Inspiring Women Summer 2018

23
I knew that I wanted to become a more confident,
polished speaker and presenter. Toastmasters was on
my radar from when I lived in the US, but I had never
taken the leap. When I was President of AWC The
Hague (2002-2004), though, I realized that starting a
Toastmasters club at AWC would benefit not only our
professional members (and members who had left
their careers behind) but also the community. (And in
a self-serving moment, I hoped I could learn some new
skills, too.) I set the wheels in motion to create
Toastmasters of The Hague.
So much has happened since then. Today, after 15
years of Toastmastering, I can say, "Mission
accomplished!" I've become a speaker, trainer,
facilitator, speech coach, and can speak off the cuff
with much more ease... more than I'd ever anticipated.
My increased confidence has helped me navigate learning a new language in midlife.
Learning Dutch has been a humbling experience, but it's important to speak, speak, speak, -
and in the Netherlands, it's equally important to insist that the person you are talking to speaks
back to you in Dutch, and not English.
The growth surge of Toastmasters across Europe in the last 15 years has surprised me
tremendously. (When Toastmasters of The Hague was created, it was only the second club in
The Netherlands. Today there are 40. Other European countries mirror this same growth
pattern.) I wasn't aware that my own desires were identical to those of so many other people. I
know better now. It may sound corny, but many people have their own unique reasons to want
to become more confident speakers or presenters.
Many people believe that they should have
a certain life goal before they wanting to
become better speakers. "Oh, I don't need
that in my life," or “I certainly don't want to
become a professional speaker!" The real
goal, though, is to be an effective speaker IN
LIFE. It's about having the confidence to
speak whenever and wherever you might
want to.
Just about everyone is insecure about their
speaking skills. Everyone can easily say what
they don't do well and aren't aware of the
innate talents that they use unconsciously. So
I love telling speakers about what they do
WELL. As a speech coach, these are the
tidbits that people are hungry to hear. Is it
"easy" for that person to write a speech with
good structure and flow that the audience
can follow? Is it "easy" for that person to
have the confidence to stand in front of a
group without shaking or nervous tics? Does
the person have a natural stage presence
that the audience is drawn to? People need
to understand that the skills they have come
to them naturally.