3/8 Gains From Toastmasters: Opportunities to Give

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This is the 3^rd of 8 posts sharing on why I like being a member of Toastmasters(TM).

 

Have you ever said something and seen someone’s face just lit up?

The joy is contagious.

 Have you felt like you haven’t done enough to make someone’s day?

There’re lots of opportunities in Toastmasters.

In Toastmasters, we learn from each other. When one speaks, the other evaluates. I didn’t start of enjoying being an evaluator. In the past, I was so fearful of this role thinking it’s only for the professionals to evaluate.

“No, other roles.., please.. I don’t qualify. I am not even a great speaker myself.”

 I was totally nervous evaluating, and had no points of improvement when the speaker was definitely more eloquent and a better speaker than me. I refused to take up the evaluator’s role whenever called upon to do so.

 

 Over a year later, I became convinced that we could evaluate to help the speaker improve from the viewpoint of the listener. The listener could be anyone, even a non-speaker, non-Toastmaster. An evaluation can go as such.

  

“The speaker spoke with a clear pleasant voice and the pacing was easy to follow. This helped me to follow the delivery of her speech well. The speech had clear opening, body and closing and the speaker injected humour that lightened up the mood in the room.  The speaker used personal story of her own that made her message memorable and more impactful to me.”

  

Over a span of 8 years, evaluating has become enjoyable to me. I have learnt that it doesn’t take a great speaker to evaluate. I may be 8 years, but I could be assigned to evaluate a Distinguished Toastmaster (highest title in TM) or a veteran who has been a member for decades. Over the years, I realized that being an evaluator becomes an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to give someone a gift. a gift to affirm their strengths, a gift to help them improve, a gift to encourage them and last but not least, a gift to lend a listening ear to follow and connect with them through their stories and messages. In Toastmasters, we evaluate the sandwich method. First, we share what we like or what the speaker did well, and then we give one or two recommendations for improvement. Lastly, we wrap up with words of encouragements to keep their strengths and try out the recommendations in the next speech. In our evaluations, we acknowledge the content of the speech and shares what resonated with us and thank the speaker for helping us to learn something new.

 

For a TM meeting/contest/workshop to run smoothly, there is a committed team behind it that makes this possible. Often times, I’d have invitations to fill up roles from technical roles to evaluators. Many times I would not be able to assist and few times, I could. In the few times, I could see joy in the other’s text reply. The joy was contagious. I felt like I had not just made someone’s day, but my own. We are all busy people, and our time is precious. By giving our time helping others, we are giving something valuable, really, and it’s a joy.

 

Being a Toastmaster opens up opportunities to make someone else’s day. Have you ever heard that the best gift to give to someone else need not be monetary? It is by spreading positivity and lending a helping hand/listening ears. It’s a way of showing care, as we want to see someone grow. Everyone around the world wants to grow and it’s universal. If we’ve mastered encouraging evaluations, it will definitely help us not just to be a better Toastmaster but also a better person whether in our professional or personal life.  

 

Want to find out more?

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P/S: It's Dec 25th today! MEEERRRYYY CHRISTMAS!! Wishing everyone a blessed and joyous Christmas with your loved ones! Enjoy a jolly good time and a relaxing year end holiday. 

This is my 3^rd gain as a member of Toastmasters. Stay tuned to fine out 5 more.

*A.S's current location*

Day/ Date: Fri/ Dec 25th, 2020,   

Home in KL.

- Just like everyone else, AS is wondering when she could go on a plane again. :)

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