My Worst Nightmare

LaShawn Carter

The first time I heard about Toastmasters I was in college. An invited speaker at my Marketing Club advised that it was a great way to hone your speaking skills. I was immediately intimidated. My worst nightmare came to mind. All I could picture was a lecture hall of 300 people and having to speak for an hour about something I knew absolutely nothing about. Anyone who knows anything about Toastmasters knows it’s all about timing. I wasn't ready to tackle my fear. It was the wrong time.

Fast forward to last year…I became a charter member of a Toastmasters club at work. What changed between now and then? This time around, I was open to the idea. I saw Toastmasters as a way to polish my rough edges and I hoped it would get me noticed at work. More importantly, Toastmasters would give me the skills to conquer my worst nightmare.

I attended my first Afterburners meeting in mid January 2011 after the club at work disbanded. I was immediately impressed because this club is very well organized and I was welcomed with open arms. Everything fit perfectly. The day, time, and location fit my schedule. The level of expertise and professionalism was exactly what I was looking for. And the demographic makeup was diverse. I was even matched with a mentor.

Toastmasters is developing my speaking skills. I always made eye contact, but now I work the room and pause for dramatic effect. I’m still working on my volume levels and vocal variety. But that will come in time. For me, Afterburners is like therapy, but a whole lot cheaper. I know I can call on anyone in this club for anything, especially my mentor, Pat Quick. I made up my mind that I cannot miss Afterburners on Tuesday nights. It’s like church on Sunday morning...if I miss, I feel that my week just doesn't go right.

My goal for Toastmasters is to conquer my worst nightmare. I want to make an informative, yet entertaining presentation to a group of 300+ people for an extended length of time. I don't want to just do it. I want to do it well. With continued training and guidance from Toastmasters, it's just a matter of time.