	Phoenix Toronto Toastmasters "Catch the Phoenix Spirit!" A Tuesday night Toastmaster club in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada.
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Tuesday October 18, 2006
Michelle W.

About Michelle W.

Michelle has been a member of our club since 1997. She has achieved the Toastmaster Advanced Leader designation and the ATM-Silver. She is currently working on her ATM-Gold.

In the picture Michelle is using the advanced inspiration technique passed down from the elders of the Toastmaster ~~cult~~ club. :)

Thank you michelle for this presentation!

Why Stay in Toastmasters After your first ten speeches?

Go back to the beginning and discover a world of opportunities

Some people mistakenly think after they've presented their first ten speeches in their Competent Communicator (CC) program, that they are finished with Toastmasters. In fact, achieving the CC designation is the start of a wonderful journey. There is a world of other opportunities in the Toastmasters Communication and Leadership program. Why people go to Toastmasters? Michelle took us back to the beginning. She asked us to reflect on why each of us joined Toastmasters. Many of us gave answers similar to the following:

To build communication skills
To learn to think on my feet
To build leadership skills
To get comfortable speaking around people
To gain confidence
To build presentation skills
Something to do on Tuesday nights! :)

As Competent Communicators what did you learn in your first ten speeches?

What did you learn in your first ten speeches? Michelle asked us to reflect back, to consider what we learned and how we changed after completing the first ten speeches.

Some of the responses were:

"Continued Improvement is possible"
"I now realize I'm a work in progress and there's still so much more to learn!"
"I've met my initial goals with joining Toastmasters. But now I've seen that I can set the bar even higher for myself. Toastmasters will help me reach these new goals"
"If you don't use it you lose it! Keeping my mind and communications skills active and up to date is important."
"I like the learning by example philosophy. It's nice to see new members learn and grow and to help inspire them"
"I'm not done yet. There's still so much to learn"
"I Like the increased confidence Toastmasters is given me. But I also like the increased confidence I get with each additional speech."
"I am looking forward to The Advanced speeches. The advanced speech manuals are more targeted to different areas. I can pick the manuals that best improve my communication at work and in situations where a speech may be appropriate."
"Doing the speeches helps me stay motivated."

Why continue past the Competent Communicator

I've got my Competent Communicator (CC) designation. After achieving my first designation, can I quit now? This is a common question, but if we apply that same logic to school, many of us won't have continued past elementary school, or perhaps high school. Michelle asked us, "why do you continue to attend meetings?"

Professional development
Our Toastmaster club is a lot of fun
It's a nice social environment
It's a community
To get energized!
Support
To contribute and participate in a successful club
I almost feel obligated to attend. When I miss a meeting I feel bad that I'm not participating with the rest of the team.
Learn by doing. Lead by example.
To gain confidence
Get valuable feedback

Skills you learn by continuing with the Toastmaster Program

Consider some of the skills the audience members learned and practised by continuing with Toastmasters after their first ten speeches:

Individual speaking skills
Articulation
Build on my use of humour and my personal speaking style
Improved use of language
To teach others, and to learn from teaching them
To learn the gentle touch of giving feedback
That my progress is a moving target - I'm always raising the bar on self-improvement and self-awareness
To work on conveying the proper message to the audience
Know your audience! Tailor your message to your audience. Learn to read the audience's reaction and adjust your speech accordingly
Learn to balance speaking and listening -- master the true path to communication

Advice to those who are about to finish their Competent Communicator Speeches

If you're about to finish your first ten Competent Communicator speeches, then this advice is for you.

Be proud of your accomplishment! When you get your Competent Communicator award take a minute to reflect amidst the applause of your peers. Was it a difficult journey? Did it get easier with each step? I hope you continue to enjoy the confidence and skills that Toastmasters has helped you build. For most this journey is much more than just the "CC" designation and adding a few initials to your belt buckle.

Enjoy the recognition from your peers, as they celebrate - with you - your achievement. Enjoy the sweet feeling of success! And then, look towards the future. What is next? You are now at another starting point. A starting point within the path of becoming a successful communicator. Continue on! More success awaits you!

Why did I continue with the program? By Michelle Warren

I, personally, stayed in Toastmasters after achieving my CTM designation (back when the CTM still existed - now it is the CC), because I enjoyed going to the meetings. I also knew that I had a long way to go towards improving my speaking skills, but I also - admittedly - got a bit lazy. After volunteering at various levels outside the club level - including the area and division governors, acting as a club mentor, participating in a youth leadership program, working as a mentor to club executive, and volunteering at speech contests - I decided to enjoy "just being a member." A member without responsibilities - which is, of course - a misnomer.

As members, we all have a responsibility to ourselves and to our fellow members - to show up, to participate, to learn and to help others learn. And I did that. Once I had done that for awhile, I was ready to refocus on my speaking skills again. That meant stepping outside of my comfort zone, and asking - actively asking - for suggestions for improvement. Which I did. The group is incredibly supportive, and helpful, and the comments I received have been useful and meaningful. As a result, my speaking skills have strengthened, and continue to do so, as I advance through the speech manuals.

Good luck, and enjoy the journey.

Michelle W. & company
October 18, 2006

Related links about the Toastmasters education program:
Toastmaster Designations
Toastmasters Educational Program

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