Toastmaster and a coach

I’ve been working at improving my public speaking skills over the last year at Toastmasters. It is a very effective way to learn by practicing. One of the things I have learned is that it takes much more to be an effective speaker than just deliver a speech. Writing a speech and practicing are very time consuming. I can easily tell already when someone delivers a speech where no thought was given to prep work.

I recently participated in a speech contest and came in second place. So I still continue to work on the speech to improve and also had someone from the club coach me. It is a rewarding experience. I used to think I would be a public speaker one day but now I’m not so sure anymore. Regardless, developing the skill of becoming a more effective communicator will help in many other areas.

Tonight I’m delivering a speech again for practice. Having a coach is especially helpful (thanks Mary). I just decided to also start with a coach for personal training for the summer. It should be great!