Episode 24: Recapping 23 episodes of The Talkative Toastmaster Podcast

You'll hear from my fellow Toastmasters and I how this global organization has impacted our lives for the better and how it could impact yours . Now let's get talkative . Welcome , ladies and gentlemen , to episode 24 of the Talkative Toastmaster podcast . This week I want to do something a little bit different and really just reflect on the last 23 episodes .

If you're relatively new to the podcast , I want to draw your attention to some of the initial episodes that I created , and when I mapped out the series , initially of 20 episodes , it was really to highlight the many different aspects of Toastmasters , so that a prospective member or even relatively new member to Toastmasters could get a sense of what the organization

was all about , how it works , what the benefits are and really just what the various opportunities are . And then I wanted every alternate episode to feature a Toastmaster that I knew and for them to share their story , because I find it so interesting to hear the stories of other Toastmasters and their experiences .

We all obviously have different experiences within this organization and I'm personally loving hearing how and where Toastmasters has taken people , both in their professional lives and their personal lives .

So if you're new to the podcast , as I said , and you're looking to find out what Toastmasters is about , pretty much the odd numbered episodes will deep dive into those areas . At this point as well , I'd love to shout out to regular listeners of the podcast and also a big thank you to all my guests who have appeared so far .

I really couldn't have done this podcast without you and I'm learning so much by hearing different Toastmasters stories . So thank you to everyone who has supported this podcast so far . I really , really appreciate it . So let's go back to episode one , the very first episode , which talked about conquering the fear of public speaking .

After all , that is pretty much the most common reason why people join Toastmasters common reason why people join Toastmasters and so this episode talks about the roots of the fear of public speaking , how it comes about , and offered a couple of practical suggestions about what you can do in the very short term if you're looking to conquer that fear and , ultimately ,

how Toastmasters can help with that fear and helping you to overcome that fear . Episode two looked at the other side of that coin and talked about the benefits of being a confident public speaker .

I talked about how having confidence when you speak in front of whether it's small groups or on large stages , or in the work environment or with friends and families just how having an air of confidence about you can make you feel better about yourself , and how to communicate in ways that resonate with your audience .

In episode three , I shared my personal Toastmasters journey , which has gone on and off for about 35 years , and talked about how the organization has been a key part in all decades of my life and how it's really helped me to continue to get out of my comfort zone and not only improve my communication skills but leadership skills and even doing things like this

podcast . I probably wouldn't have started that had I not been doing a Pathways project . In episode four , I looked at what actually is Toastmasters , how did it form , why did it form and just some of the many benefits that you can get from joining a Toastmasters club .

One of the things I reiterate , and my guests reiterate in most episodes , is the importance of visiting a couple of clubs .

I know it can be absolutely nerve-wracking to walk into a room full of strangers and visit your first club meeting and sometimes you might not just vibe with that particular club , and that's okay and many of my guests have said don't give up if after the first time you don't feel they were the right group for you .

Keep going until you find a club that suits you . I promise you will find one .

In episode five I introduced you to my very first guest , melissa Chong , who is from my home club of Mount Gravatt , toastmasters , and one of the points that really stood out to me about my chat with Melissa was how she managed to develop skills in setting up online meetings the many online meetings that kept our club afloat during lockdowns and this was one of

the unexpected skills that she happened to learn during her time in Toastmasters . In episode six I covered pathways , and this is the Toastmasters educational program that every member has access to .

This online educational program gives you the opportunity to hone over 300 competencies across 11 current pathways , although that will be being reduced to about six very shortly and Pathways is really how Toastmasters structures the program to ensure that you can go from a very inexperienced speaker and not really knowing too much about how to structure speeches or perhaps

use your vocal variety or incorporate gestures and body language , and the Pathways program really is what drives everyone's development and progress in the organization .

In episode seven I spoke with John Khoury , a fellow Toastmaster , and John spoke about how Toastmasters had helped him to really hone his vocal variety , that is , how to control his voice and not just go from very loud volume to very soft volume , as he was doing in his work as a personal trainer , and also he talked about how he learned the importance of

structuring his speeches . In episode eight I talked about the art of mastering speeches and how the Toastmasters Pathways program guides even the most inexperienced speakers how to do this . We talked about how you'll start with your icebreaker speech , the very first speech that all Toastmasters give , and how the program helps members to build from there .

And again , this is a skill that you can use in any aspect of your life just being able to understand how to construct speeches .

Then in episode nine , I spoke with Kevin Ryan , who's been a Toastmaster for 35 years and the last couple of decades has been a professional speaker , and what stood out to me in that particular episode was how Kevin had come back to Toastmasters really to hone his discipline and to be able to focus his messages into much shorter speeches than he's used to

delivering . In episode 10 , I discussed the whole idea of impromptu speaking at Toastmasters and what opportunities are available in club meetings and elsewhere in the organization to help you improve your impromptu speaking skills .

That is , being asked to speak off the cuff and whether you're preparing for job interviews or networking events or really anytime you open your mouth is mostly going to be an example of impromptu speaking and looking at how elements in the Toastmasters program can help you to practice that very important skill .

In episode 11 , I spoke with Thomas Craft , who's a fellow member at Leading Edge , and Thomas's story really talked about how he started Toastmasters very early on because he realized that in his career he was going to need to speak and converse with people who were more proficient at public speaking , and I think what is great about Thomas's story is how it shows

his initial stages in Toastmasters and now how he has gone on to run a speaking , training and consulting business .

In episode 12 , I discussed the importance of evaluations and why pretty much everything we do in Toastmasters is evaluated , and not only that part of it the receiving of evaluations but also how to give evaluations and how Toastmasters coaches us to be able to give feedback in a constructive and helpful way , but also making it specific enough that the speaker can

improve . In episode 13 , I spoke with Jeff Roberts , who's the current Area 26 director and therefore my area director as a club member of Mount Gravatt , which is in Area 26 .

And what struck me about Jeff's episode and his message was how he used Toastmasters at a later age at age 47 , to regain his confidence and the difference it has since made to his career and just his life . Just how having that confidence has enabled him to take on area leadership roles and to feel more confident in his everyday speaking engagements .

In episode 14 , I walked through the unique roles on the Toastmasters agenda . So if you're looking to understand how Toastmasters meetings run , what types of roles you'll see on pretty much most agendas in most clubs . Obviously , each club does it differently , but this episode talked about the various roles .

Whether it's the toastmaster who runs the meeting , or the grammarian who's looking out for word usage and use of ums and ahs , or the Table Topics Master who provides topics for discussion for the evening . This episode gives you a really good overview of the various roles that are hallmarks of the Toastmasters agenda .

In episode 15 , I spoke with Graham Cairns , who's a Toastmaster , again from my Leading Edge Club , and Graham has been in and out of Toastmasters for many years and he's completed over 15 pathways and so has so much experience in Toastmasters .

But what I loved about my chat with Graham was how he had used Toastmasters as a springboard to get him speaking as an enrichment lecturer on cruise ships , and who doesn't want that ability to talk about things that you love while cruising around the South Pacific and around the world ?

Then in episode 16 , I discussed the mentoring program within Toastmasters , which is another really important part of how Toastmasters supports members and how the mentoring process works .

It's such a unique opportunity , I feel , to be assigned a mentor who's going to be there to help you to improve your speaking and to give you additional feedback above and beyond the weekly evaluations you might otherwise get .

And it can also be really quite rewarding to be a mentor once you have a little bit more experience under your belt , and this is again something that can enhance both your Toastmasters experience and be applied in your work or professional or personal life .

In episode 17 , I spoke with Matt Iles from the Fraser Coast Toastmasters Club and we heard about Matt's amazing journey as a representative of Australia in the World Championship of Public Speaking in Nashville in 2022 .

And this was a great story about how just keeping going and keeping consistent with your Toastmasters practice can get you onto the world stage of Toastmasters contests and also being invited to do a TED Talk . So I think it's fantastic to see where and how Toastmasters can take you if you are open to those kinds of opportunities .

In episode 18 , I explored the many leadership opportunities available in Toastmasters and specifically , the opportunities available in Toastmasters clubs . I looked at roles and benefits of being the president , the vice president of public relations , the vice president of membership and the other executive committee roles .

This is really just an entree into the world of leadership in Toastmasters because there's the club level executive and then there's all sorts of positions at the area , division , district and so on .

If you're looking for leadership experience and really quite different experience that you might not be able to get in your current role or your current workplace , this episode talks about how you can take on leadership roles in a volunteer organization and gain some really important and valuable experience .

Then , in episode 19 , I spoke with Kate Norris , who is another Toastmaster in my Leading Edge Club and , in fact , the person who's responsible for getting me into that club and letting me know that this advanced club existed .

So I really enjoyed my chat with Kate because she has been such an inspiration to me , both in competitions and just seeing how she has run a fantastically successful District 69 conference and I'll do a wrap up of that in a couple of weeks .

But , yeah , hearing Kate's journey of how Toastmasters has not only helped her to improve her confidence but to gain a whole lot of other skills like marketing and event management and things that you may not otherwise associate with Toastmasters .

In episode 20 , I looked at the whole notion of Toastmasters contests , which is a really important part of the annual Toastmasters program and yet another opportunity that Toastmasters can use to get out of their comfort zone . The competition scene is not for everyone .

Not all Toastmasters choose to participate in it , but for those that do , it can really catapult both you as a Toastmaster and a professional in your work life . It can have all sorts of ramifications by winning some of these contests .

In episode 21 , I spoke with Leonard Scuderi , who is another one of my fellow members at Leading Edge , and Leonard spoke about how he initially started Toastmasters , because his father was involved .

And we heard about how Leonard has been able to visit Toastmasters clubs around the world , which is another aspect of this organization that probably a lot of people don't consider too much or don't take advantage of .

And actually , as at the time of recording , I'm in Malaysia and I will be doing an update on a couple of the clubs I'm hoping to visit while I'm overseas . In episode 22 , I spoke about the idea of Toastmasters conferences and educational opportunities , as well as contests .

Whenever we have contests , there is typically an educational event that hangs off it , and also one of the other opportunities is club officer training .

So when you take on leadership roles in Toastmasters , whether it's at the club area , division , district and beyond levels , there's all sorts of amazing free training , and that doesn't include the workshops and all sorts of opportunities that come up which Toastmasters can take advantage of .

And then , in episode 23 , I introduced you to Sue Pinker , who is the District 69 historian , and this was a glimpse into a really fascinating role that , again , you wouldn't necessarily associate being something you experience at Toastmasters , but Sue talked about how important it is to preserve the Toastmasters history in this particular division and district and a little

bit about her process and what it involves . I really enjoyed this talk because it was just such a different spin on Toastmasters and yet so very important , particularly in this 100th year anniversary of Toastmasters . And yet so very important particularly in this 100th year anniversary of Toastmasters .

So that's a very brief run through of where the podcast has been and that was pretty much the initial batch of content that I mapped out when I first sat down to plan what I wanted roughly to say when I started this whole project back in October In terms of what's coming up for this podcast . I'm definitely going to keep recording guest interviews .

I love hearing their stories and I'm getting so much feedback from Toastmasters in the district and beyond at this point saying that they're enjoying hearing other Toastmasters stories . So I'm definitely going to keep those going .

But also I'm going to provide a wrap up of the District 69 conference , so I can't wait to tell you about that and I'm also really looking forward to sharing an update of what will hopefully be a visit to two Malaysian clubs , so one club in Malacca and one Toastmasters club in Kuala Lumpur .

When I reached out to these two clubs some months ago to ask and confirm that they were meeting on the particular dates and times that I was expecting them to be meeting , and I asked if I could come and join them at a meeting . They were so welcoming and just so helpful and really wanted to make sure that .

Firstly , I got to their meeting and it's just been fantastic , and I believe this is the type of experience that you would likely get if you visited any Toastmasters club . So I can't wait to update you on that , and so that's really where we're at .

As I said , I can't wait to keep doing guest interviews and highlighting the different experiences that my fellow Toastmasters have , because I feel that it's in the telling of their stories that brings life to this organization .

You know , this organization is nothing without its members , and it's the member stories and that member interaction that has made my Toastmasters experience fantastic and I'm sure will make yours fantastic as well .

If you're still sitting on the fence , if you've listened to this podcast a few times and you haven't yet visited a club , I urge you , with all the love in the world , to just do it .

Just wander into a club , make contact with them beforehand if you want although you don't have to and go and check it out , because hopefully , if you've been listening along with me , or if you're only finding this podcast for the first time , go back and listen to some of those guest experiences and what Toastmasters has meant for them and what it's enabled them

to do in their life , and I have no doubt that if you throw yourself into this organization , you will take so much away from it . So there you have it a bit of a wrap up of where we've been , of those first 23 episodes and a little bit about where we're going .

Once again , thank you so much for joining me on this journey and I look forward to continuing to tell the story of Toastmasters . Thanks for listening to today's show . Head to talkativetoastmastercom , where you'll find the show notes for this and all other episodes , as well as links to some awesome Toastmasters resources .

If you found value in today's content , I'd really appreciate if you could share it with friends and colleagues who may be interested or leave a review on iTunes . This helps more people to find us . Until next time , remember the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson All the great speakers were bad speakers at first . Have a great week .