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| Holly Trinh |
One day, I realized that I was not satisfied with my level
of communication. I needed to be more effective
in public speaking and writing. I also wanted
to develop leadership skills. I prayed
and asked the Lord to grant me wisdom and guide me down the right path to
better communication.
Late one afternoon in September 2010, I searched the
internet using the keywords “Toastmasters and Fort Worth.” Afterburners Toastmasters was the very first of
about 186,000 results. I read through
some highlighted points and it sounded like just what I needed. Then I called one of the representatives who
agreed to meet me at the next meeting.
On Tuesday, I got off from work and rushed straight to the
Afterburners Toastmaster Club meeting located in downtown Fort Worth. I was very nervous because I didn’t know
anyone and didn’t know what to expect.
When I walked in the classroom, I was amazed to see a room full of
people. Their hospitality and professionalism
was immeasurable. Several people greeted
and welcomed me. The members that spoke
that night showed so much confidence and talent.
The meeting ended about 8:30 pm. I took the elevator by myself because I
thought I knew where I was going. I
rushed out of the elevator door into a dark and scary hallway. For a moment, I thought this was the door I
came in by the security counter, but where was the parking lot? I realized I was at the wrong exit door. I was lost and terrified. I didn’t know what to do. I thought I should call 911, and then I
remembered I had a copy of the members’ phone list. I proceeded to call almost everyone on the
list until someone answered. To make a
long story short, everyone was so gracious and they helped me get out
safely. Now I know to always exit on the
second floor.
I came back the next Tuesday and didn’t hesitate to join the
club. I was voted in and assigned a
mentor to help me. My breakthrough
moment happened when I gave my first speech, the “Ice Breaker.” I was so nervous. My heart was beating so fast. I told myself that I needed a lot of prayer
and confidence to do this.
The Toastmasters manual helped me develop and organize my
speeches. I followed the steps to define
my supporting points and explain my objectives.
With my mentor’s help, I was able to build my confidence each time I spoke. So far, I have completed ten speeches. I have achieved the level of Competent Communicator
(CC). I am very happy and proud of
myself to have made it this far. I feel
more confident today than I did a year ago.
Toastmasters helped me improve my speaking, writing and leadership
skills. I plan to continue with
Toastmasters and I dream that one day I will become a professional speaker and a
role model to others.
