Page 12 - Voices-2021-12
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THOUGHTS FROM THE DIRECTOR’S STAND
The Gift of Toastmasters
Eldred Brown, DTM - District 7 Director
Remember that scene toward the end of A and to look for a way
Charlie Brown Christmas when Linus and Lucy to transition smoothly
and all the neighborhood kids give Charlie from the topic you’re
Brown the gifts of a decorated Christmas tree presented to the topic
and of song? Remember that look on Charlie you want to talk about.
Brown’s face when he realizes he finally has I had the opportunity
the support, short-lived as it may be, of all his to do this with my last
friends? “It (he) just needs a little love.” Intel interview. I knew
Now think about the support we give each ahead of time that I
other in Toastmasters and the confidence we was going to be asked
draw from that support. Think of how life questions about my
changing this has been and can be for so many experience in data
people. Take, for instance, my most recent life- analysis. I have no
changing experience of landing a new job at professional experience
Intel. How did the confidence I drew from the in data analysis, but I didn’t want to say this
support of my fellow Toastmasters help me land without talking about data analysis experience I
this new job? I could talk about the accelerated may have acquired elsewhere. What could I do?
interview process that took all of five days, but PIVOT! I prepared instead to talk about the 20+
that wouldn’t be of interest to you, the reader of years of experience I acquired in data analysis
this article. What you probably want to know, through a hobby I had been working on since
as a Toastmaster reading this article, is how high school. In my opinion, my hobby is very
Toastmasters prepared me for this interview data heavy and requires a lot of complicated
process. Let me talk about the last of my five data analysis. So, why not talk about it instead
interviews for my new job. of the professional experience I don’t have? By
With Table Topics, I have been mentored, pivoting to the subject of my data-heavy hobby,
and I have mentored others, to pivot to another I think I left my interviewer impressed that I
topic when you’re stumped on how to answer do complicated data analysis projects just for
the topic presented to you. It’s okay to have fun. That certainly demonstrated a burning
your response prepared before the meeting curiosity to dig deep into the data analysis
12 ONE COMMUNITY
