Check out Find Your Voice, Part I to get the back story to this!
Sherry, at 63, stands at a proud 4’7″. She has never been taller than this. She has two ‘normal’ height siblings, and she has a ‘normal height’ daughter and granddaughter. She has no disease, no handicap, no other physical problems, other than in the 4th grade, she just stopped growing. But Sherry never let any of this get in the way of what she wanted to accomplish in life. She is methodical and extremely organized. She makes a plan, and she sticks to it.
It is nearly impossible for me to explain the admiration and respect I have for this woman. It is even harder still for me to imagine what her life would look like today if it wasn’t for Toastmasters. Her first 14 second speech more than tripled when her second speech rounded out at about 45 seconds. The courage it took for her to come back and try again is amazing. From that point, Sherry took it upon herself to speak at every opportunity. She has also learned to just go with the flow. Now, instead of becoming distraught when something changes, she laughs and says “Oh well!”
This year, a scant 13 months after joining Toastmasters, Sherry entered our club Humorous Speech Contest. To even enter was a brave brave thing for her. Watching her speak was a joy to me. She used no notes, a few props, and utilized vocal variety and body movements as she spoke for nearly seven minutes, with much of the audience in stitches for the duration. Sherry was the embodiment of what Toastmasters strives to do, to change lives and encourage personal growth through public speaking. When she finished her speech that evening, it was clear she was proud of how far she knew she had come. And the look on her face when she realized she had won was an incredible play of shock and joy. She went on to compete at the Area level, up against people from 6 other clubs, some of whom have been doing this for upwards of 20 years! She pulled out well-earned Second Place finish from that contest, her speech now having been heard by over 100 people. This from the petite and shy woman for whom 14 seconds was once a trial. What a difference a year makes.
One of things that I found with Toastmasters is that unlike so many other ‘public speaking venues’, Toastmasters gives you the freedom to fail. Everyone is encouraging, and actively wants the other members to succeed.
The best part about Toastmasters is that it is open to everyone. You never know who you will meet, or whose life you may change with a speech. I have yet to find any sort of profession, hobby, or other situation that can’t be improved with better communication. The first time I stood at the front of my church to raise funds for an AIDS Vaccine Ride I was doing, I was terrified. Now, speaking at the front of my church is easy. I don’t get nervous anymore about how I am speaking, and whatever message I am trying communicate is no longer lost in the terror in my voice.
