My Toastmasters Journey(My Toastmasters Project 10)

When I was young, hold on, now as well I am young too,

Good Morning Toastmasters and Fellow Toastmasters,

 I always wanted to be one of those

Who would make a difference to the world, such a huge difference I wanted to make that by now I would have a statue on my name in Madame tussaads , or maybe by now I would have replaced this bald guy in the toastmaster’s manual.(chuckles)

Time flew, things changed, and now I am standing here in front of you all trying to make huge difference to my poor public speaking skills.

Back then during my high school days, being a geek, a nerd, I suffered from low self-confidence.

One day my sister took me to shopping in Chandigarh, the capital city of fashion

While she was roaming around the entire floor to look for the perfect fit that would enhance her beauty,

I was standing by the side, watching girls wearing high heels , walking with epitome , wearing classy clothes , tooooo enticing for the eyes to see  . People crossing me unnoticed

Unable to take it anymore, I began to walk towards the main door looking down constantly and then bam. My head began to spin

Can anyone of guess what just happened?

I got hit by the glass door which I thought was the way to move out.

While I could hear my sister laughing on me from distance, the nearby guy came and said, madam are you ok?

I nodded. Yes

I could never have been more embarrassed.

But this was not just it

Things were getting worse day by day, the girl that wanted to make the difference to the world, the girl that wanted to make a mark, lost even the guts to look up and walk, she lost to confidence to move out of her shell and face the world.

My college journey began and during my 2^nd year some folks from hospitality department came to class to announce . Does anyone has confidence to speak for 1 minute on stage ?

 I raised my hand and then after few minutes, I was on stage delivering my first impromptu speech.

Due to my poor organization skills, my first impromptu looked like this.

Ladies and gentlemen let me tell you today about how coronavirus spread in china,

And it ended up like

So this is how Nick Jonas proposed Priyanka Chopra.

My impromptu ended and I could hear the sounds of clap across the hall.

But I was still not sure whether toastmasters was for me, until one more toastmaster’s sent messenger came into my life. During my third year in college I was given a change to attend communication skills classes by Madhukar Sir who was preparing us for placements interview.

He made us realize,

The Human Brain starts working the moment you are born and never stops until you stand up to speak in public.

He gave us an assignment to deliver our first ice breaker.

And then after my speech he asked me to stay back, just like blah told me the other day to stay back and said exactly the same thing. “Himani, I see great potential in you to become a leader, I think you should join toastmasters.”

I was convinced and after my sessions were over, I enrolled into my college toastmasters club.

I had no idea about what toastmasters was all about? As soon as I joined the club they handed me 2 booklets of competent communication and competent leadership manual and told me you know to attempt ice breaker project.

My first speech that is ice breaker was all about me me me and me.

Ice Breaker is exactly like the first question that you are asked in a interview process.

So Neethu, tell me something about yourself? And he is  given exactly one minute to describe his whole 25 years of life.

After my first ice breaker I got the BEST SPEAKER AWARD.

I was like BEST SPEAKER AWARD after my speech? It was nothing less than Padma Shree for me.

 I was on cloud nine.

At that time I had already replaced Malaika Arora khan as a host in India’s got talent in my head.

But that happiness didn’t last long since now I have to work towards my second topic that was Organize your speech.

Days of thinking, contemplation, and I finally ended up giving speech on google reign. Hold on, this is not that

Rain that is liquid water in the form of droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then become heavy enough to fall under gravity.

I am taking about reign -> (

And this time, when the best speaker award was announced, any guesses??? No it was not me you know why? Because ice breaker was about me and this speech was about google. I was constantly glancing at my paper to recall stuff.

And all I could see those monsters laughing at my failure.

But again I didn’t give up,

BECAUSE “WINNERS ARE NOT PEOPLE WHO NEVER FAIL, THEY ARE PEOPLE WHO NEVER QUIT.

And before I was ready to deliver my next speech I worked upon my habit of glancing at the paper to recall my speech content. Upon contemplation I realized that the reason behind me being underprepared for my speeches was social media. And that is when I decided to deliver my next speech on “Digital Detox. “Has anyone of you ever done fasting? Digital detox is also fasting but of electronic devices. You all might be thinking.

O my god digital fasting? So Himani you are trying to tell us that, No more PUBG for one day.

Yes but for your own betterment.

Meanwhile I entered into 4^th year of my college. I could already see many top brains of our college planning to leave the country. And this prompted me to speak about “Brain Drain” for my project 5.I talked about how brain drain is affecting our economy and what we can do to eliminate it from our society.

By each passing project I was gaining confidence to become a better speaker and a better writer, and by now I was able to deliver speeches without relying on notes.

Not just that unconsciously toastmasters was preparing me for another battle that I had yet to encounter, the scary placement process.

Everybody around me was fretting, was scared of the interviews but I was keeping my cool. It was like I am in the midst of people scared of coronavirus and I am roaming freely since I had already discovered a vaccine.

I made myself ahead of people where they failed: The power to put myself across the interviewer.

And this is what kept me motivated in my journey to become a better orator.

And also the vision and the goal to become a competent communicator.

While I was still on this journey of transformation, fate led me to transform from a college student to a working professional

And that is when it hit me to write my next project on this transition phase of my life, “How life unfolds.” In which I described a funny incidence of how I was on the verge of missing my first ever flight but still managed to board the flight.”

And with the same determination and enthusiasm I was able to deliver my next 2 speeches and for my last project I am here in front of you to inspire you to create a vision and then work towards your goal.

And If you ask me what toastmasters has helped me achieve, it has given me after life. From the person I was anti-social , under confident , poor communicator . To the person I am today, social , gregarious and a better public speaker.

And now I am successfully a dancer, a blogger, a public speaker because toastmasters instilled that confidence in me to face large audience, to become a better writer and not to forget to become a good reader.

As per the stats public speaking skills are one of the top skills that are in demand in market today. Proof , look at our nation’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi , with his outstanding public speaking skills,he is able to influence people at a large level. This is the power of public speaking skills.

But what it requires to reach to this level?

 It requires that willingness to change , the willingness to step out of comfort zone , the willingness to transform.

Because you can never make history in your comfort zone.

And so if you have the power to influence people , if you have the power to bring about a change into people’s lives , you will be looked upon as someone with utmost respect and will be considered as the most powerful personality.

So Fellow toastmasters , there was a time in my life , when I had to put a step ahead and join toastmasters, where I had to look upon my seniors to take inspiration from them and walk on their path

BUT WHAT TIME IT IS NOW?

It is time for me to motivate you to reach to your next level in your toastmasters journey