– Marissa Jansen van Rensburg
Beads of sweat framed his face, as a moment of silence fell upon him. His eyes looking for the words as if to answer his prayers. With an extended deep breath he recalled his words and revived his presentation. With clicker in hand and regained confidence, he made eye-contact with the audience and drew them back in. What I had just witnessed was as terrifying as it was impressive, a public speaker blanked in the middle of a presentation was able to regain control and finish with the same eloquence as he had started.
Public Speaking has always been an important skill and Toastmasters International has helped hundreds and thousands of men and women in public speaking as well as leadership skills. I believe that there is more to it. Many organisations exist to help develop speaking, listening and leadership skills. Merryl Jubber, Toastmasters International Public Relations Manager of District 74, started public speaking at a young age, however, it was only after joining Toastmasters at the age of 23 that she really started to grow.
Initially seeking a platform to exercise her speaking skills, Merryl’s expectations were thrown out of the window. She found herself grappling with a group of strangers and personalities very different to her own. Her approach had to change, she was required to use prescribed techniques for her speeches and her speeches had to appeal to a very diverse audience. She gained listening and discerning skills from feedback she was given and feedback she gave to others. Soon she realized how much more she was gaining from her public speaking journey. Her new skills seeped into her everyday life, whether it was adjusting her strategy to a certain personality type or giving constructive feedback. Being introduced to an assortment of people she gained the skills to work and networking with people from all walks of life. Her biggest lesson was that she was taught the value of all people.
“If you can learn to lead, motivate and inspire a group of people who are volunteers, it’s so much easier to lead people in the real world.” Merryl explains, “With Toastmasters you have the freedom to try out new things in a safe and supportive environment.”Merryl has recently, after her 25 years with Toastmasters, started her own business in which she offers workshops to anyone who wants to learn how to communicate effectively in a business environment. She recognises the importance of communicative skills and is paying it forward. “I have found that the greatest regret members have when joining Toastmasters is that they didn’t join sooner.” Merryl concludes.
When visiting Stellenbosch Toastmasters Club, it became very clear that Toastmasters provides its members with a positive and supportive environment, it’s part of their culture. I found that many of the members had their own story of struggles, self-discovery and achievement. Each had their own journey to empowerment. I sought out such individuals and encountered Vuyokazi’s story.
Vuyokazi Ntsangani Mgoqi, a Production Assistant in the real world, had always struggled to express herself and lacked self-confidence. She found Toastmasters through a blog by Just Curious Entertainment. However, it was only after she left a narcissistic abusive relationship that she decided to explore public speaking. “I joined Toastmasters because the inability to express myself affected my self-confidence immensely. After being entangled in a narcissistic abusive relationship I felt like I had a lot to say yet I did not have the words, platform or skill to share my story. I had an urgency to do something about my speaking abilities and Toastmasters became the answers to that.” Vuyokazi stated. What she found at Toastmasters was more than just a platform, she gained the support she needed to rediscover her identity.
As her journey of self-expression progressed, Vuyokazi became more curious about herself and discovered her passion for public speaking. “Toastmasters puts a spotlight on the multitude of hidden talents that you never knew you had.” Vuyokazi explained. Improvement in her use of language had a large impact on her self-confidence, “Now I can hold a conversation with anyone that I want to connect with. Even though my language abilities are still a work in progress, I am not afraid to take risks and make mistakes where language is concerned, which helps me to learn more.” It was after talking to Vuyokazi that I realized how we underestimate the power and value of communication. Vuyokazi’s public speaking skills empowered her, it gave her a voice… her own voice. With today’s technologies in mind, we often take it for granted.
Grace Adair, Vuyokazi’s mentor, has struggled with self-confidence and communicating for most of her life. She even had a fear of speaking to men. With her skills gained through public speaking, Grace has blossomed into a strong individual. She only joined Toastmasters in 2016, but in July 2017 she received the ‘Best Speaker of the Year Award’, ‘Best Toastmaster of the Year Award’ and ‘Member that Does the Most in Toastmasters Award’. Her confidence and attitude in public speaking bubbled over into other facets of her life as she won ‘Committee Member of the Year 2016’ for Scouts. “One decision I did make when I joined was that I was going to say ‘yes’ to everything, with the idea of it being a blessing and opportunity to learn something new.” Grace answered when asked how she received so many awards in such a short time.
Grace’s inspiration to adopt such an attitude came from the film ‘Yes Man’, where the lead role is played by Jim Carrey. With Toastmasters as a platform for public speaking she was able to learn how deal with confrontations and express herself effectively to different types of people. Public speaking expanded her comfort zone, inch by inch, and through her newly gained confidence she became gutsier to new challenges. “Toastmasters is a source of inspiration, it has really changed my life. I have met so many supportive people from every walk of life.” Grace sighed. Grace was previously in an office job that made her unhappy. Now she is the owner, principal and teacher of Bella Bee Playschool in Somerset West. Public speaking gave her the skills she needed to handle conflict in the workplace and communicate to a wide variety of people. She is not only the owner of one business but two, as she owns and co-ordinates events through Magical Experiences. By investing in public speaking, Grace has effectively invested in herself. This is not only reflected in her club (she is currently the Area Director of Stellenbosch, Paarl and Somerset West, as well as the Vice President of Membership for the Somerset West Club), but more importantly it shines through to her life and the way she lives it.
Public speaking has truly opened doors for individuals who invest in self-development. Toastmasters’ syllabus is self-paced, allowing you to develop your skills and discover you talents in your own time. Not everyone needs to adopt the ‘Yes Man’ attitude to self-discovery, it’s not a race. The true value is the experience: experiencing the people, exercising new skills and gaining new knowledge from constructive feedback. It’s about gaining wisdom of oneself during a journey of self-development. Many don’t realize that gaining skills to express yourself verbally is life changing… it’s empowering. Self-expression is intertwined with self-exploration and public speaking provides the tools.
Many public speaking organisations, such as Toastmasters, provide members with manuals. These manuals hold all the guidelines you will need in preparing for speeches. Speeches increase in difficulty and add technique as you progress. However, prepared speeches are not the only means of learning. Table Topics encourage speakers to think on their feet when doing impromptu speeches on general subjects during meetings. What is important to remember is that clubs like Toastmasters are not trade schools with instructors, but are filled with people who are there for the same reason you are. Diversity is important in such clubs, not only in background but in skill as public speakers. In essence you learn from one another and with such an assortment of people you amplify your growing potential.
Toastmasters’ members range from students to pensioners from all walks of life. It conjoins fresh perspectives and ideas with the support of wisdom and experience. Carl Mönnig was encouraged to join Toastmasters through the McGuire Program, an intensive course for young adults to overcome their struggles with stuttering. Organisations that specialise in different types of speech therapies encourage their students to participate in public speaking. Public speaking solidifies their techniques taught by their organisations and adds to their skills of communicating to a more formal audience. Public speaking platforms offer real-life scenarios in developing communicative skills, ranging from speeches to presentations, corporate meetings and even receiving awards.
Without the supportive environment provided by public speaking clubs such as Toastmasters, less people would have the opportunity to reach their full potential as a communicator. “There’s a mix of people at all levels of public speaking and it’s a safe place to improve.” Carl highlighted. Toastmasters added to his skills of conducting corporate meetings and doing impromptu speeches at social events, but most importantly it has taught him to be an attentive listener. Through evaluating each other you can reflect on where you need to improve, whether it’s preparing a speech or evaluating someone else’s.
One can only learn by trial and error, however, the world is not as compassionate as we wish it to be. Society has its own prerequisites and expectations, often losing sight of what is important. We undervalue ourselves and others, which means that empowerment is earned rather than given freely. Every public speaker I have spoken to started their journey in hopes of riding themselves of their insecurities. Their hard work towards becoming an effective communicator taught them the value of words and listening to the words of others. Effective communication is adding value to a conversation. Through valuing your words and the words of others, you become responsible and empowered by understanding the significance of what you choose to share with others.
“Conversations need to add value to self and others,” Zimbili stated. Zimbili is currently the president of Stellenbosch Toastmasters club. She recognises the importance words have and how we carelessly lose sight of their significance. It’s this revelation that inspired her passion to become a motivational speaking. She wants to add value to every person’s life she touches and make others aware of their own potential. Public speaking creates a new opportunity to empower and discover new facets of oneself. “I realized I am more gifted than I give myself credit for. Toastmasters unlocks your potential on so many levels. It was a big shift of mind-set to be open to learning and to challenge what seems normal to me.” Zimbili revealed. Flexibility is a reoccurring theme in communicating and public speaking organisations provide encounters with all sorts of people, from students to CEO’s. You network without falling prey to intimidation and this adds to value and experience that is an important skill often used out in the real-world.
To live to your fullest potential you need to empower yourself. Empowered met comes when you invest in yourself, when you value yourself and others, and most importantly when you allow yourself to grow in ways you never imagined.
A young woman bravely took the stage and boldly locked eyes with her evaluator. With smile and determination vibrating throughout her body, she told her story… a journey to empowerment.
Stellenbosch Toastmasters 