Fear is the biggest hurdle to overcome. If you find yourself afraid of public speaking, then likely, you are going to find yourself afraid to join a Toastmaster’s club as well. The thought of placing yourself right in the middle of one of everyone’s biggest fears – public speaking, is daunting. Well…Fear Not!
Theodore Roosevelt once said, “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”
What can you do to deal with this problem? Here are a couple of tips for attending your first toastmaster meeting, whether you have a lot of dread or not;
- -ask a friend to go with you to be a guest at a toastmaster meeting
- -let the club know that you plan to attend and start a dialogue with the club president to familiarize yourself with the proceedings
- ask them to send you a copy of the agenda, so you are informed
- -be prepared to introduce yourself to the group
- -at the end of the meeting you may be asked for your comments on the meeting; be yourself and find one or two things about the meeting that you liked
- Persevere, because the rewards of confronting your fears are enormous
As I begin this blog, I too am afraid; afraid that the content won’t be interesting or creative; afraid that it’s too personal; afraid of being judged, but worst of all, having no blogging talent whatsoever.
That said, I’m jumping in with both feet and the best part is, I know that I will find a few fellow toastmasters to help me on this journey. That’s the thing about Toastmasters, we are all in this together.
Take a Leap!