Growing outside the club

Yesterday I came across a news paper article written by a Toastmaster I know. Tony is a Toastmaster of less than one year and has been on a mission of self improvement for some time.

When he joined Toastmasters, he was reserved and lacked some confidence. His club quickly discovered that what he lacked in confidence he made up for in determination. If he could, Tony, would give a speech every week.

Tony is a natural story teller and offers up very descriptive prose when he speaks. His structure did need work, but over, all his stories were quite entertaining.

All this to say that in the last almost year Tony has grown more confident and still delivers a colourful speech which are now combined with body language and structure as well as all the things we learn from our cc manual projects.

Tony has clearly grown inside the club. So much so that he gained the confidence to try something NEW. Tony took his speaking style and applied pen to paper, submitting a guest column to his local news paper. To great pleasure it was published on July 21, 2009. Although the paper edited the column for length, Tony has become a great deal more confident and it is inspiring him to try more new things inside the club where it is safe and outside where the perceived risk is greater but so are the rewards.

At the same time as Tony was stretching his personal wings, he was also promoting Toastmasters and a special Toastmasters event. This can and does help clubs grow as well by encouraging new people to attend meetings as guests.

Tony's column can be read at the following link and who knows this may give you some ideas of your own.

http://www.cambridgetimes.ca/opinions/article/182526

If you wish to share your ideas please fee free to contact me at billkirby2007@hotmail.com or post your comments.

Tony is not the first and will not be the last. He is certainly the latest to do what we are all striving to do and that is GROW, GROW, GROW until we become more than we ever expected and all that we are meant to be!