800px-BSPC_19_i_Nyborg_Danmark_2009_(4)I’ve mentioned before that I’m a member of Toastmasters International. You may be wondering why. Let me elucidate (I just used a word of the day on you).

  1. Members of Toastmasters have a built-in group of friends that they can rely on. If you’re in a good club (and they’re all good clubs), you have a cadre of fans and friends that you can rely on to support you in life. I’m very fond of my Toastmasters family.
  2. You’ll be a better speaker. Duh, that seems to be the main point, why isn’t that number one? It isn’t number one because the fellowship seems more important to me. But, you will have lots of opportunity to overcome that fear of public speaking and develop skills to speak in a variety of situations.
  3. You will increase your vocabulary. It’s true, you won’t likely end up a sesquipedalian, but you will be challenged with adding words into your vocabulary on a weekly basis. I hope you know that’s a good thing.
  4. You’ll be a better leader. Toastmasters has a variety of ways to pitch in, help out and hone those leadership skills.
  5. You’ll meet interesting people. There’s no homogeneity in Toastmasters. All people, from all walks of life, from all creeds and backgrounds are welcome. This means your ideas of the world will be stretched. And, because of #1, you’ll love these people that are different from you.
  6. You get to help other people be better people.
  7. You’ll stop saying “um”…. someday.

Are you in Toastmasters? If you are, what do you think? If not, why not? Can I encourage you to join? Let me know in the comments.