Toastmasters Night
To begin this story, I will start by letting anyone know that one of my main goals is to be a motivational speaker. I especially would like to deliver speeches to middle and high school students. I feel I have a good message to deliver, but also realize I need some guidance and help with delivering the message.
Let me take you back to 2020 when the Covid Apocalypse first started. I was talking with my friend Jeff Irwin who lives in Fargo about customer service training. We were talking about different subjects and the topic of public speaking came up. I told Jeff that one of my main goals is to be a motivational speaker. We talked about different motivational speakers we had heard, and the impact they have had with their audiences. I told Jeff some of the speakers have been really good, and others have not impressed me as much. I have a saying about that. “Every speaker is motivational; some just motivate you to leave.” I told him my top three favorite speakers would have to be Scott Mckain, John Chapin, and Wayne Lee. They have different styles, but they are all very inspiring and entertaining.
Jeff told me about Toastmasters and how he had joined a few years ago. With the Apocalypse going on, he said all their meetings were on Zoom and invited me to attend one. I really enjoyed it and continued to meet with his club for a few months. I thanked him for introducing me to Toastmasters and that I was going to find a local group in Idaho Falls to join.
There were a few clubs in Idaho Falls, and I ended up choosing the Rise and Shine Club. At the time, they had posted a really funny video shot at Dixies’ Diner encouraging people to join their club. “This is a group of people I can really relate to,” I thought. The meetings were still done on Zoom, so I attended my first one in late 2020. After the first meeting with this club, I knew I had picked the right one. I knew that by joining this club, I could gain some valuable tools to help me.
From my first ice breaker speech, I have received some extremely valuable feedback from some very experienced speakers. They have all given me constructive advice on every aspect of a speech. From voice tone and range to hand gestures and body movement. They have given me the confidence and courage to work on my speaking topics and deliveries.
At our Toastmasters meeting on Thursday night, I was awarded a medal for winning the district humorous speech contest, and the club honored me with the “Spark Plug of the Year” award. This award is given to the one who they feel energizes the club the most. I am very thrilled and humbled to receive this award and want to thank the club for everything they have done for me. I especially need to thank Steve Piet and Bryant Pergerson. They are both very skilled and accomplished speakers and I have learned so much from them. I especially want to thank Kristi for all her love, support, and encouragement.
I am so happy to be able to pursue my dreams and will work hard on improving my skills. Thanks for reading.
Next week: April Fool’s Day
P.S. I am available for parties. I promise one way or another, I will be motivational.