09-2021

Run at Your Own Pace

David Freedman, IP3

A similar incident happened more recently watch as them progress from being terrified to
when I started working on my High Performance becoming skilled orators within a few months.
Leadership project. I was working to charter a The longer they stay, the more confident they

new Toastmasters debate club. Up until that point, become. Some people will run at their own pace.
I’d been coasting on giving speeches and doing Most would rather stop, take in the scenery, or
well on various exercises. I hadn’t fully grasped just take a deep breath before moving ahead on
the enormity of becoming a leader on a major their next project. Which, frankly, is as it should

project that weren’t Club presentations. be. No one needs to feel pressured into becoming
This time I really did panic. I was so used an outstanding public speaker overnight, let
to being in charge of my own projects that my alone a Distinguished Toastmaster when one
planning committee had to remind me to take can’t even stand upright on stage for their first

a chill pill. I needed to focus on what the duties speech.
of the leader were, recognize when to delegate Perhaps most importantly, we need to permit
authority, and how to create milestones to guide people to make their own mistakes. No one
the group towards completing the project. I’ve should ever be penalized for not knowing the

gotten better with these responsibilities. I’m answer to a problem. Yet too often we’ve learned
constantly reminded that there’s a great deal that mistakes aren’t to be tolerated. This is often
more to learn and that it’s okay not to know all a toxic viewpoint, and thankfully I’ve found the
the answers. antithesis to that in my own Club where several

A large part of my journey in Toastmasters is members have explicitly stated that we are there
recognizing that it takes time and effort to teach to fail.
people how to become more comfortable giving Indeed, it’s perfectly fine to fail and learn
speeches or taking on additional leadership from our mistakes. As one of my mentors noted,

responsibilities. As a mentor to several Club if we were perfect speakers to begin with, we
members or working as a Club Coach, I’ve wouldn’t be in Toastmasters. By learning at our
found it best to let people work through their own pace and allowing ourselves to walk before
lessons at their own pace. While I personally love we run, we make things easier on ourselves as

being on stage as a performer, I know I’m the well as the people we hope to mentor in the
exception. The vast majority of people who join future.
Toastmasters are scared to death the first time
they give an Icebreaker. It’s always thrilling to

VOICES! | SEPTEMBER 2021 35