What’s Next?

I’ve received my CC certificate, now what?

Well, I just attended a club meeting. The first in two months. It has been a busy two months with attending to visitors, going to Doctor’s appointments. Then there are the times you just feel lazy to attend. 

At the beginning of the meeting we had an election for new officers. I have decided not to take on any officer role. So at the end of the meeting, I am no longer a club officer. I will concentrate on transferring my responsibilities in the next few days then evaluate my options. 

A Toastmasters club has many roles to choose from. It encourages members to take on a different role each meeting. That is the only way to learn, take on roles, give speeches. Most people soon learn that not all roles are for them. For example, I dislike being the Toastmaster of the evening, or the general evaluator.

These are my current options:

  • Renew my membership and concentrate on the Table topics and speeches.
  • Renew my membership and work on PATHWAYS. 
  • Not renew my membership and look for another project to work on.

I had two reasons for joining Toastmasters. First, I wanted to be a better public speaker. In particular, I wanted to improve my skills at giving impromptu speeches. Second, I wanted to write stories. I thought writing speeches will help with story writing. I believe that I had improved on both. But is it good enough for me to move on?

The club has helped a lot, and I am grateful for the experience. I realized a few things. I realized knowledge of the subject inspires confidence to speak in front of a group. And that despite that, I have little interest in speaking in front of a large group. It also means that if I had to, I could. For whatever reason. I also realized that I end up memorizing a speech if I practise long enough. There is nothing wrong with memorizing. Just make sure you don’t deliver it in a memorized manner. And learn to recover if you forget any part. You are the only one who knows you made a mistake in the speech. Don’t make it obvious to your audience. As for myself, I resolved not to do any memorizing. 

So, decisions, decisions. I discussed options with the incoming Treasurer as I was transferring the club bank account and documents. The club is in a low in meeting attendances so there is again a concern for the club future. More departures will make the club less desirable to potential members. And I understand the concern. At this point I have rejected option 2. I do not have the desire to work on another certification. I am inclined to go with option 3. There are Meetup groups for amateur writers and I would like to find the time to attend those. And there is my other interest, photography. 

I am a paid member of Toastmasters until Sept 30,2019. I will take one last look before then and make a final decision.

© 2019, Norman Talon. All rights reserved.

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