My Public Speaking Journey

By Tasha Waite

According to Glenn Croston, Ph.D, in Psychology Today's article, (November 28th, 2012), "The Thing we fear more than death, our fear of standing up in front of a group and talking is so great that we fear it more than death, in surveys at least."

Have you ever considered joining a public speaking club, but felt intimidated? You might be happy to learn that it is possible to face and conquer your fear of public speaking, and have a lot of fun in the process! The confidence, courage and leadership skills (to name a few) you can develop in Toastmasters also spill over into other areas of your life, affecting them in positive ways, not to mention, broadening your social circle and obtaining the opportunity to network with new people. Toastmasters is truly an education in public speaking like no other.

When I joined Thunderbird Toastmasters in June 2012, I was petrified. I was 30 years old. I joined because I believed it was an avenue in which to push myself beyond the cozy comfort zone I had created for myself. At first, I had trouble making eye contact while speaking. My voice sped up often, due to nervousness, which made my speeches short and less than effective. The idea that I would ever be able to make my club laugh, using any humour, other than the self-deprecating kind, seemed impossible to me. Time went by, and I gradually began to produce some laughter from a few corners of the room, through my delivery of small speaking roles at each week's meeting. Consequently, I grew more relaxed while speaking.

Then came the night when I enrolled myself in an in-club evaluating contest. I had never evaluated a speech before, and now I was up against five other members (most of whom had been in the club far longer than I had). I didn't place in the top three, but I succeeded in evaluating some key components of the speaker's speech. I left the meeting that night with a new found affinity for evaluating others.

Then came a phone call from one of my best friends in my hometown of Winnipeg. She asked if I would take on the task of maid of honour in her upcoming wedding. With a few months to prepare, I wrote a speech that I delivered in front of 130 people at her reception. Naturally, I was all nerves before the speech, but I walked myself through some breathing exercises in the bathroom. Following the speech, at least twelve people approached me, offering genuine compliments.

Both the evaluating contest and the wedding speech occurred within the first six months of my time at Thunderbird Toastmasters. I have succeeded in making my fellow club members laugh. The only difference is that now they are not my fellow members, they are my friends.

If any of what I 've written speaks to you in some way, I invite you to come check us out! We are located here in James Bay. If you don't feel ready to come as a guest yet, you can follow me through articles about my own public speaking journey. I will focus on subjects such as "controlling nerves," "learning to pause," and "using humour." Thunderbird Toastmasters; there is a reason we are called "the club with a heart."

Tasha Waite is a member of Thunderbird Toastmasters (club 396). We meet at 234 Menzies St. New Horizons Activity Centre Monday nights (except holidays) 7-9 pm.