District Administration

From Toastmasters to the Bar

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Tom Bailey

Thanks Toastmasters, for giving me confidence in my public speaking!

Before joining Toastmasters, I had set my sights on becoming a solicitor, specialising in office work.

Whilst the Bar was mentioned as a potential route whilst I was at University, I never really felt it was for me. In fact, only one other person from my cohort had committed to this path.

I assume as most of my classmates thought, that Barristers were scary and intimidating individuals with unstoppable self-confidence. It was the advocacy element which mostly put me off, the feeling of talking for extended periods of time, trying to sound in control, and most importantly, trying to persuade the Judge and Jury of your client’s case. 

Tom Bailey

Around three years ago, I was given my first spoken law assessment. I had to speak for 15 minutes on criminal law and answer to Judicial intervention.

As a natural introvert, I could not recall speaking for more than 30 seconds at a time, never mind 15 minutes, not to mention in an assessed environment.

I was terrified. The palms of my hands already starting to sweat.

Naturally, my first step was to Google my symptoms.

A video on YouTube provided my medication. Dan Lok, a hugely successful entrepreneur, shared how he had utilised Toastmasters to overcome his severe anxiety while speaking in public. I would encourage you to watch it:

(427) How Toastmasters Inspired Me to Become a Professional Speaker – YouTube

I then Googled Toastmasters and came across a local club in my hometown of Farnham, and, in October 2020, joined Farnham Speakers’ Club.

I was a part of the ‘Zoom’ generation. Whilst seen as an unpopular necessity for most, conducting my first few speeches online, in hindsight, proved to be a blessing in disguise.

I was not walking into a large hall for the first time, delivering a speech. I was not having to project my voice so those at the back could hear.

I was in the comfort of my own home, behind my laptop screen. While still undeniably nerve-wracking at first, I found this to be a less intimidating way to start my public speaking journey. (For those new to public speaking, I would encourage you to join a hybrid or online-only club, at least for your first few speeches).

Gradually, and with the unwavering support of my Toastmasters mentor, Janet Alkema DTM, I worked my way through my first pathway – ‘Engaging Humour.’

Using humour was a great tool for me to break the ice, and my confidence gradually grew and grew.

By the time I had finished my undergraduate degree, less than a year into my Toastmasters journey, I made the decision that I would become a Barrister.

I was transformed, and in July 2023, I was called to the Bar of England and Wales!

Tom Bailey

Time to Give a Little Love to Our D91 Online Clubs

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“Online clubs are not proper Toastmasters clubs.” I would be quite rich if I had £1 for every time I have heard or seen that in the last few years. I beg to differ: They are ‘proper Toastmasters clubs and in fact they are vitally important to keep our organisation alive and thriving.

Pre-2020, online clubs were serious outliers, most were un-districted although that had started to change, but by early 2020 ALL clubs were either online or closed until they could return to regular meetings. I would like to take a moment to thank all those wonderful Toastmasters who went online, kept their clubs functioning and growing and most probably helped to save our entire organisation from having to rebuild from the ground up.

What did those online Toastmasters clubs discover? Wow! An entire world of clubs to visit, plus a mass of new visitors for their clubs. People joined clubs who would not have been able to join a club before even though they might have had a desperate need to do some confidence building and learn some valuable skills.

I want to be clear here that I am talking about online-only clubs, not hybrid which is a story for another day.

As far as I can gather there are now about 126 online clubs of diverse types worldwide listed on Toastmasters International. I am fairly sure that only one D91 online club is on that list even though I believe there are at least ten online-only clubs in our District, including closed corporate clubs.

As D91 Alignment Chair even I have found it hard to find those clubs, so I am not very hopeful for the public finding an online club if they wanted to find one.

A quick Google search brings up the Toastmasters International website listing for Online-only Clubs, with its one D91 club but little else of any help.

Let me explain why we need to show our online clubs some extra love and attention: Basically we are missing a huge opportunity to gain not only new clubs but also to spread the word about Toastmasters outside its usual demographic of people.

Belonging to an online Toastmasters club in the UK offers several advantages. Just like being a part of any Toastmasters club, they focus on developing communication and leadership skills, plus here are some specific advantages of being a member of an online Toastmasters club:

  • Convenience:  Online clubs offer a convenient platform to work on your speaking skills from the comfort of your own home. You can participate in meetings and events without the need to commute. This not only saves time but also eliminates transportation costs and environmental concerns.
  • Flexibility: Online Toastmasters clubs allow members to attend meetings from anywhere with an Internet connection. This flexibility is particularly useful for individuals with busy schedules or those who live in remote areas.*
  • Diverse Membership: Online clubs often attract members from various locations, backgrounds, and cultures. This diversity can enrich the Toastmasters experience, exposing members to different perspectives and communication styles.
  • Networking Opportunities: Online clubs enable members to connect with professionals from various parts of the UK and worldwide, potentially expanding your professional network.
  • Skill Development: members will be learning skills that are needed increasingly in the workplace.
  • Feedback and Evaluation: Speeches are often recorded at online meetings to give members detailed constructive feedback with the opportunity for them to review their performance and rapidly see where improvements can be made.
  • Personal Growth: Just like a traditional Toastmasters club, the online club can boost self-confidence and self-esteem in speaking and leading in a supportive and non-judgmental environment.
  • Cost-Effective: Online clubs may have lower membership fees compared to in-person clubs since they do not have to rent physical meeting spaces. This makes Toastmasters accessible to a wider range of individuals.
  • Accessibility: Online clubs can be a great possibility for individuals with physical disabilities or other limitations that make attending in-person meetings difficult.
  • Cultural Exposure: If you join an international online club, you can gain exposure to various cultural nuances in communication, which can be a valuable skill in our interconnected world.

Overall, an online Toastmasters club provides an excellent opportunity to enhance your communication and leadership abilities, offering the same benefits as in-person clubs with the added convenience of remote access.

Online clubs can easily become ‘niche’ clubs by specializing in a single interest, humour, a sport, a hobby, advanced speaking skills and the online platform makes it far easier to attract members to those clubs. They can be international or local hubs for rural areas.

Online clubs can attract speakers and presenters from across the world to speak on a wide range of topics. They can attract ex-pats and international visitors as members to add to a club’s diversity.

Who are the prospective members for a locally based online club? People who cannot attend a regular meeting, due to work commitments, caring commitments, costs, transport difficulties, physical, emotional, and mental health issues that make it difficult to travel.

Those who live outside London do not always have reliable regular public transport.

How many people have heard stories of people who take weeks, months or even years before they feel able to visit a club in person? Attending an online club is a gentle way to start the journey of personal development.

There was a recent post on the Toastmasters Facebook group from a member who has just received her DTM with her online club where she is a Division Director in Founders District in USA and ironically, she is based on the Isle of Wight.

I have just had a talk with a member who must leave the club she currently belongs to as she is moving because of a new job in which she will have to do a lot of online presentation. She in now interested in joining an Online Club to help improve her skills.

Online meetings can be vibrant and fun if you choose to make them that way, be available for socializing at the start and end of meetings. Competing is just as viable online as in regular clubs as shown by our District 91 International Speech Contest Winner this year, Anthony Garvey.

Our existing and potential new Online Clubs need attention from us all. Find out where there is an online club so you can point people to it. There are people who do not know about online clubs but would benefit from joining. Regular community clubs are not providing what they want and need.

Online clubs are not something to be hidden aways and shunned as inferior. They are part of the future of Toastmasters.

We can only go forward now and integrate the new, going back was never an option.

Barbara Saph DTM

District 91 Alignment Chair

*Travel costs are £16 every time I visit my nearest in-person-only home club – ed.

 

 

The Dog Days of Summer

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The Dog Days of Summer

The dog days of summer across Wales and the Thames Valley have been highly productive.  We have 23 of the best clubs in the district supported by five outstanding Area Directors – Debs (J4), Andra (J7), Helyn (J10), John (J11) and Hazel (J22) have all settled into their roles amazingly and thank you to Carolyn for covering for John while he was away.

For those who don’t know where we are, we cover most of the area to the north of the M4 and south of those places where they know “It’s grim up North”.  We cover South Bucks, South Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, and South Wales.

We have had a terrific response from our clubs with the Club Officer Training over the last couple of months and have (at time of writing) around 60% of clubs with their DCP point.  Congratulations to Thame for getting all 7 officers trained!  Division J’s TLI with Division A was very well received – especially the DISC workshop from Liz Hobbs. Our final COT session was on the 30th August – an all-District COT to round off the training period.

It’s not just Club Officer Training that has been going on – Cardiff Toastmasters have just run a workshop with Andrew Bennet on how to use your voice in your speech and Berkhamsted have a Humorous Speech workshop with Bob Ferguson on 5th September.

Personally, I can’t wait for contest season to start here in the Division.  We have our area finals in the diary and all roads lead to our division contest on Saturday 4th November which is being held in the East of the Division – hopefully able to announce a venue in the next two weeks.

As well as the existing clubs, I am also working with Oxford International Speakers who are a pre-charter club.  They’re not just a normal club but are an Advanced Club for those who really want to stretch themselves.  If you are a seasoned Toastmaster then this could be the club for you – and as someone who has been in an Advanced Club, I can tell you they are so much fun!

Division J has an amazing history (and the UK’s oldest club) – and you will hear us roaring as fiercely as the Welsh Dragon flying over Cardiff Castle that we are by far the best Division in the District.

Andy Hessey
Division J Director, 2023-2024

 

The Winchmore Hill Speakers Success Story

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Winchmore Hill Speakers' Website

I am more than happy to be able to talk about a success story in Division L. And who doesn’t like to hear a comeback story?

Winchmore Hill Speakers are located in Winchmore Hill, to the north of Central London, and meet at the Paulin Ground every first and third Monday of the month. Like a lot of clubs, they were hit hard by COVID and the transition from in-person to online meetings. This had taken its toll on the membership, which fell to just eight members.

It can be difficult to run a club, let alone club meetings with only eight members. Not only that, but most of the committee roles had to be filled by the then-president, Rishi Gautam. Rishi and his fellow members switched to holding hybrid club meetings. This allowed members and guests to join meetings either in person or online, which gave everyone the best chance to attend.

The club focused on how to make their meetings as welcoming, engaging, and positive as possible, to make sure everyone got something out of the meetings. They received countless bits of positive feedback from guests about the welcoming atmosphere. It is so crucial for us to provide an environment at meetings, which is a fun, learning experience, and ultimately, one in which guests feel like they would like to be part of, as a Toastmaster.

Soon new members were joining the club in droves. The club membership has now grown to 32! A huge achievement to quadruple the number of club members in about a year, which is an amazing transformation. The club is eligible for the Phoenix Award, for a chartered club that grows its membership from 12 or fewer to 20 within a Toastmasters year.

As the club membership has been growing for a year now, those new members, who joined a year ago, are now some of the more experienced members and have formed a core leadership group. These more experienced members have in turn passed on their knowledge and skills to newer members.

Committee positions have been filled by those members, meaning Rishi does not need to be doing quite so much! Succession planning is such an important aspect of Toastmasters and leadership in general. If we are unable to pass on our leadership positions and leave our fellow club members empowered and confident enough to step into those positions, then we have failed on that count, even if it can be very difficult at times.

Ralph Sfier is the new Vice President of Education and has pushed the club on further, brought to life the opportunities of participation at club meetings.

This could only be possible due to the perseverance and tenacity of Rishi Gautam and the other club members a year ago, who worked so hard to not only keep the club alive but turn around the club’s fortunes and grow it to its current, healthy level of membership. More members mean more leaders and helps to ensure the future of the club.

We can all learn from Winchmore Hill Speakers about what is possible and take inspiration from their journey.

Sean Dean
Division L Director, 2023-2024

The Laughing Toastmaster: Green Room Gossip

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Green Room Gossip - Sonia Aste

As Toastmasters we visit a lot of Green Rooms doing public speaking. Personally, I’d prefer if they were white and padded (especially before an important gig), but at this point in my ‘thriving’ public speaking career, I’m just glad there’s a ROOM.

After being squeezed into corridors, cubbyholes, and janitor’s closets (it’s amazing how little space mops take), I can boast there’s a Green Room. And toilet paper in the Ladies’ Room! Success at last!

Now let’s not confuse ‘Green Room’ with the evergreen section in your local Garden Centre. A Green room is defined as: ‘A room in which speakers can relax before and after they perform on stage’. ‘Relax’ is not exactly the word I would use. More like, ‘She’s hyperventilating, looks like she’s going to pass out’!

I didn’t, but it was close. Where’s a brown paper bag when you need one? Plastic bags won’t do. You’ll not only hyperventilate but asphyxiate and die. Plenty of time to do that on stage.

I like Green Rooms. They remind me of my true love: chocolates. They come in all shapes and sizes and bigger is definitely better.

Take the last corporate event I did. The Green Room was a huge seminar suite filled with posters praising the benefits of hard work:

  • WORK and MAKE IT HAPPEN!
  • No Shortcuts: WORK FOR IT!
  • WORK HARD! Get AHEAD!

Very inspirational. I must remember to follow them one day.

For quirky Green Rooms, the winner has to be a B&B room in York, annexed to the conference room we were performing in. One speaker took a shower, the Keynoter took a nap, and I took all the biscuits. Hey they were free!

Close second is a Curry House in Birmingham, hired for an office party award ceremony. The Green Room was beside the kitchen. I wasn’t exactly on top of the stove but close enough to go on stage smelling like Chicken Dopiaza. Turned out the audience went ballistic and wanted more and more! Curry.

My personal favourite? A large brewery near Chicago. Was it the tank’s reflexion that made all the speakers shine? Or the fact the audience was doubly intoxicated due to what I call ‘alcohol osmosis’?

Green Rooms have rules too. As far as I know these remain unwritten, so for the benefit of all you rookies out there (in public speaking that means anyone with less than 101 years’ experience):

  1. Don’t be a jerk… but be prepared to meet a few.
  2. Avoid asking ‘Is this the Green Room?!’ With a smirk on your face. Go back to point 1.
  3. Don’t brownnose the event organizer … too much. A little ‘mocha’ nosing is expected, but most people will see through ‘You’re the best person in the world!!’ And those who don’t are best avoided.
  4. Fans and groupies are not allowed in the Green Room. My grandmother is in Spain so not a problem for me.
  5. Don’t be greedy. The organizer has kindly put out drinks and refreshments for ALL the speakers. Taking the Gin and Vodka bottles home is not cool. Plus, I have yet to be invited back to that specific event.
  6. Be nice to the host/MC. They have the power to introduce you as: ‘We believe in giving new public speakers a chance, I’ve never seen her before … so anything goes’…
  7. Don’t believe speakers that boast about how they have won all the speaking competitions in the world, especially if you’re performing in the cafeteria of an accounting firm in Sunderland. (See point 8).
  8. Do boast that YOU have won a Toastmasters’ speech competition as the name of our organization carries a lot of clout. Never mind it was third place at club level and there were only three speakers.
  9. Don’t say, ‘You really bombed!’ to the Key-Note Speaker (even if it’s true). Don’t be tempted to give them an evaluation (even if they really need it). Do say ‘Have you thought of joining Toastmasters’?

And finally,

  1. If you have an issue with any of these rules – ignore them like I do.

Sonia Aste is a Harvard MBA, Engineer, MEng, writer, public speaker, and comedian. She’s a Toastmaster at Riverside Communicators Club
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