"Being Humble Really Helps You Become Better!"

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Recently, I have been grappling with joining Toastmasters International. For those of you who are not aware, Toastmasters International is a world leader in communication and leadership development.

I have been working in Corporate America for more than 25 years. I have had 15 years of success as an employee within major financial firms rising through the management ranks. Since 2001, I have enjoyed and continue to enjoy much success as an independent management consultant. Along the way, I have given many PowerPoint Presentations to various levels of management both as an employee and now as a consultant. I continue to get asked to speak at various events and really enjoy sharing my knowledge, insights, and stories from my life and business experiences. It really inspires me when someone comes up to me and says that something I have said is relatable and helpful to them.

I have been getting requests to increase my speaking engagements. With that, the thought occurred to me that I want to get away from the traditional PowerPoint Centric type of presentation and be more Keynote Oriented and use other Creative Presentation Methods.

I thought for a moment that I really should get involved in a Toastmasters Club to increase my speaking effectiveness. Then I thought, "Why do I need this? I have done many successful presentations in various venues, received great feedback and feel comfortable doing them". My ego was getting the better part of my consciousness so I decided not to join a local chapter. My ego along with my already busy schedule kept me from being a part of Toastmasters.

Fast forward to the last 8 weeks, and I have the opportunity to increase my speaking engagements once again. While going to the cafeteria at my current client site, I saw they had a table set up for people interested in becoming a Toastmaster member. I was intrigued because now it was right there in front of me. This newly formed group would be right onsite. I wouldn't need to rush to another location after my end-of-day commute. I would just need to go up to the 19th floor at lunchtime every Tuesday to be part of Toastmasters. So I joined.

I decided to leave whatever ego I had outside the door and attended the first meeting in a more humbled fashion. I was impressed with the structure of the meeting, how it provided a supportive environment for people who have not ventured into public speaking and the fact that there are evaluations done to help you improve your public speaking competence. As the Toastmaster states, "Eventually everyone becomes confident but we don't want you to be confidently incompetent!" I am a very active participant, and look for every chance I can get to speak in front of the group. I continue to get great feedback for the presentations I have done for the group and I am humbled by the fact that I have received some great pointers from my Toastmaster peers that have helped me where others have not been able to. Applying these pointers as well as other techniques that we are covering, I am taking my public speaking to an even higher level.

So if you are new to public speaking, want to gain some powerful tips to increase your leadership effectiveness or are looking to tweak a few things in your current public speaking repertoire, you should really consider joining a Toastmasters club near you!

And remember, it never hurts to let go of the ego, be a little more humble and get back to the basics. For this is what ultimately helps us propel to our full potential.


All the best,

Ron

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