Speak With Credibility, Influence and Impact
By David Hughes DTM – Toastmasters; A journey to what’s possible.
I believe, all successful people have one quality in common – the ability to communicate and lead effectively. I fervently believe it is important to develop this ability so that we may successfully meet the demands and challenges of today’s world, and have credibility, influence and impact when engaging with society everywhere. Toastmasters’ has assured this. My incredible Toastmasters journey began in 1986, when I joined to overcome my rapid speech problem, and now can speak at appropriate and coherent speeds with pace, pitch and pause for optimum effect.
Here in D73 and around the world Toastmasters have inspired, applauded, comforted and supported me to meet all challenges I’ve faced with their honest feedback, persuasive motivation and deep friendship.
Toastmasters’ is invaluable and my membership has made me a better communicator and leader, accelerating my speaking ability, attentive listening skills and team building skills. Toastmasters’ has the organisation, structure and programs to enable anyone who wishes to improve, become a more effective communicator and leader. It also accommodates, calls for and empowers members wishing to improve, to attend regular meetings, get involved, give speeches only from the project manuals, and step up as and when appropriate as a club, area, division and District officer, to serve the organisation as the organisation serves them..
The step by step process and applied steady pace working through, first, the Competent CC and CL Manuals, equips us with the basic skills; add to this the ‘Advanced’ manuals, Club Officer roles, District service, and the opportunity to compete in the four annual contests, attend Area & Division Councils, have your say at District Council, eat, drink and dance the night away at change/over dinners, learn from specialised workshops at semi-annual conventions, listen and applaud spectacular keynote speakers at district conventions and be enthralled by the size, glamour and overwhelming magnificence of International convention.
For such a small investment, I know of no other organisation in the world that gives me the opportunity to meet, engage with, learn from and receive feedback from members World-wide, through regular meetings and social media backed up by state of the art technology, with downloadable material, newsletters, podcasts and social media platforms which offer a smorgasbord of relevant information and activity.
I left Toastmasters in 1992, to raise a family, and returned in 2008. Since then, I’ve served as Club Officer, Area Governor (2) and Division Governor. In August 2012 I achieved DTM, and also was Division Governor of the Year in District 73.
Today, I’m a servant-leader, who enjoys being a DTM, REP Ambassador, Club President, and past Work-shopper at Convention and Semi-Annual Conferences. My wide circle of Toastmaster friends here and around the world is testament to the power of TI and the place ‘Where Leaders Are Made.’
All that I am was helped enormously by a mentoring manager who once suggested that I join Toastmasters.