Fellow Toastmasters and most welcome guests,
Geoff from geoffmobile.com here.
The topic I’m going to speak about today is: How do I think about my voice today compared to how it was in the past, and how has Toastmasters helped me with that? I think this is something I’ve noticed a lot of change in—my own voice and growth—since I started Toastmasters.
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At my first-ever Toastmasters meeting, I realized I didn’t have a very clear communication style. I thought I was making myself clear, but I have recordings of myself speaking from back then, and I spoke much too fast. My words were not formed in a way that was clear. I kind of mumbled, and people always asked me to repeat myself whenever I spoke to them.
By coming to Toastmasters, I learned a lot from other Toastmasters on how they speak. I found that when I heard other experienced members speaking, I started imitating the way they spoke and adopting some of their positive qualities into my own speaking. Some of those people I would see on a weekly basis—every week at Toastmasters—and I started to get to know them at a level I never really did before. By hearing people talk about their thoughts, dreams, and feelings, you really get to know someone. That was an amazing feeling: getting to know people, as well as all of us supporting each other to improve our communication styles and abilities.
Nowadays, I rarely have anyone asking me to repeat myself. I think that’s one way I’ve noticed my voice is way more clear. Usually, I’m able to speak up a bit more in meetings, and when someone asks me if I have anything to contribute, I usually have something to say.
So, thanks, Kumar, for the question!
Thanks,
Geoff
geoffmobile.com
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