What the Heck is Toastmasters - and Why Should I Join?

When I first joined Toastmasters (I can't believe it's been about 8 years now), I was amazed at the level of support the club showed.

Dynamic 90's Toastmasters meets on Saturdays from 8am - 10am. Now I know that most of us get up early for work everyday (I'm usually at work at 5am) -- and the thought of preparing for an 8am meeting is almost insane -- yet the members of Dynamic 90's Toastmasters are at the assigned meeting place (90th and Normandie) on time -- looking as if they just stepped out of GQ and Essence magazines.

When I first joined, I was amazed at the ability of the speakers to seem at easy speaking in front of an audience -- yet what really blew me away, was the fact that each speaker also had an evaluator. After the 3 speakers presented their speech, they were evaluated for 2 - 3 minutes. I guess it seems kind of weird that the speeches were limited to 5 - 7 minutes - yet the presenters were able to put so much information in them.

A few weeks after I joined, I was given the opportunity to schedule my Ice Breaker Speech, which is a 4 - 6 minute presentation. Being the internally shy person that I am, I knew the best way to feel comfortable when my day to present arrived, was to pack the audience with those who love me best.

On that particular Saturday morning, my family was with me. Needless to say, I felt very comfortable and was able to speak without any real embarrassing moments.