This is the 7th of 8 posts on why I like being a member of Toastmasters(TM).
Are you
a solo traveller like I am?
If yes, there are times when you want to get away from doing things touristy and get local.
To me, joining a local Toastmasters club gets me local. I
always enjoy doing things local during my travels instead of striking off all
the tourist attractions in a must-visit checklist. All I need to do is letting
the club know that I’m interested to join its meeting and show up with
enthusiasm, smile and the willingness to learn. Even if these clubs are far away
from home, they all comprise of the same sessions - the table topics, prepared
speech and evaluation sessions. Most corporate clubs may have shorter 1 hour meetings
during lunch breaks. On the other hand, community clubs that have weekly
meetings last for an hour and those held fortnightly last for 2.5 - 3 hours.
Being a Toastmaster, I feel a sense of belonging everywhere
I go. Before the Covid-19 started, I have attended meetings in Auckland,
Hamilton(the one in NZ), Dunedin, Melbourne, Sydney and Jaipur. The members always make me
feel at home. I am always more than happy to assist with speech evaluations, as
there is a high chance that I will not be picked on for Table Topics (Impromptu
Speech). Unfortunately, it didn’t work out my way sometimes. I just got to push
myself harder to go ahead and take on the Table Topics Challenge. In addition, I
wouldn't have had the chance to go up the Fonterra Office as well stepping into a chapel in Hamilton, the
Department of Finance Building in Melbourne and the ANZ Office in
Melbourne, had it not for Toastmasters.
During MCO - Movement Control Order, it made it easier to join overseas TM meetings
right from my home. I visited clubs located in the USA, Canada, Peru, UK, Germany,
Kazakhstan, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Australia and enjoyed every single
moment of them.
These sweet and memorable experiences wouldn’t be possible if not for my membership in Toastmasters. My overseas trips(pre-Covid) were made memorable because of time well spent with the locals, listening to their stories while enjoying special local hospitality. Therefore, if you’d like to take time off being another mainstream tourist, and do things locally and connecting with people where you travel to, this is your best opportunity. Being a Toastmaster means having an international passport to all TM clubs worldwide. You’re not limited to the boundary of the club you’re a member of. Yay!! ☺
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| One of the many times, I failed at avoiding Table Topics. :) |
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| Visiting Leng Kee TMC in Singapore. |
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| Visiting Astana TMC in Kazakhstan. |
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| Visiting Capital City TMC in US. |
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| Visiting Effective Communicators TMC in Germany. |
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| Visiting Brunswick County TMC in US. |
Are you looking to connect with people beyond where you
live?
Want to check our next meeting out?
Follow our Facebook page at
‘Super Speakers Toastmasters Club’
This is my 7th gain as a member of Toastmasters. Stay tuned to fine 1 more out.
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