Speaker 1 0:00

Okay, there we go. Always good, all right, so I will count us in and I will start after three, two, one. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to Episode 25. This week I'm speaking with my guest and fellow toastmaster, jun Yen Tan, who usually goes by the name of Brody. Brody has been a toastmaster for about a year and I met him when he started at Mount Gravatt Toastmasters last year, after a brief stint at another club. Brody has already proven to be an enthusiastic member of our club, stepping up to the role of secretary very soon after he joined. Brody, welcome to the show.

Speaker 2 0:46

Thank you, melanie. I'm really, really excited to be on this show. I've never been on a podcast before and this is great experience, having you as a mentor and getting on this podcast.

Speaker 1 0:59

Well, you're more than welcome to be here, and I'm only a few episodes ahead of you in terms of podcasting, so we'll get through it. I'm sure you'll be fine. Now I can't wait to hear about the experience you're having with Toastmasters so far, but can you perhaps by telling us why did you originally decide to join Toastmasters?

Speaker 2 1:23

Yeah, so there is a little bit of a story behind it as well. So I think it's a story that's quite familiar with. I've heard it a few times from people who have joined Toastmasters other Toastmasters as well. So I initially Google searching through how to improve public speaking. Quite a while ago now my second graduate job, when I moved to Brisbane in 2016, I was starting to work as a consultant, so I wanted to learn how to speak in public better, because you have to persuade people and do all that.

Speaker 2 2:04

So, on searching for this, there's a lot of commercial causes that come up, but sometimes you take those with a grain of salt, and Toastmasters is something that came up quite consistently, and I first suggested to my previous professional mentor back in 2016 that I should join Toastmasters for public speaking training and he said, yeah, definitely go for it. But yeah, as you heard Melanie introduce me, it took me what was it? Seven years Seven years to get around to actually going to my first Toastmasters session, and I think a bit of that was of all the changes that actually happened during COVID as well. I think there was a lot of upheaval and all that. So I think that spurred quite a lot of thought, like personal growth at least. Also a bit of cognitive dissonance between where I was and where I wanted to be.

Speaker 1 3:06

Excellent. So it's interesting that lockdowns gave everyone a bit of a chance to think about what they wanted to do, and I think a lot of people emerged from COVID and took up new hobbies or took up new things to do, and it's great that you came across Toastmasters again.

Speaker 2 3:26

Yeah, definitely, it was very what was the word? Serendipitous as well. So back last year I was working at Waterfront Place in the city in Brisbane and there was what spurred it, because I've forgotten about Toastmasters for a while, to be honest. I think there was this thing at the back of my mind saying I need to learn how to speak better, because I think that's one of the barriers that I was facing at work and career as well. And then there was this chance thing that came up at In Waterfront Place the Toastmasters Club that meets in Waterfront Place actually advertised in the Waterfront Place community newsletter. Yup.

Speaker 1 4:18

A sign yeah it's a sign. And was saying that, reminder again what prompted you and what got you back into that first club.

Speaker 2 4:27

Yeah, yeah, definitely, that's exactly what it was. Plus, it was so easy because I was working on one of the lower floors and you just went up to the 13th floor.

Speaker 1 4:37

I mean.

Speaker 2 4:37

I'm not stroking a different club, but if you are in Brisbane, CBD please go to Brisbane CBD Toastmasters. It's a pretty good club.

Speaker 1 4:44

Yeah, definitely. And look, one of the things about Toastmasters is that we absolutely recommend that people try different Toastmasters clubs and also clubs that are convenient for you. You know, if a club is hard to get to or challenging times or you've got a traipse across the other side of the city to get there, you're not going to go as regularly. So the fact that you know we absolutely recommend going, you know visiting other clubs, testing them out, seeing what works and seeing what works within people's schedules. But I'm certainly glad you found us at Mount Gravatt. So I think you've been with us for not quite a year, but it must be coming on to, I'm guessing, eight or so months. It feels like it's been a while.

Speaker 2 5:32

Yeah, I don't remember exactly when I started as well, so I can't tell you the exact date, but nine months is pretty accurate.

Speaker 1 5:40

Yeah, and I think you've flooded in really well. As I mentioned, you're smack into the role of secretary and that was a spot that became available and again, we're grateful that you jumped into that spot. What's your thoughts on the secretary role for the time you've been doing it?

Speaker 2 6:06

So I think it's.

Speaker 2 6:09

I guess for me it was a good introduction to all the Toastmasters roles, for the executive as well, because I might not be doing all the rules of the secretary correctly just yet, but for most part what I understand from the secretary's rule is you're taking the minutes, you are making sure the minutes are correct for all the executive meetings, the business meetings, and then making sure, I guess, to take attendance at the different club meetings there's various books that we do that as well and making sure the records are kept properly.

Speaker 2 6:51

And that gives me a. I think it's quite a good introduction and role to see what other people are doing, because you really need to pay attention to what you're saying, otherwise you make the wrong, you write the wrong minutes and write the wrong things down. So I think, yeah, and because you're not actively, I guess, doing any specific changes I'm not sure whether the secretary is supposed to do any of that or not but for roles like the VPPR and VPE, there are certain things that you're kind of expected for the VPPR to bring in. All these new members bring exciting new changes. For me the secretary seems quite safe to start with, but I enjoy that at the start.

Speaker 1 7:41

Yeah, no, and you're right, it is a great entree into the executive space in the club and, yeah, you do get to see. Even just being on the executive committee, I find you learn a lot of extra things about the behind the scenes running of a club and all the different roles and you just get that slightly different experience beyond just being a member. And yeah, there's a lot to learn in the executive role. So I think a lot of us have often wondered am I doing everything I need to be doing?

Speaker 2 8:16

Yeah, it's good to know that I'm not the only one. Sorry, jo, you're going to say something, you go. I was just going to say this kind of prompted a different thought bubble about executive roles in clubs and things like that. When I was growing up I didn't really participate that much in school activities. You have executive members and the student council and you're going to university, there's all those unions and things like that. I always thought those things were too difficult to do and you had to have so much leadership potential to do that. But for those masters it's just something that everyone has to do. You have to contribute to it. So it's kind of leadership training, but it's also volunteering your time as well to do that, and I think people I guess I didn't kind of appreciate it that much until recently like doing roles for 12th Masters.

Speaker 1 9:27

Yeah, it's an interesting point, and when you're an adult in a volunteer organisation, there is that element of, well, someone's got to do it, and sometimes people do step up, sometimes they don't, and that's the nature of volunteer roles in adult organisations. So it's always, I think, a challenge for incoming executives or the outgoing executive, whose role it is to find the next executive, basically, and to sell the benefits of those roles and the type of experience you can get by doing them. I think that's an internal marketing activity. That, again, is another skill, and also, to some extent, putting it back to the members and saying, well, this is your club. If you want a well-run club, these are the executives roles that we need to fill. Who's going to step up?

Speaker 2 10:29

That's true, definitely. Yeah, very true about the adult kind of executive roles in volunteer clubs and things like that. There's more roles across the world than there are people willing to take them.

Speaker 1 10:47

Yes, so we're always grateful when people jump in. Now, what do you most enjoy about being a Toastmaster?

Speaker 2 10:59

I guess for my first club I joined it like Brisbane CBD, because of, really, the convenience factor. For this second club I joined, I've actually went around to a few. Then I closed in my house and then I finally decided on Mount Gravett Toastmasters. Yes, just because I felt it was. There was a very homie feeling I think you talked about it in some previous podcast as well to get people to go around the different clubs, Because although they're all Toastmasters clubs, each of them have quite a different feel to it and different clubs might appeal to you at different points in time as well. And one of the other clubs I've gone to was actually Crest.

Speaker 2 11:52

I'm done in Sunnybank Hill as well. The club leaders that were very experienced and there was a good mix. There was a good mix of I think I guess for that area there's quite a few Asian immigrants as well that might be starting to join a Toastmasters, be able to actually speak and announce it kind of better and bring that up, and it was very welcoming. But I guess it was a bit further for me and also that wasn't the exact fit that I was looking for at that stage. So that's why I decided on Mount Gravett in, yeah, finally.

Speaker 1 12:38

Well, again, it's as we say. It's definitely worth checking out clubs and they all tend to have similar roles and do things in a similar way, but they're not quite the same. So I'm glad you persisted and found a club that feels like home. And yeah, because if you're going to spend a couple of nights a month with a group of people, you want to make sure that they're the right kind of people and you're kind of people and, yeah, it's definitely worth checking them. Out.

Speaker 2 13:12

Yeah, it's definitely. Just what kind of how do you resonate? I guess. How do you? How do you mesh with the culture of the club? There's no right or wrong. Is this who members? Right for you really?

Speaker 1 13:28

Exactly and in terms of skills, what would you say have been some skills you've learned so far as a you know, bringing your time as a member that you can use elsewhere or that have been useful for you?

Speaker 2 13:44

Oh, so many like even this, with the basic icebreaker speech to start with. I like how Toastmasters, they, you can go, you can, if you're, if you're saying you're quite experienced at speaking already, then you start, you join Toastmasters. I'm not sure why you would do that if you're an experienced speaker and you joined Toastmasters. But let's say, and like you could, you could choose to ignore all their materials and all that and come up with your own structure. But how, like the?

Speaker 2 14:17

I really appreciated the initial structure of how Toastmasters introduced that icebreaker speech at the start, like putting it in the form of a worksheet where you can actually like write down sentences. That she split it into three parts and makes it really clear. You have an introduction, a body and a conclusion and then you restate it and you have they. They tell you not to make too many points, which I think a lot of speeches tend to do, especially. I'm from, like, a scientific engineering background. We, we like information, so we think everyone else likes as much information as we do. Yeah, but it's not really the case that, if I'm honest, even even as someone who likes information, if you give people all that information in a monotonous voice without any story behind it. I will also get bored of that information.

Speaker 1 15:15

Yeah, absolutely. I think you're right about how Toastmasters packages each assignment and there is so much information, then there never used to be this much information about how to do an icebreaker speech, and here's a sample icebreaker speech and here's, as you say, the worksheets and things you can download and checklists and all sorts of resources, and I think that's been a benefit of moving that program online through the pathways as we now know it, and I also think that I've got a question here, sorry, yes, breaking in.

Speaker 2 15:52

How was it like before? Like, I'm just curious.

Speaker 1 15:55

Yeah, so it used to be that we would have a book. When I started, there was an actual book and it would have everything that we could need for 10 speeches and that was the communication or the competent leadership program or I can't remember exactly the name, but it was actual physical book and the evaluate, the assignment, would be listed on few pages and then the evaluation form would be in the book and we take the book and people would evaluate in the book and that was that. So it was not online for a very long time and then it moved online. Yeah, back in the dark ages.

Speaker 2 16:37

We all still use books and carry books around nowadays, or just iPad Exactly.

Speaker 1 16:44

And our phone. But that's another way that Toastmasters has, you know, has had to change and as you move through the pathway you'll see that there's equal amounts of information and resources and downloadable tools and worksheets for each of the assignments. It's pretty comprehensive and I think that's that's one of the benefits of the actual training program. You know, you mentioned that you had been looking for commercial training programs, and not only do they cost a fortune, but they're very compressed. You know they might be a couple of days or maybe a week, but that's it. You don't really get to then practice in an ongoing way.

Speaker 2 17:30

Yeah, definitely. And if you want to do that, it becomes even more expensive. You might either need to like have like a virtual session with a speaking coach or go actually to someone in person. It might. I mean, I'm not saying those aren't good, but it would be pretty expensive quite, quite quickly if you don't have a clear idea of what, exactly what skills you're kind of holding, or or like, yeah, this, like during my search, I actually uncovered like a few like was it deportment and allocations? Allocations- yeah.

Speaker 2 18:13

I think those were quite popular back in back in the day with like young ladies especially.

Speaker 1 18:18

They were. I actually went to one. My mother and father sent me to one when I finished uni because I must have found it really rough. So they actually sent me to one called the June Dali Watkins School in Sydney. That was the one that I saw online.

Speaker 2 18:34

Yes, it it. I think it rubbed off.

Speaker 1 18:40

I think I forgot those lessons, but actually I remember that was one of the triggers for me getting into Toastmasters just after I finished uni, because I was at this deportment school learning how to walk with plates on my head and not slur my words and whatever. And one of the speakers that came in one time was a guy who was a professional keynote speaker and he said you should go to Toastmasters. You all should go to Toastmasters. It's great for confidence and that reminded me that I remembered Toastmasters and had done a speechcraft course in high school and that was actually one of the triggers.

Speaker 1 19:17

Now that you mentioned it, that's pretty cool it is but yeah, allocation lessons I mean, and they were not cheap courses and they were only very, very brief, and so there was no real chance to practice Again speeches in the way that we get to practice them now.

Speaker 2 19:37

So the allocation the allocation it didn't really focus on any like public speaking or speech was about.

Speaker 1 19:47

I think we might have had to have given a speech and it was more about pronunciation, and I'm almost saying this was my little pinky up, because that's how it felt. And yeah, I think we might have had to have done one speech and just present it, which was great at the time, and I just remember that it reminded me of Toastmasters. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, and I actually joined Toastmasters very soon after I finished uni because I had some time. So yes.

Speaker 1 20:19

It's interesting what you come across in your Google searches, and so you mentioned the icebreaker speech and how structured it was. How did you feel after delivering that first speech, because it's quite a milestone to get through that speech and how did you feel after you gave that speech?

Speaker 2 20:40

Oh, yeah, it was. I think I almost backed out on it on that speech. Like a couple of times I was thinking whether I should. To be honest, I had a valid excuse at the back of my mind because I think right after delivering that first icebreaker speech, I was actually going on leave because my parents were in town and I was going to bring them around and things like that. But I could have this. I was actually thinking whether I should use and not come in because I think I actually, for that icebreaker speech, I actually went into the office on a day that I was on leave because my parents were there, but I went in this because I wanted to do that icebreaker speech. Yeah, it was.

Speaker 2 21:30

I think it helped that I didn't have to work in the morning. I was in the Brisbane CBD's Lunchtime Club so I was able to kind of rehearse a bit and write a few things down and do all that. I was still reading from my script, but it was like I just it just felt good that even though I was reading, I tried not to read from the script the full time, true, but it was. Yeah, it felt good, definitely after the speech and I followed the structure which made it easier and it was really nice that that I think the club back then some of the club, gave me like a little standing ovation which was like yeah, but it was quite nerve-wracking was.

Speaker 2 22:33

We was talking about fears and, I guess, how we all have the same fears. It was, I guess, quite a bit personal for me. I think I put a few personal stories in it. I'm not sure, maybe I was just talking in generalities, but there was, I think, like the icebreaker speech as well. I quite look forward to people that are giving them now, because it's the first speech that anyone in Toastmasters does right and you can really feel like that raw emotion, even if it's unpolished, but it's if they're willing to do that and willing actually like tend to like jump into Toastmasters like head first. I think one of the new members at our club actually gave a really, really like touching and vulnerable speech in the previous session. Like I didn't get to talk to him after, but I'm sure many of the rest of the club did, and it was really powerful, emotional, vulnerable. You can tell it was very authentic and I think people can feel that from the Toastmasters like an icebreaker speech.

Speaker 1 23:55

Yes, definitely, and I think we feel it, firstly because we've all been there and had to do that speech and we know how nerve wracking it is and what I find is that people do tend to share quite vulnerable pieces of themselves, just the snippets, and I don't know what it is about the notes in the icebreaker speech that encourage people to do that, or if people sort of go, oh wow, I'm actually getting to tell my story, and maybe it's the first time they really had to think about an aspect of their life and tell people that they don't know from a bar of soap. So it's interesting because I know the speech you're talking about and it was very profound and very moving and I don't know a lot of experienced speakers that would have been able to deliver that way. It was very compelling. So, yeah, it's surprising to see other people doing their icebreakers One she's done her own too. It's like, oh, you breathe this collective sigh of relief for them. It's like you made it.

Speaker 2 25:11

Yeah, yeah, definitely what you mentioned. It's really true that icebreaker speech. I guess, outside of something you might do in high school or university where you have like a literal icebreaker, no one really asks you that question and you wouldn't say anything like that in a corporate or working environment because it's firstly, I mean, I mean it's I don't know how vulnerable you want to be in a corporate environment, obviously, professionalism and all that stuff that's appropriate to be shared as well, yeah, but also, yeah, like, even on dates, like people don't just ask. I've never had a date where people like myself or the other person was just like just tell me about you, who are you? I think that's a really profound question and I think we should be asking that question a lot more often.

Speaker 1 26:20

It is, you're right, and I think it's about this idea of personal stories, and one certainly in the workplace there's very little room for it. I mean, I think you can have those one-on-one conversations with people and that's how friendships are formed, and you might have there might be some people out there in the world you know your friends who know certain things about you, but it's such an interesting exercise to package yourself up in a four to six minute story and share it with strangers and they listen and it's going to work.

Speaker 2 26:51

You to fill it, fill it, fill it. There's no sorry up in.

Speaker 1 26:54

That's right. So it's probably the first time a lot of people have thought about what is their story and which aspect of myself do I want to share? And I think that's why I love these podcast interviews so much. It's because it's like a 30, 40, 50 minute icebreaker and I get to know the Toastmaster and other people who listen, get to know, and I just think that people have such fascinating stories that really there's not a lot of airtime for yeah, it's interesting. So you've got the icebreaker speech done and you're motoring through your pathways. Have you done any other speeches or have there been any other instances where either you were surprised at what you're being asked to do or how has the pathways experienced been for you?

Speaker 2 27:51

So right now I'm just working through level two of the presentation mastery pathway. That's my first pathway, I think. The level one speeches, the level one and two speeches. I think they give a really good introduction to all the basics of writing a speech, giving a speech, like you know, vocal variety and each of this I like how each of them, you are given only a certain part and you focus on that.

Speaker 2 28:27

There's a lot of us who are nervous about public speaking. Right, it's one of the things that's so nerve wracking is there's so many variables and so many things you have to think about and just breaking it down like that I think the icebreaker was the one that struck me the most, but the rest were. They're not boring, but they're. You can see how it progresses and each is one step on the path where you become a better speaker and you're gaining individual skills. You can go back and do a speech if you like, if you feel that you haven't done that skill well enough. And then I think in level three and I've just been looking forward a little bit there's more interesting elective speeches up there. I'm looking forward to that. So I guess, going back to your question, your question was are there any other speeches that?

Speaker 1 29:30

Yeah that you, or anything about pathways that you've found interesting or surprising, or yeah, just just, how's the experience been for you? It sounds like you feel like the skills are building on each other.

Speaker 2 29:44

Yeah, yeah, I think I mean overall, I feel like I really like how it was structured. In the pathways, I imagine because it's my first pathway I've heard that the first two levels are the same for every single path. So some people get a bit bored if they've done multiple. But for me, because I'm still very new, the first two are still. I'm doing them the first time round, so it's still really interesting to me. I can see why it's structured this way and I wouldn't mind doing them at least one more time again, because then you get to practice those skills again, especially if you're progressing through the path step by step, only doing one pathway, going from level one to level five, and presumably by that time you've somewhat forgotten about level one and two. And then, because it takes at least a year or a few months, at least you can be rushing through If you have. If you're meeting with your club every single week and you're speaking at every single meeting, I think you can barely manage to finish one pathway.

Speaker 1 30:52

Yeah, it takes a while.

Speaker 2 30:54

So by that time you're like, going back to level one might be new again to you, and I think that repetition is part of that learning as well. I'm not sure if there was a reason why if they built it in like that, but it wouldn't surprise me, like because repetition is always yeah.

Speaker 1 31:13

I think as well, because there are so many pathways to choose from and there's 11 now and they are cutting that down to six, probably because there was too much choice and it was overwhelming people. Which path do I choose?

Speaker 2 31:26

Oh yeah, that was me, so I went. I was like all the paths look interesting to me, I can't decide, so I just went with the default one.

Speaker 1 31:35

Yeah, and most people do, unless they have a specific interest. So if they're coaching, they'll go into the coaching stream, or. But you're right, they do all start off with level one, level two speeches being pretty much the same, and even the electives in the more advanced levels are from a pool of similar electives. So but you can tailor them as well and that's the thing, even if you are going through a pathway the second time, like I've done four or five or six icebreaker speeches over the years in different clubs and they're very different from what I was doing back when I first joined Toastmasters.

Speaker 1 32:18

After the Elocution Lessions, and the one I did three years ago when I joined Mount Gravatt was very different. I mean years and years of life experience difference and the message I wanted to tell. And if I do an icebreaker speech again, it will be entirely different to anything I've done before. So I think that's just a way of You've got to try to make it different and the circumstances of your life have changed, so speeches are going to be different whenever you happen to do them.

Speaker 2 32:53

Yeah, and who you're delivering it to, I guess makes quite a difference as well. Like people in the club will change. Maybe you've joined a new club?

Speaker 1 33:01

Yeah, definitely. It's flexible like that and some speeches are definitely worth revisiting and some will focus on specific skills like body language or gestures, and again, there's not too many opportunities that you get to say, okay, I'm just really going to have a good hard look at what my hands and body are doing when I open my mouth, or a speech that focuses on specific use of words or vocal variety, and it really goes into each facet of public speaking, I feel.

Speaker 2 33:40

Yeah, yeah, no, definitely. So that actually spurred on an answer to the question you've asked me. Yeah, to start this off. Actually I'm quite looking forward to I've spoken to you about this because I guess I mentioned it quickly at the start but Melanie is currently mentoring me. She has started doing that mentoring relationship.

Speaker 1 34:05

We have.

Speaker 2 34:05

Yeah, and I've had been speaking to you about doing one, an elective, about interview, like doing an interview, and it's just fascinating because, like you would when you try and look for a job, you're attending an interview. You would tell you to practice with your peers and you would maybe like with your friends, you maybe write down a few questions and test it on with them, but it's very unstructured. It depends on how good your friend is, or family member or whomever is, or if you're talking to someone at university or like a corporate counselor. It might be a bit different.

Speaker 1 34:49

Yes.

Speaker 2 34:54

That path, that lesson or that? What do you say? Project, yes, that project, sorry, that project. Maybe you should cut that. So good, that project is structured in such a way that it gives you like really good feedback on how you can, because it uses, like, a professional job interview as one of the examples as well. It tells you, like how you should be professional, how are people expecting answers in that case? So it really does teaches you a lot of things that I think are relevant in like all job interviews.

Speaker 2 35:41

And the other part of it was the other part of it. You can act as an interviewer in like a talk show as well, and unless you're doing that for your job or your like a subject matter expert or something you're invited on, how, when would you get a chance to practice this in front of audience that all want to listen to you and are all interested in kind of doing that?

Speaker 1 36:11

Exactly, and if that reminds me, I need to have a look at that project. I don't even think I've seen that project, so I need to have a look. So I will have a look at that. But again, you know, there's just so many different possibilities and actual skills. You know projects that focus on real world skills that you can then apply out in the world where you need them, yeah, yeah, and you get to practice them in this safe, supportive environment. And if it doesn't go to plan, it doesn't matter, you can do it again.

Speaker 2 36:50

Yeah, yeah, I think that's the other thing that I really like about Toastmasters as well is I think everyone wants to be supportive and wants to create that nice environment because they know it when someone else does it to them, gives it to them, creates a supportive environment. But unless they're really reflective and really remember what the other person was doing this whole time which you might not unless you have been around that skilled person for a few times and understand how they're like, the techniques they're actually using, how they're actually structuring it to make everyone feel supported and welcome, and things like that but Toastmasters makes you do that. Like in terms of the evaluation, it teaches you that, first and foremost, you are to be encouraging to other people. Yes, so well, everyone wants to learn and improve. But the way that the evaluations are structured, are given such that you focus, really focus, on the positive and they keep repeating that throughout, and that builds up like a really supportive system.

Speaker 2 38:08

Like, so, even if, say, you've grown up in a very, very negative house where, like your main point of like, your conversations with your family and your friends are mainly negative, it can be just how like the culture or how it's being structured, right. Yes, so, but coming into this environment like, you see the difference. But you don't know how to do that and Toastmasters can teach you how to do that. You can practice it again and again because it helps. You need to practice to make it habit, right, yeah?

Speaker 1 38:47

definitely, and everything we do in Toastmasters is evaluated, not just the speeches but every role, pretty much through the general evaluator to the table, topics evaluators to the speech evaluators. There is a very big focus on evaluating and the nice part is that it's always only people's opinions, so you can end, as you may have seen in speech competitions, where in the evaluation contest there's one test speaker and five or six evaluators. They will be quite different evaluations and picking out different things and it's all a reflection of how each person found that speech. So but it's always supportive.

Speaker 2 39:32

I mean, that is the nature of Toastmasters and, yeah, yeah, definitely, that's a skill that I'm trying to practice as well, like I've really latched on to the bit about the evaluation, where you really I forgot the exact wording that they use but, it's.

Speaker 2 39:53

You phrase your feedback in a way that is like this made me feel this way yes, it's not like you should do this, or yeah, you're not telling them how you should feel, you're just telling them how you are feeling, which that's what most people are trying to say, but I don't know. The general figure of speeches that we use usually don't come out like that. It's I have to. I have to, like, change my thought patterns a bit to reach into the Toastmasters frame of mind. I was trying that in like some like conversations with friends and they looked at me a bit weirdly, so just been practicing it on and off.

Speaker 1 40:44

Yeah, it is. There is definitely almost a formula to it. You know, what I really liked about your speech was the way you did X, y and Z, and if you were looking for a point for improvement, you might want to consider X, y and Z, but that's just my opinion. So, yeah, but it's surprising how applicable that structure can be in any environment where you've got to give feedback to co-workers or family members or you know friends, and it's just a different. It is a different way of thinking. I think. Yeah, and so are there any other skills that? Are you noticing a difference in the workplace? Do you get asked to speak, or have you had a chance to put your Toastmasters skills into action at work?

Speaker 2 41:40

Yeah, I think so I'm a lot less nervous about speaking now and just recently just two weeks ago I've concluded in my workplace because I work as a sustainability specialist in a multinational company and I've just concluded a a one hour 45 minute workshop with people on teaching them people across the company how they can decarbonize people who are not decarbonize their businesses, because there's many different businesses within this multinational company and in this 45 minutes you just talk through I definitely use quite a lot of skills that I've learned in those masters.

Speaker 2 42:29

Plus, previously I would have been very, very worried and probably like written down a quite a long script and tried to go through too many things in the process. I mean work definitely helped because I was able to run through it with someone there was someone beside me as well but I think Toastmasters really helped in firstly giving that confidence and also in just like the short stint of how the time I've been in Toastmasters, they have been useful skills. I think especially one thing to learn Toastmasters is less is usually more. If you say less, you are less stressed and people are less stressed listening to you as well it's an interesting perspective.

Speaker 1 43:23

I hadn't thought about that, but it's true. There's space to breathe right and digest. Excellent, alrighty. And what would you say to people out there who may be thinking about Toastmasters, like you were all those years ago, and they're very nervous about actually walking into the club? What would you say to them?

Speaker 2 43:51

I would say don't feel nervous. I mean it feels very tried giving that. But as someone who has just recently entered Toastmasters just a year ago I think all the clubs, no matter which one I've joined they're all very welcoming. They all have different, I guess, vibes of like the culture of the club, but all of them generally are very supportive, very encouraging. You can go drop into any club. It'd be good to give them a bit of pride notice, but you don't actually need to.

Speaker 2 44:29

I think all Toastmasters clubs are happy for visitors to drop in unannounced and you don't have to speak during the meeting, which was great as the first timer. You can just sit there and listen to what other people are saying, just get a feel of it. Until you're confident enough or you're happy to speak, you can just talk to someone beside you. In some clubs there's people who are assigned to greet guests as well, which I think it's. I don't think there was a defined role in Brisbane CBE but maybe because that's a very small club it's not that many people as lunchtime club. But in Margaret vet there's actually guest readers who, if the guests are happy, introduce you to the rest of the club as well and talk about it. So sometimes it's difficult to join a club because you don't know whether you'll fit in or not, and it's difficult to break the initial eyes. I mean you I'm assuming you you're not doing your icebreaker speech on like the first visit to a Toastmasters club.

Speaker 2 45:33

I mean kudos if you are doing that, but I find doesn't happen very often but yeah, so like people get to know a bit about you and they can have an easy way to start conversations with you as well, I think that's really nice to know.

Speaker 1 45:53

Ease into the club yeah, I think the guest reader role is relatively new at Mount Gravatt, maybe a couple of years old, I want to say it might go back longer than that, but I remember there being more of a focus on it and, yeah, I like it. It also because the guest readers role is to find out a bit of information about the guest and share it and it's the guest reader speaking on behalf of the guest to introduce them. It just gives a few little threads that you can go up in the break and just spark up a conversation and it breaks the ice. As you say, it just puts people at ease. It's like, oh, they actually do care about me and who I am and I think that's you know. We try to do whatever we can to put people at ease because we know how scary it can be yeah, definitely.

Speaker 2 46:46

It's just like entering a party where you know nobody and the guest reader is there to be your initial friend and you know there's a form they're filling up, they're writing down all these things they're introducing to you, to the rest of your friends.

Speaker 1 47:01

Yeah, really nice and I think I have an actual inbuilt physiological reaction. When I see a new face at the door who's never walked into the meeting, I almost literally stand up and start not quite running towards them, but it's just this automatic reaction. I'm up and I'm making my way out and ready to shake their hand because I know, especially in our meeting room, the big meeting room, where everyone's up one end and they've got to do that long walk down. So, yeah, I think I, you know, and other people in the club do it as well. But it's just my first reaction and I might be talking with, you know, a member in mid conversation like excuse me, guest, I've got to go. I just, yeah, it's because I know what it's like walking into that big room. It's like am I in the right place?

Speaker 2 47:52

yeah, definitely. I mean I'm glad someone is doing that, because I haven't reached that level yet. But yeah, but it's definitely really nice if someone just comes up to you at the door. I guess that's why in like fancy places, there are people to actually greet you at the door. Yeah, that's the oasis, that's right, that's right.

Speaker 1 48:14

Yeah, and I just, I just know what, we all know what it's like to walk into rooms like that. So, yeah, yeah, it's a supportive environment for sure. Now, what would you say? Your Toastmasters goals for the year? Have you set yourself any goals?

Speaker 2 48:31

yeah, so there's a few goals. I would like to finish at least level two of the pathway, which I'm quite close to doing yes, and I think there's that interview interview project that I'm wanting to do like so far right now.

Speaker 2 48:48

I think I have a few other things in my personal life and working life that's going on in the background. So I'm just, I'm just putting those two goals right now and if I managed to do other things, like level three or something else like that, I decided to start a new pathway. It may, it can be done, but I just don't want to stress myself too much so you want to keep it fun for the first year yeah, definitely it's, it's.

Speaker 1 49:18

There's always speaking opportunities and opportunities to do things, but you have to balance any of this stuff with whatever else is going on. So yeah, it's. I've certainly found that one of the ways of getting through pathways reasonably quickly was to volunteer to speak at the last minute, and that has been so stressful. Some of the times I've I've volunteered to do speeches might be five o'clock a slot becomes available and seven o'clock the meeting starts. But for me now it's sort of I know the structure of speeches enough to be able to go. Okay, here's a topic, three key points, opening conclusion. I'm somehow going to string it together, but it took quite a while to be able to get to that without thinking like what am I doing, you know, and why am I doing this and why am I putting myself under this stress. But I like that, that, that stress of being able to smash out a speech quickly if the opportunity is.

Speaker 2 50:31

There's plenty of opportunities to do that maybe I should make myself a bit more uncomfortable. We'll see. I think we've discussed a few things during our mentoring sessions. I don't think I've. I've written them down somewhere, and I think there's a few other goals that I've mentioned to you, but I've only in this publicly, in this podcast. I've only given two, so well, it was rest yeah.

Speaker 1 50:59

I'm private, just in case I don't get to that oh well, there they go, we'll work on those and it's it's really. Yeah, I'm really looking forward to you know, continuing our mentoring sessions and yeah, just just saying where you go with it, because the the confidence that you've already shown with your initial speeches and the way you've dived into the club executives very early on in your time with us is like I can't wait to see where where you take your toastmasters journey.

Speaker 2 51:37

I think it really helped that. Now I'm not just saying this, but you have organized so many things that are like the rest of the executive are well organized and there's lots of experienced members in the club, but you have really like put in a fair bit of effort in my mom grow bed as the president as well. I think that makes it really easy, plus you being my mentor as well. I think I'm standing on the shoulders of giants. Yeah, oh, thank you.

Speaker 1 52:06

Well, yeah, it look. It's great, great to have you in the club and you know, and to be working with you. So now, is there anything else you'd like to share before we wrap?

Speaker 2 52:18

up? I don't think so is that I can't think of anything else to share this point? So not really, is that should I? Should I bring something?

Speaker 1 52:36

up like no, no, it's no. It's sort of just if you thought about anything while we were talking and and you hadn't been able to find a way to get it in, so but if not, it's all good all righty well. Brodie, thank you so much for your time today. I've thoroughly enjoyed listening to you. As I said, I'm really enjoying the mentoring sessions that we have, and I feel that you have so much potential as a speaker and storyteller, in fact, so I can't wait to see how you progress your toaster journey.

Speaker 2 53:12

Thanks so much for joining us thank you so much for the pleasure sorry, I almost hung up.

Speaker 1 53:23

Then hang on. I was looking at the big red button. Oh my god, let me just stop this. Oh, that's funny.