I knew 15 years ago when I was in University, in Wisconsin, that I would join Toastmasters someday. I had friends who were Toasties and they praised it and said it was a professional necessity. I needed it because I froze when I had to talk in front of groups of people, especially my family and bigger audiences.
When I graduated and moved to Bavaria, I went to my first meeting, but wasn’t able to join. Years later, I then moved to Asturias, I found the local club, and I joined right away, in 2018! I dove in head first and went to every meeting, taking small roles immediately, even in Spanish.
I was also encouraged to participate in competitions right from the start, and before I gave my first icebreaker speech, I was already traveling with my club mates and participating in table topics competitions. All of the very public «failures» I experienced in front of these different audiences early on showed me exactly how I needed to improve and motivated me to keep going. And, I cherish all of the useful feedback and evaluations!
Making a lot of mistakes and then learning how to improve with each meeting has been a treasure. I have been failing forward with Toastmasters, so much so that after consistently participating in as much as I possibly can, I recently took second place in our last Division competition in 2024!
I was a shaky, nervous mess when I first joined, however, I pushed myself to get on stage no matter what I felt, and with practice I have gained so much confidence throughout the years. I am still learning how to write better speeches, how to memorize my materials, how to better manage my time, how to better interact with others and express myself.
I think you have to be patient with yourself because progress takes practice -which takes time. I am only now, in 2024, learning how to enjoy myself on stage and practicing being more vulnerable.
I think it’s easy to be hard on myself and continuously try to improve my communication skills, but it’s also important to see how far I have come and accept all that I have accomplished so far! My journey with Toastmasters has not been easy for me, I still have to push myself to get on stage and speak, and yet I look forward to seeing more evolution and discovery of myself and my potential.
I think I might be a Toastmaster for life -and I recommend it to everyone!