Page 29 - 2024-01

MEMBERSHIP CLOSE UP
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Voices! offers the opportunity for Toastmasters to share their life experiences. The following article is
provided in that spirit. Voices! is not a platform for the discussion of political opinions or adgendas.

Facing Fears, Creating Confidence.
Theron Hall

I’ve never joined a Toastmasters club outside of fears as a toastmaster, however, led me to be
prison confines. When I joined Capital Toastmasters confident in ways, which led me to accountability…
in the Oregon State Penitentiary in 2016, my goal acknowledging the many harms I’ve caused, making
was to become a better leader and communicator. amends…facing myself.
My goal fell directly in line with the TM mission Facing my fears, over the past seven years, has
statement. Little did I know the profound impact helped me accomplish my goals of becoming a
this in-prison club would have on my life beyond better leader and communicator, as I hoped it
gaining communication skills. would. In that time, I have become a competent
As with most who join Toastmasters, I was terrified leader and a dynamic speaker. I have become the
of speaking in large groups. My very first speech as Vice President and then President of Uhuru Sasa, an
a member was on our big stage, mic’d for a group of African American Cultural Club. I was a cofounder
about 60 people. of Oregonians Against Slavery & Involuntary
When others tell the story, I did well on my Ice Servitude (OASIS), a grassroots organization with
Breaker; inside my head, though, I stumbled over a mission to change the Oregon Constitution to
my name. I left indentions from my grip on the formally ban slavery and involuntary servitude of
lectern. My shirt…I’m glad it was prison-navy- incarcerated persons. I am the coordinator of the

blue, so they couldn’t see the pooling of my sweat. OSP Recovery Program in which I help coordinate
I remember people clapping, although I don’t and case manage the activities of 16 Certified
remember ending my speech. I recall sitting in my Recovery Mentors.
seat, though I have no recollection of walking off the Now, as the president of Capital Toastmasters, I
stage. One thing that was, and remains embedded in can lead in a very different way. I have been gifted
me, is the knowledge that I fostered the courage to with a platform to express myself on a larger stage
face my fear of public speaking. than would normally be available to me. This year
From previous life experience, I knew facing our club is facilitating our inaugural Anti-Crime
fear, any fear, fosters confidence in my ability to Summit. This summit will be a monumental step
conquer challenges. In the past, it applied to my towards how we as Oregonians address the issue
life as a gang member. The fears I faced then led of crime. The idea is to put leaders of various
me to become confident in a lot of things, which backgrounds into one space and engage in a
inevitably landed me at a new life in prison. Facing dialogue to communicate the problem, solutions,

VOICES! | WINTER 2024 25