“You Never Forget your first……LOVE(club)!”

 

 by Joanie Winkley, CTM

 

How many of you remember your first love?  Remember how nervous you were?  The attraction stirred up unknown and previously unfelt feelings didn’t it?  You had no idea what you were getting into, but you didn’t steer clear either! 

 

My first visit to a Toastmasters Club was an example of a “first love” in my life.  I wasn’t sure what I was getting into. What if I didn’t fit in? What if I couldn’t measure up to their standards (and they were pretty high!!!)

What if I couldn’t think of 10 speech topics (that one stumped me for awhile).

What if I couldn’t remember my speeches when it came time to give them?

Yikes!  I was feeling the pressure already!

 

I needn’t have worried. I quickly found out that joining a Toastmasters’ Club is easy.  It’s like being accepted into a new family.  I soon found out other newcomers shared my same fears.  None of use had any cause to worry because we felt unconditional support and friendship.  Aside from getting my “Ice Breaker” speech done there was no pressure for me to do anything other than just…..belong.  I put the pressure on myself: to achieve a CTM in a year or less. Only nine months later, I was presented with my CTM badge!

 

Once I started giving speeches I couldn’t stop!   I received help from a couple of incredibly great mentors: Gary Pettigrew and Cliff Brackett. They always had time to answer my questions, give me guidance and pointers.

 

 I moved down to Southern California just before Christmas. I was only here for a couple of weeks before I started to go into “Toastmaster withdrawal”.  I had to find a club!  I visited several clubs in the area, and decided that Glendale One’s Toastmaster Club fit my needs. I have been a proud member there for a couple of months and have felt welcomed by every member. Glendale One has given me many opportunities to speak, and I am well on my way towards an ATM-B. 

 

When I don’t have the opportunity to attend Glendale One, I frequent Jewel City Toastmasters. What a dynamic group they are! Since I truly need my weekly Toastmaster fix, maybe I will be joining a third club!

 

Every club I have visited since being in Southern California has been warm and so inviting. It seems that being a member of Toastmasters is like belonging to a family, which is so needed in today’s world because people seem to be so guarded.

 

As I continue learning and growing with different clubs I think fondly of my first club, Bits N Speeches in Elk Grove, CA.  Thanks to BNS I am hooked, and changed, for life!!