Fairleigh Early Birds Toastmasters Club

Toastmasters,

You have been coming to the Fairleigh Early Birds Toastmasters (or elsewhere) meetings for some time, maybe couple of months or even a couple of years. But you keep asking yourself: I go to these meetings, but I don't see any improvement. Why do I need to wake up at 9AM on a Saturday? I'm never going to improve It's not working for me.
What's wrong?

You have to change your strategy! It's never going to work for you. Like the saying goes, if you always do, what you've always done, you will always get, what you always got. Is that not the case with you? You've been doing the same thing over and over, right? See, that's the problem! You have to change your way, you have to adjust the way you speak, the way you prepare, the way you give impromptu speaking.

What's more, you have to keep changing it throughout your life!

I believe you can keep improving your communication skills throughout your life. This is a lifelong skill development. By coming regularly (or somewhat regularly) to the meeting you're doing the most important thing: you're practicing. But practicing what? You need to practice new skills!

How do you acquire new skills? You should watch other speakers and try to imitate them. That's one way. Second, read articles on getting better as a speaker. Read books on improving your communication skills. Then, make those changes and practice your new skills. This is challenging but interesting and fun. This way, you will get those butterflies because you're not used to doing it the "new" way. But you know what, that's how you improve!

If you get onto this path, you will become a better speaker, better communicator. You owe it to yourself. You've found Toastmasters, now you have to keep taking those small steps and you will keep improving.

We keep improving one step at a time, but make sure it's not always the same step. :-)

Stanley K
VPE