I am a recent immigrant from Jamaica to the USA. I found that Americans had difficulty understanding my accent. Toastmaster challenges me to listen to American presenters and develop and make concise presentations. The feedback that I receive from club members has had significant impact on building my confidence as a presenter and leader. This is why I love Toastmasters.

I have been with Toastmasters for just over a year now.  Since I have been involved, I have learned some extremely useful skills in leadership and communication that I use in my day to day position as a Quality Manager with Wells Fargo.  In my role I have to be able to effectively communicate to a wide range of individuals and Toastmasters has helped to further develop this skill. 

Where else in my world could I find that little bit of magic experienced in a weekly Toastmaster gathering?  We share the fun of learning about each other and the world we live in; there’s no place like it. 

My goal in joining Toastmasters was to become more comfortable speaking in front of a group of individuals – whether it was at a department meeting or giving a toast at a friends’ birthday party.  I was not familiar with the speaking options for Toastmasters, so it was a pleasant surprise to learn I did not have to give a speech every week and that I was able to customize my journey to fit my personal and professional goals.  One of the unintended side benefits that I have had with joining Toastmasters is the ability to network with various people across the company and other Toastmaster clubs.  This group is very supportive and wants to help you reach your goals. 

Toastmasters are about more than speeches and even performance; it is about confidence, networking, and conversation. I love the opportunities to refine my skills and gain knowledge from watching other speakers.