Speaker 1 0:05

Okay, so I will start in three, two, one. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to episode 37 of the Talkative Toastmaster podcast. This week, my guest is Tammy van der Rijden from the Cairns Speakers Club. Tammy and I got chatting at the recent district leader training where we were both learning about our new role of area director. Tammy has been in Toastmasters for just over a year and has already moved into the position of area nine director within Northern Division. Talk about a huge leap for a relatively new Toastmaster. Tammy, I can't wait to hear your story. Welcome to the show.

Speaker 2 0:51

Thank you so much for having me, mel. It was really nice to meet you at the training. It was a big weekend, lots to learn, and when I saw your name pop up and I saw you sitting over there, I'd already listened to the podcast and you mentioned it and I was really excited to to get to know you a little bit and I'm really excited to be here a tiny bit nervous this is my first podcast. I'm a podcast virgin oh, there you go.

Speaker 1 1:19

Yeah, there you go.

Speaker 2 1:20

Maybe one day I'll be a famous podcaster and you can go. I was Tammy's very first podcast?

Speaker 1 1:26

Absolutely, and it's great to have you and, yeah, definitely it was a big weekend and I think it's been a very big month since that weekend. So let's, yeah, I'm sure we can dive into our area director roles, but do you want to start by telling us why you first got into Toastmasters?

Speaker 2 1:50

Well, yeah, like you said when you introduced me, which is such a lovely introduction, I am very, very new to Toastmasters. In fact, I went along to my first meeting in June last year, and so I've really only been a member for just over a year. I think my membership became official in July last year, and so I've really only been a member for just over a year. I think my membership became official in July last year, so I'm at about the 13 month mark as we're recording this podcast, so not a lot of time has passed.

Speaker 2 2:17

I got into Toastmasters for a couple of reasons actually.

Speaker 2 2:22

The first was that in a former career pathway, many years ago about 12 years ago now, I was very, very fortunate to have an absolutely fantastic job with the Northern Territory Government.

Speaker 2 2:38

I lived in Alice Springs at the time and I worked at a place called the Alice Springs Desert Park, which is one of the only bioparks in the world, and a biopark is a place where you interpret the plants, animals and people and habitats of a region all in a fully immersive way, and I got to be a professional presenter there for seven and a half years of my life professional presenter there for seven and a half years of my life. Every day, I was paid to write and research presentations, deliver presentations, some of whom were written by my very talented colleagues, and it was really the most wonderful seven and a half years of my career, and since I stopped that in 2011, I haven't really had an audience, so it was something that I missed a lot. It's a big thing to have a voice in that sort of forum, especially when you're talking about things that people are interested in and you know plants and animals and people of the desert are fascinating stories.

Speaker 1 3:41

Yeah.

Speaker 2 3:42

So you know, it was a really amazing time in my life and I really, really missed it and I had no outlet for that. I guess I could have become a tour guide or something here in Cairns, but you know, I've had a little girl at home all of this time, so I haven't really had any outlet to be able to do that, and Toastmasters would work perfectly for that. My daughter's now a high school senior, so she's almost I'm almost an empty nester, so I could really potentially go out and do it for a living again if I really wanted to, but Toastmasters has been a way to get into it. And Nikki, our famous Nikki, one of our trio. She is, of course, the current president of my home club and she's been very fortunate. Well, maybe unfortunate, but she has heard a few of my old Desert Park presentations. I've had to whip them out at meetings when there's been no one else to give a presentation.

Speaker 2 4:39

So, I sort of put my hand up and said oh, I've got one in the bag from a long time ago. So, yeah, nikki can tell some funny stories about me. I like to be very physical with my presentation. So that was the first reason, yeah. But I have got a second reason, though, which is not very unique in my club at the moment Okay, in fact, I think I'm one of three people in this situation at my club and that is that I am a Toastmaster legacy. My mum was a Toastmaster and in fact, I'm a posthumous Toastmaster legacy.

Speaker 2 5:13

So my mum has passed away and she passed away many, many years ago. She was a Toastmaster in Ipswich, okay. So I can remember very well. I think I was probably in grade 12 or maybe just in the first year of uni when she was a Toastmaster, so I can remember her writing some of her speeches. And in fact I've got one or two of them in a box of her things.

Speaker 1 5:40

And.

Speaker 2 5:41

I've yeah, I have actually thought about whipping them out, and it's not really the Toastmaster thing to do to give someone else's speech.

Speaker 1 5:48

Oh, I think you could definitely.

Speaker 2 5:50

Yeah, I don't know if I could give them in quite the same way as her.

Speaker 1 5:54

Yeah.

Speaker 2 5:55

But I think I would incorporate perhaps parts of them into a speech of my own, maybe a speech about her.

Speaker 1 6:03

Yeah, for sure.

Speaker 2 6:04

And there is actually at least there's two other Toastmaster legacies in my club who've joined in the last few months, and I know for sure that one of those is also like myself. She's a posthumous legacy and I have a feeling the other one might be as well, but her mum, I think as well, might still be alive, but I don't think is a current Toastmaster. So we have a bit of a tradition at Cairns Speakers of having family members who are also Toastmasters.

Speaker 1 6:32

It sounds like it, and in fact I first started Toastmasters with my mum, so we went together. Oh lovely, yeah, yeah. So there was a bit of a family connection there as well, it seems to be. I have talked with a few people where they've either started because of one of their parents being a member or started with them together and yeah, I think it's a nice, kind of just nice thing to do as a family. In fact, this coming weekend there's a night on for Colin Williams before he heads off to do his world championship speech, and yeah, they're running a night with him talking down at Helensvale and I I messaged my mother and I said, oh hey, you know there's this speech Toastmasters thing on. Do you want to come? She's like, yeah, yeah, yeah. So we're gonna go do that together.

Speaker 2 7:24

Oh awesome, yeah, yeah, yeah. Does she still attend a club?

Speaker 1 7:28

down there. No, she doesn't, and I haven't actually asked her why she got out of Toastmasters. I think she's so busy doing other things. But she's always very interested and she definitely listens to this podcast and doesn't quite send me evaluations of each episode like she did when, I first started, but yeah, no, she picks up points for improvement. I'm like thanks, mum.

Speaker 2 7:52

Yeah, good, good. Hi Mel's mum More than happy to receive points of improvement as well. Thank you.

Speaker 1 7:58

I'm sure she'll love you. So I mean, your desert experience sounded amazing and and you've mentioned that you do a few of those speeches is it? Is it fun to be able to drag out some of that old material and to be able to relive it and retell the stories?

Speaker 2 8:15

yeah, absolutely, it's so amazing you know it's something that I I'm so connected to those stories, and I'm especially connected to them because my daughter was born in Alice Springs.

Speaker 1 8:26

She is a.

Speaker 2 8:26

Territorian, and so I feel really, really, really connected to a lot of the stories because it's such a place of real connection between the land and the people. You feel it very tangibly when you're there and you know, when we live in big cities it's so easy to be disconnected, it's so easy to sort of think that that's something for another time or another place. But when you're in Alice, you do feel it very heavily. It's a place of really imposing mountains as well, formerly huge like the Rocky Mountains, now just little, tiny, stubby teeth, but still imposing because the area around it is so flat. Yes, so you just feel everything so much in your body. To me, I really find it the most amazing place to visit in general, but the very first time that I went to Uluru yeah, as an Australian, you know it's a long way from Alice, don't.

Speaker 2 9:30

Don't think I was there every day, you know it's hundreds of kilometers.

Speaker 1 9:34

Yeah, it's a long way, but I did go there many times.

Speaker 2 9:38

I was very lucky um, yeah the first time.

Speaker 2 9:43

Wow, it's hard to describe, but as an Australian you're so bombarded with those images and a particular image from a particular point of view and it's just ingrained into who you are as an Australian. So the first time you go there it's a really visceral experience. It's like wow, because the first time you see it it's gigantic. And then you get closer and closer and closer and you can't see anything but that it's so huge. And then you turn to the side and you realize that patachuta, old the olgas, is even bigger. You've you never even heard of that or you haven't seen those images as much, but it's way more giant.

Speaker 2 10:23

So yeah, it's a really easy place to tell stories about, and I love doing it nowadays, and I had some funny stories that I wrote, and so I love whipping those ones out as well, because it's always nice to have a bit of brevity at a Toastmasters meeting, I think as well.

Speaker 1 10:40

Yeah, absolutely and completely agree with what you're saying. I visited Erzsrock and that whole area for my first time last July and, exactly as you described, you get out there and it's like culture of storytelling out there too, which I think just lends itself to stories and the history of stories out there. And yeah, it's amazing. It is an amazing place.

Speaker 2 11:18

It would be a great place to have a Toastmasters conference, like if we could ever convince Toastmasters International to get an international conference to Australia. I mean, it would be a very expensive exercise because it's not cheap to go there, but it is an amazing amazing place and the stories that they have from there are truly magical. I'm glad you went and July a great time to go.

Speaker 1 11:45

Oh me it was, and I mean it was cold and it was hot, it was everything. But yeah, the scenery was amazing and the stars. I was just so blown away by the stars. I just sort of would sit out there of a night and just look up and you just don't see that of a night. You know all those millions of stars. You don't see that in, certainly. You know in the cities. No, yeah, oh well.

Speaker 2 12:13

Oh, you've got seven years of it Easy place to talk about. You can see why I loved my job.

Speaker 1 12:19

Oh yeah, absolutely. Oh well, I'm glad you found an outlet to tell some of those stories again, because I think you know more people need to know about that. If they haven't been out there, I definitely would recommend it. But what do you most enjoy being about Toastmasters? Sorry about, I'll start that again. What do you most enjoy about being a member of Toastmasters?

Speaker 2 12:41

Well, my joke answer is that I love having a captive audience because, you know, I really did miss that and I'm one of these unicorn people. Mel and you're probably going to find this hard to believe. Maybe maybe not, but I'm an extroverted introvert, so I can speak in front of tens of people, hundreds of people. I've never had the chance to speak in front of tens of people, hundreds of people. I've never had the chance to speak in front of thousands, but I don't have a problem with that. But I'm terrible in a little group. So I'm absolutely horrendous, horrendous. I'm horrendous at a party. I'm horrendous at meeting new people. I'm nervous, I don't know what to talk about. So Toastmasters gives me those two things.

Speaker 2 13:29

I've got the captive audience, but it's also a small group of people. They're new people, and so you have to actually engage with them as well, and I'm the vice president of membership for my club, so it's actually my job to talk to people.

Speaker 2 13:46

So, it's been wonderful in that respect. You know, it really has been amazing. So, yes, I get to have my outlet for when I want to have fun and, you know, do a dance in front of people while I'm talking about a desert bird or something. But it also does stretch me and it gets me out of my comfort zone and gets me interacting with people on that lower level where I need to actually learn how to start to ask people questions and connect with them in that way. So, you know, it's an uncomfortable learning experience for me sometimes, but it's definitely the right place to do it because it's you know, it's a very welcoming and supportive environment to learn whatever it is that you've come there to learn.

Speaker 1 14:32

Indeed, it's very supportive and welcoming. But also I guess you're stretching your comfort zone even more by being an area director where you have to go out and do that with four or five other clubs.

Speaker 2 14:44

Yes, yes, very much so. So, yes, I have had an uncomfortable month. I'll say that because it's a big learning curve for me too. I'm sort of in that generation I'm 53 and I'm in the weird generation where I know a little bit about computers, but not a huge amount about computers. I know that you're fantastic at them, but me I'm not. So just the whole thing of having to have a new email and having to access new Google Drives.

Speaker 2 15:17

The material that's there is amazing and I can see that when I can access it properly, I won't have to start everything from scratch, which I'm sure is a problem in Toastmasters that whole idea of everyone getting into the start of their year and having to do everything all over again and not having any prior learnings that they can access. I can see that that would be a far more difficult undertaking than you and I have taken on now, when there's so much material there to back us up.

Speaker 1 15:50

Yeah, there is definitely a lot of material and I think the handovers you know getting. I had a great handover. My former area director, jeff Roberts, was fantastic and very organised and he gave me a lot of digital. You know a lot of digital things that I could use and, yeah, which was very helpful. But, yeah, it's great to see that they are bringing it all online. I think it's the way to go and I think it will make it easier for you know people who follow and who we get to hand over to.

Speaker 2 16:24

That's exactly right. For us in the north, we are in a real rebuilding phase.

Speaker 2 16:30

We all know that Toastmasters International is in a rebuilding phase after COVID, but I feel that Nikki would put her hand up to attest to this as well, and that is that we really were severely decimated. Yeah, area 9 has lost a club, unfortunately. Our club, when I joined it, had something like perhaps had about six official members, but of those, really not that many of them were attending, so it was really quite dire, and I feel as though some of the other clubs in our area were of the same situation as well. Marlon Coast is another one who's in my new area. I'll be visiting them on Thursday, actually for my first official area director meeting, and I've been lucky enough to go to that club before. Nikki's also a member of that club and they're still a small club as well. And we've got a couple of online clubs as well, one that's got members from all around.

Speaker 2 17:33

Australia and another one that's a Darwin club. So you know we're a very small area but we're rebuilding very fast at Cairns Speakers and I don't know that that's necessarily all our work. I believe that that's Toastmasters' work as well, and I believe that it's when you come to the club. If we do manage to get you in the door. It is a very fun club to be at. It's a very generous club. It's a very talented club as well lots of very, very talented and very experienced speakers.

Speaker 2 18:05

Nikki and her partner, kai, are both, you know, very active in speaking at the club.

Speaker 1 18:11

Yeah.

Speaker 2 18:12

So you know, we're very lucky and I think now we have almost 18 members.

Speaker 1 18:16

Oh great, okay, yeah, wow, wow, okay. I guess then the challenge is sort of betting everyone in making sure everyone's got mentors, making you know that's right, that's a lot of new people.

Speaker 2 18:28

That's right. And there isn't even anyone to be a mentor, because it's really just you know there's really not very many of us at all.

Speaker 1 18:41

So it has lots of challenges, that's for sure. Yeah, and your VP membership. So it's wow, you've got a lot on your plate. Yes, yes, yes, yes. How are you finding it?

Speaker 2 18:54

balancing the time because um a little bit difficult yeah, yeah, what were? You going to add to that?

Speaker 1 18:58

to to that question, please, well you've got the online clubs as well, so that's you sort of working with two different models. Yeah, meetings, two different genres of.

Speaker 2 19:10

Yeah, I mean, it's teaching me a lot about zoom and those sorts of things. Well, it will be, and and so I'm. I don't regret that and it look, it's nice, because sometimes that's easier to get to fit into a busy life. Yeah, so I like the idea of the online clubs because, you know, it means I don't have to drive half an hour, get out of my car, you know, do all those things, go and set up. You know you can be there five minutes before the meeting starts and you're good to go. And they're very prompt with finishing them, particularly country communicators. That's a great online club because that is an Australia-wide club. So they're very, very strict on timings at the club because they have to be, because some people, particularly when Daylight Saving kicks in, they're, you know, on really different times. I think some of the members are in Western Australia.

Speaker 1 20:04

Oh, okay, yeah, two hours behind, yeah, absolutely two hours behind.

Speaker 2 20:07

Yeah, absolutely Become three hours behind. So, yeah, it's really fascinating to see the differences, but it's really really difficult to juggle everything. If I'm honest, I think it's one of the lessons that the roles have been sent to me for I'm pretty much a believer in. I think things come to you for a reason, yeah, and I think they came to me because I needed to know how to manage stress and how to manage um.

Speaker 2 20:39

You know, opposing um commitments and I needed to learn a little bit more about a google calendar and all these sort of things. I'm sure that it came to me for a reason. So I'm trying to take some big deep breaths, because we all know that when you get an area director position, you have to hit the ground running, because it's really within the first three or four months where an area conference has to happen and club speech contests have to happen before that, and you know all of these things have to happen in a timely manner. Yeah, it's paid away as soon as you get the job.

Speaker 1 21:16

Yes, exactly, and then there's sort of the weekend of training and then club visits.

Speaker 2 21:21

And yeah, it's a busy, hectic first few months.

Speaker 1 21:25

I'm looking at my calendar and for the next till about November. It's a busy, hectic first few months. I'm looking at my calendar for the next till about November. It's full on and then it will, I think, ease back a little bit over Christmas. But yeah, it's pretty crazy.

Speaker 1 21:38

I was like I'll see you in November, really hoping for a break, yeah, but I mean it's such an interesting take on Toastmasters. You've been getting used to your own club and how it works, but then I guess that's right. What an experience so early on in your Toastmasters journey to be seeing how you know different other clubs do things.

Speaker 2 21:59

So yeah, it's good, it's good. I keep saying that to myself. It's good, good, I can do it, I can do it.

Speaker 1 22:07

Yeah, but you also have a very, very geographically spread out area. Absolutely, it would have to be one of the biggest areas.

Speaker 2 22:18

Yeah, that's right, the Northern Division in general from Mackay North really not, of course, with the Papua New Guinean clubs, but you know and including our Darwin Club, because there's only one club I believe in in the northern territory at the moment. So, yeah, it will be interesting. The the division contest will be well, the area contest, look, or conference, I think I'm not even sure whether or not my two online clubs will be able to send anyone, or. I think Darwin is not just an online club, it might be a hybrid club. I'm yet to meet those guys, but I'm hoping maybe I'm going to get over there at least once this year. Good excuse, I think that would be a fun thing to do.

Speaker 2 22:59

yeah and get me back to the Territory.

Speaker 1 23:02

Oh yeah.

Speaker 2 23:03

If I can eke out a little bit of a budget, I might see if I can fly over there for a couple of nights and go to one of their meetings. They probably haven't had an area director do that in a while, so I think that's a sort of little mini goal I've given to myself.

Speaker 1 23:18

Oh well, there you go. I mean how perfect with your background and your experience from the Northern Territory. I mean it was meant to be, that's right, that's right, that's right, I love it, I love it. So there's so much going on in your Toastmasters world, but in the year that you've been a member, what would you say are some of the skills that you've learned? I mean, we've been talking about those skills, but, yeah, what type of skills would you say have been valuable for you?

Speaker 2 23:46

If I'm'm really honest, I think the most valuable skill that I'm learning at Toastmasters and I would not say that I've gotten on top of this one yet is around the area of constructive feedback I have.

Speaker 2 24:01

I'm a very, very overly sensitive soul and so I've always found it very difficult in my life to accept constructive feedback which I call criticism from anyone, whether it be a loved one, whether it be a boss, whether whether it be you know my mum, you know anyone, a colleague. I've always been overly sensitive to that and, as a consequence, I've never been able to really give it either.

Speaker 1 24:35

Okay.

Speaker 2 24:36

So you know, because if you can't receive it very well, then you know, you don't know how to give it either.

Speaker 1 24:42

Yeah.

Speaker 2 24:42

So that has been an amazing skill that is coming out of Toastmasters because, of course, particularly when you're in a growing club that doesn't have a lot of members, there's encouragement for you to give feedback. You know when we were a small club and we only had six or seven people, eight people at a meeting. We would do table topics together. We would, you know, do a evaluation of table topics together. We would sometimes evaluate speeches together.

Speaker 2 25:10

So, we were learning from each other, learning on the ground. You know running and look, it's been really really amazing. And I can see that I've never put my hand up to be a manager of people, because that's a skill that I never really felt that I had, a I couldn't hear criticism from lowers or uppers and I didn't know how to really give it myself. You know, constructive stuff that's not and not just the shit sandwich you know that people give. You know, the club that I'm in is a very, very talented club. I've said it before and I'll say it again, and in our area we're renowned as being the evaluation club and you know we've got people like Kai, who is really the best evaluator I have ever.

Speaker 2 26:01

You know of anyone who's ever given me any feedback at all. He is tremendous and he gives fantastic feedback to Nikki and he gives fantastic feedback to Nikki and she gives fantastic feedback to him as well. She's very hard to give feedback to, because she's an amazing speaker.

Speaker 1 26:15

Yeah, but even amazing speakers want to hear feedback. Exactly, yeah, and I know when I talked with her a couple of episodes ago, she was saying that because she's a professional speaker as well and does it for work, and she was saying that one of the things she likes about Toastmasters is that she does get feedback, and she doesn't get that when she's in a room of you know an audience for where she's, you know being paid to be there, and so she likes the feedback and it's true you wouldn't otherwise get that feedback.

Speaker 2 26:49

No, and it is really fantastic. And look, sometimes it's just a little thing, but I've seen her go. Yeah, all right, yeah, and I love it too, and I'm getting way better at receiving it as well as providing it to those around me.

Speaker 1 27:08

Yeah, and I think when you know it's being given in the spirit of support and we want you to do better and everyone's getting similar kinds of feedback, you know it's not sort of it's personal and specific, but everyone's getting the same types of feedback and that's what we're there for.

Speaker 2 27:28

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. We are there for that and it's important, as you travel on the Toastmasters journey, that you do learn that, that you know it's not just about getting up in front of people, it's about learning all of those skills that look, they're important life skills. They're fantastic career skills, but they're important life skills. They're great life skills for being a mum as well, particularly of a sullen 17 year old teenage girl, they are great for that too yeah, yeah, it's, it's just a nice way to be able to give feedback.

Speaker 1 28:01

Yeah, it's, it's how, because you want people to improve well, you want them to see how they can improve, and I think the model that we use encourages that, which is good. It was interesting.

Speaker 1 28:14

A couple of weeks ago we had Colin Williams come and do a presentation of his or a practice speech at our club and there are a lot of fairly new Toastmasters there and we said, you know Colin's here, he's here for feedback, Chuck it at him, you know he's ready to hear any feedback. And I actually found that the newer members and those who were less familiar with our evaluation process and the types of things that people might normally talk about in an evaluation, they found some really interesting points. I'm like sitting there going like wow.

Speaker 2 28:52

Wow, good on them.

Speaker 1 28:53

Yeah, and having that courage to even to just give feedback to a very accomplished speaker, and even that I think, developing that courage to be able to look at someone who's really good and go. Hey, this is where I think, and just pointing small nuggets out, and yeah, I think it works both ways Very experienced people giving newbies feedback and newbies giving very experienced feedback. You know people feedback.

Speaker 2 29:23

Well, that's right, they're looking at something with fresh eyes and we know that that's an important thing. You know I sort of you know buzz around the workplace health and safety sphere at my job as well. And one of the things that I instigated there was to stop. You know, I'm the representative, and the previous representative was the only person who ever did safety audits at my place of business.

Speaker 2 29:49

And I said well, that's just stupid, because it's the same person walking around looking at the same thing all the same time. So that's not going to work. You need different people to be casting their eyes over things and seeing things in a different way, and you've just given a perfect illustration of the way that that works for Toastmasters. You know new people seeing something in Colin's speech that that normal Toastmasters long-standing Toastmasters can't see yeah, yeah, it's.

Speaker 1 30:16

It's really good to watch. It's just interesting to see everyone's different take on it and and then all of that is again slightly different in the online world. So I guess you're getting experience with your online clubs about about that, because the delivery is different, the the tools are different yeah different environments. But yeah, it is it is.

Speaker 2 30:39

I think reading the audience is much more difficult in an online situation. You know, we know that we can really get um quite dramatic and intense and and immediate feedback if you know what's working and what's not working when you're in the, in the direct environment, speaking to people but, when you're in the online environment, yeah, much more difficult.

Speaker 2 31:02

So things can go longer than they should and, and you know not, that can have the completely wrong tone because you really don't know what your audience is like. So it must have been very difficult for those um Toastmasters who were actually undertaking competitions, you know, and all the way up to international level, yeah, just online very difficult, difficult, yeah.

Speaker 1 31:26

Well, also, I don't think you would get the same adrenaline rush Like when you're standing physically in front of 200 people on a stage or more, however it is, you know it's, you feel it in your body and I just can't imagine feeling. You'd feel a different pressure, I think, in an online environment, but not that that actual physical, uh, you know, adrenaline. I'd be interested to chat with people who who have done that, because in that competition environment, because, yeah, I just can't imagine, uh, that there's that physical physicality of, I think, speaking on a stage right?

Speaker 2 32:09

yeah, very true, very true.

Speaker 1 32:11

And it's a shame not to get the dopamine and the adrenaline hit, because maybe that's what we're doing it for a little bit of adhd, that's right that's right, but uh, oh, I mean, I guess that's the way that Toastmasters have to adapt, whatever the circumstances are, whether it's online or hybrid or in person. Completely, yeah, absolutely. The fact that we have opportunity to practice in all of those environments now, I think, is a good thing, because you know so many more people are doing that in the workplace, and yeah, and so you mentioned evaluations and you know giving and receiving feedback is one skill. What else have you sort of learned during your time?

Speaker 2 33:00

Well, I've certainly learned to gain some confidence in myself, which, you know, I think that we all suffer a little bit from imposter syndrome as we struggle through our lives and and for someone who lacks a bit of self-confidence and also, you know, is, as I said, one of those extroverted, introverted people, I think that sometimes, you know, you don't have a lot of confidence in getting yourself out there and doing things. So that's certainly something that I've gained from Toastmasters, and sometimes it's just because, hey, look, there's no one around. You've got to be the Toastmasters tonight and there was a lot of that at the start, you know, we were just stepping up and doing things, not even really knowing what we were doing, just because you know we had to, there wasn't people around to do it. But it was a great learning environment and it did give me a lot of confidence in myself.

Speaker 2 33:53

I work for a local government organisation here in Cairns. I work for the Cairns Regional Council and haven't been there for a long time. This is my first experience, apart from that experience in the Territory of working for government experience apart from that experience in the territory of working for government and I, since I've been there, I'd wanted to do this particular challengey sort of thing because you know, the extrovert in me wants to be part of a team and wants to go and do something challenging. The introverted part of me doesn't. But I really wanted to, but I was just terrified and I had no confidence in myself to do it.

Speaker 2 34:29

But I joined Toastmasters last year and when the opportunity came again at the end of last year where they said, okay, who wants to put up their hand and take part in the challenge and represent the council at this local government sort of event that we do in the region and it becomes an Australia-wide thing it's what's it called. The local government managers of Australia run this thing called the Rural Management Challenge, and so they get four representatives from each council and you get together and you do a whole bunch of learning beforehand, but then you have a whole day where they just throw things at you. So it might be scenarios about cutting the budget. It might be that you've got protesting constituents outside of your council buildings.

Speaker 2 35:14

It could be a whole range of things and it goes for like eight hours of a day and, as terrifying as that sounds, I really wanted to be a part of it. And I was just too scared. And so Toastmasters gave me the confidence to put in the application, and I did that. And I was just too scared, and so Toastmasters gave me the confidence to put in the application, and I did that, and I actually put that. I was a Toastmaster on the application and I said, look, I don't really think I've got very much to give to this, but what I can give is that I know how to speak in public and, whilst I don't think I should necessarily be the one that does it, I can mentor someone else who wants to learn how to do it. So, and they said they wanted me.

Speaker 2 35:55

So I'm now part of this four-person team and in October, also within this three-month time of when we've got to have conferences and all of this sort of stuff. So just another thing I've added to my huge bag of too many things to do. But it's in work time, so that's okay. Yeah, on the 23rd of October we go to Bright Sparky Ingham and we take part in this full-day challenge. It's going to be fantastic. And, look, there's no way I'd be doing that without Toastmasters, without the added confidence that I've gained from being there, that's for sure.

Speaker 1 36:31

Isn't it amazing to think you know before you joined and then you look back at what you might have done, even in the last year, and you just think, wow, who knew that was going to happen by walking into that club meeting?

Speaker 2 36:44

I just wanted to go to improve my public speaking, and you know not die in front of an audience, Like it's amazing where it can take you Absolutely, Absolutely. And you know we have an amazing leadership trio and I know that I talk about her a lot because I love her.

Speaker 2 37:01

But you know, you just have to look at someone like Nikki and you go, wow, you know, nikki, she does this for a living and she's even said to me you know why don't you? You know, do something. You know, get yourself a. You know, I think there's something called, it's something to do with Uber or somewhere like that, where you can do like Uber tours or something like that.

Speaker 1 37:19

I'll have to ask her what it is again.

Speaker 2 37:21

And she said you know, sometimes she'll take people around Rusty's markets and and you know it's like a fresh fruit and vegetable markets that we've got here and she shows them all the all the fruits and the tropical vegetables and you know all this sort of stuff and talks to them about them and they buy some and eat them. And and she said you'd be great at something like that. And I thought, wow, I've never thought of doing anything like that. But you know, all the opportunities that Toastmasters brings to you are crazy.

Speaker 1 37:47

So yeah, but also hearing about what other people are doing with it, and I think that's been one of the things I've loved about doing this podcast is hearing these stories of where Toastmasters has taken people, like a couple of my Leading Edge buddies are presenters on cruise ships and they're trotting off around the world doing enrichment lectures on, I mean, with your background of you know Australiana history, I'm sure Sign me up, I know, right, I know. But it's so cool hearing where Toastmasters has taken people and it then becomes a matter of all right if, especially when you get into some of the more detailed pathways projects, you know whether it's the podcasting one or the blog or things like that, and if it's an area you want to or you have an interest in or you want to develop an interest in some of those level four pathways projects are so good for that because you can create a body of work that you know, you can point to and go yep, I did that and you know, pitch yourself at the Ubers or the cruise ships of the world.

Speaker 2 39:00

Yeah, I think now I've worked it out it was an Airbnb thing, so it's Airbnb experience. I think she said it was so yeah, so it's a sort of an offshoot of that. So you know you get an American tourist who comes and, yeah, wants to have a very boutique experience where you take them out to a local restaurant or you do something. I mean it sounds fantastic. Nikki's a big foodie as well, she's really, really in tune with food and wine and things as well so you know she's incorporated some of her, her amazing loves into her side projects.

Speaker 1 39:33

So yeah yeah, now you've got me thinking about you've got me thinking for free, yeah, yeah. But again, you never know and, and until you you wouldn't know about that outside of Toastmasters and absolutely even if you did, it would be like, well, how do you get involved in that? And then you know, through a few degrees of separation, ex, you know Fred can be putting you in touch with. You know Sam, who's like yeah he's my agent who gets me on the cruise ships, you know, and that's right that's right, that's right and yeah, and being that introverted, that introverted extrovert, that's what I'm terrible at.

Speaker 2 40:11

I am terrible at networking. So you know, toastmasters is that captive networking audience as well.

Speaker 1 40:18

Where, yeah you?

Speaker 2 40:18

know you. It's not that you're forced to network with these people, but you're there for a like-minded cause. You're not being thrust upon somewhere where you're having to market yourself in any way. You are just doing something that you love, or you're there to learn about something, and so that networking happens in a little bit more of a natural way than other ways that I've ever experienced, that's for sure.

Speaker 1 40:40

Yes, and that's such an interesting perspective. I've never thought about that, but it's networking without the sales pitch. Yes, absolutely Like it really is. Well, until people start tapping you on the shoulder and say, hey, would you like to be an area director? Yeah, that's not the networking that I was thinking, that it was going to be, didn't sign up for that, but anyway, we're both here now and we're dealing with it Exactly.

Speaker 1 41:02

And you know, being an area director, what, what are you sort of aiming to achieve this year? What? What would a great year as a an area director look like for you is?

Speaker 2 41:12

it is. Is it politically correct to say that I'm just hoping to survive, mel we'll? Touch base at the end of the year politically correct to say that, um, but in some ways I am. There is a lot of commitments that we have in life. You know, I'm a 53 year old woman. I've got to the stage where, yes, I've got a child and she's older, but I'm also. I also host international students in my house, so they take a little bit of work, I've got a relatively new partner in my life.

Speaker 2 41:42

You know I've got a job. I'd love to go to the, to the gym. You know there's a whole heap of things that I've got, so it really is surviving.

Speaker 2 41:51

And look, I'm going to say something that is also perhaps a little bit controversial but, I also hope that at the end of my area director time I'm going to want to stay in Toastmasters. I'm going to hope that the commitment isn't too much to burn me out a little bit and I know that there is a bit of burnout in Toastmasters every now and again with the commitments that's required of you in certain things. So it's not that I'm going to only do what's necessary.

Speaker 2 42:16

I'm certainly going to put my best foot forward and try my hardest but I'm also going to take the advice of of Thomas and um, who was saying at that at that conference that at our training that you really need to. You know, just do the best that you can, but but you know, don't overstretch yourself if you can't. You know, get what's necessary done and do it well, and don't do all the fluffy things if you don't have time to do those.

Speaker 2 42:45

Yeah, and I think that's what I'm going to take for it and what I'm hoping to get out of the year, and I hope that doesn't sound like a cop-out. I feel like it sort of does.

Speaker 1 42:53

Not at all, no, but I find when you get into these roles and all this other stuff bubbles up and it's like oh, I thought I had my hand around. You know my head around what was involved. And then there's all these other things that bubble up. Yes, yes, yes, I certainly found that as a president last year I was like, oh, all these little extra things.

Speaker 2 43:16

I didn't know about. That's right, that you didn't realise. And of course, for me, here's the other bit of a curveball in this whole discussion which I'm not putting out, the victim mentality here. I'm just putting out the information. But I got COVID for the competition and conference last year. So I had a speech prepared for the humorous competition and was going to be participating and got COVID like on the Thursday before the Saturday competition so I couldn't even attend.

Speaker 2 43:49

So I've actually never attended a speech competition or a conference oh An area one or a district one.

Speaker 1 43:59

Right, okay, so you've got to just organize one. I've just got to organize one.

Speaker 2 44:04

But so I think I'm struggling a little bit with thinking about the timing of the day and how those what little extras have to go in. Yeah. But um, you know it'll be fun and it'll be okay, and it's my home club that's hosting it Okay, so that's also a good thing. I know the people who are there and I know how fantastic they are as Toastmasters and as organisers, so I'm planning on doing lots of delegating.

Speaker 1 44:34

Yeah, I think that's the other part as well is knowing who you can lean on and ask for help, and there's always people that will help. You've just got to ask, which I think is a lesson. Sometimes as well, when you're used to doing everything by yourself, it's like help.

Speaker 2 44:48

Absolutely Help, absolutely. Another really good lesson that this sort of level of Toastmasters can teach you, because I don't. That's a lesson I have to learn as well. Thank you for pointing that out to me, because, you know, sometimes I think you do way too much, particularly if you've. You know, I was a single mum for a couple of years. And so just doing, just do everything really.

Speaker 2 45:15

Yeah, she helped out my daughter, but she's too young to do very much, so really you're just relying on yourself, so you do need to rely on other people yeah, definitely, and and definitely asking, and I do like that.

Speaker 1 45:26

You know we have the area director mentor, so Deb Barnett, and and there's plenty of other people around that that will help too. So, yeah, absolutely, absolutely, thank goodness that you.

Speaker 2 45:37

yeah, imagine if you had just had to do it by yourself.

Speaker 1 45:41

I know, yeah, no, that wouldn't be fun. No definitely not Now being. You know what would you say to people who aren't in Toastmasters, who may have been on the fence or may be sitting out there in the car pondering whether to walk into a meeting, but they're terrified. You know what would you say about them? And just going to a meeting?

Speaker 2 46:05

I think that that is actually the hardest bit just to get yourself there. What you're going to find when you get there is going to be an extremely welcoming environment and it's the most supportive place that you can imagine for overcoming whatever little demons that you think that you have. If you need to speak for work and you find that you can't do it, then we've got lots of people who have been in that situation. You know. We've got several people at my club who are currently working on that.

Speaker 2 46:41

You know how to you know I've got to get up. I've found myself in this position at work, where I need to be, you know, moving up the ranks. And now.

Speaker 1 46:50

I need to start.

Speaker 2 46:51

You know, evaluating people. I need to start giving presentations. I need to start training. You know I'd love to do a TED Talk one day. You know, I've got this in my head and it's really the most supportive place to be able to do that and it's fun it is really, really fun. I never thought that standing up in front of someone for two minutes trying to answer a question that you've just been given, like five seconds ago, while you were sitting in your seat yeah, how could that ever be fun?

Speaker 1 47:24

yeah, but it is fun and we come back for it each meeting, that's the best bit of the whole meeting.

Speaker 2 47:31

You know and you can see, I just love being the table topics master too, because I just love watching people. You can tell when you say a question and then you get the people who just look down straight away and it's like, okay, I'm going for you, but in a fun way and I don't mean for that to be intimidating for new people, because it is the most gentle, supportive environment at the end as well.

Speaker 2 47:56

So you get up there and you say something everyone claps for. Everyone has something great to say about what you've done. You know everyone will come up to you and say at the end well done, that was amazing. You should be really proud of yourself for getting up at your first meeting and really you will find it the most rewarding and you will achieve whatever goals it is that you have. If you really want to get up and learn how to speak, then this is definitely the place to do it.

Speaker 1 48:26

Yeah, yeah for sure, and there's so many ways. I think that the projects and the pathway speeches can help people. You know whether it's there's that interview practice one, you know whether it's there's that interview practice one, you know whether it's someone actually going for a major interview and they want to practice, and yeah, just so many quite random opportunities to speak and to practice like that.

Speaker 2 48:54

That's right, and I use the Pathways material. I go on there all the time and I look up lots of things and I always follow along with it. I don't just get the speech and think, oh, what have I got to do next? I try really hard to just fit it into what I'm supposed to be doing and I'm a bit anally retentive and I like to do them in order as well, if I can. I mean, I might be still on my first pathway, but I enjoy that bit and I have found it to be really good information. It's condensed, there's not a lot of it, but you can then grab that and take it and research it and find out other things about it if you want to.

Speaker 2 49:32

And you can come up with some really interesting ways of addressing what they're asking you to address. You don't have to do it exactly the way that they say it doesn't have to be. You know exactly as it's written. You can come up with some fun and if you're creative, oh gosh we've seen some amazingly creative things. At my first icebreaker, I took a scuba tank and I started my speech with my regulator in my mouth, because people used to always tell me that when I was a dive instructor, that I could talk underwater.

Speaker 1 50:01

Talk underwater and I can, but I also wanted to illustrate that in my icebreaker. The one time I was always told that as a kid you know you could talk underwater. And the one time in my adult life I actually tried was on the Great Barrier Reef and it was my first scuba dive and it was only about I don't know, 30 feet, maybe not even, but you know it was down on the sea floor and this reef shark passed and no one mentioned that a reef shark might remotely be in where.

Speaker 1 50:34

I was going to be and I started screaming and I started to try and warn the entire group by talking, you know, with with my regulator, and I spat it out of my mouth and then I realized that this was a problem, so I had to get it back in with without choking and dying, and I'm I'm trying to warn everyone anyway. So I the one time I tried to talk underwater. Well, let me tell you.

Speaker 2 50:58

If you ever require that skill in the future, you know where to come, because it's a skill that I definitely have.

Speaker 1 51:06

I don't recommend the talking underwater thing Lesson learned, I do. I love it, but anyway. So you've been a dive instructor too.

Speaker 2 51:15

I mean, yes, I was. That was my former, former life. That's my second favorite job as well. Um, yeah, I was a yeah scuba diving instructor in Brisbane. Actually, I used to go diving in Moreton Bay all the time and there's lots of amazing wrecks in Moreton Bay. It's the best place for wreck diving in all of Queensland. It's fantastic. Um, yeah, I've done lots of very cold water diving. I've been in the water with whales in Brisbane.

Speaker 1 51:40

Oh, wow.

Speaker 2 51:40

Yeah, it's a magical place to dive.

Speaker 1 51:43

Oh, you must have so much content for speeches. My goodness, like there's so many stories in amongst all of that. Do you talk about that?

Speaker 2 51:55

I do, yeah, I do. I've given quite a few speeches around that sort of thing. In fact, I've got a speech planned where someone asked me about night diving once and they said how scary night diving must be. And I'm thinking about doing a speech in the dark, with a torch, to talk about night diving.

Speaker 1 52:13

Oh, that sounds so cool. Can you film it. Can you film it? And then you know us, because I mean, that's, that's very cool.

Speaker 2 52:22

Yeah, that's, that would definitely set the set, the mood well, that's right, and everyone can have a stick, just like on a dive. So you get the little you know. Oh yeah, the break them, the little chemical sticks that you see, and everyone can have one of those. And that's your only, your only vision. But then, you know, we might have little bits and pieces for people to find as they as we talk about things and you know, talk about bioluminescence and talk about um.

Speaker 2 52:48

There's a type of night diving that you can do, where you actually put a a filter over your mask, a yellow filter over your mask, and you take down a black light and you can see all of the coral and the creatures that actually fluoresce at night.

Speaker 2 53:03

So, um like, just like scorpions in the desert, if you look at them with a blue light, they actually fluoresce. Oh wow, how terrifying. Same underwater there's corals certain corals, not everything. Certain corals, certain crustaceans will fluoresce like so bright it's. It's crazy, and you can see it from such a long way away, but you can't see anything else because you've got a black light. So it's a very different sort of night diving experience because you're very enclosed and you you sort of concentrate on a very small area and you look at minute details.

Speaker 2 53:40

It's very interesting way to dive. Even I was a little bit frightened of that. I thought, wow, can't see anything else. No normal torches. You can't have normal torch light near you at all, or it ruins your night vision.

Speaker 1 53:52

Wow yeah, fascinating, fascinating how cool I I can imagine you doing a podcast about this in time and just telling all these stories and you know the next.

Speaker 2 54:04

Yeah, great, great, I'm going to hit you up.

Speaker 1 54:10

I'm actually doing a podcasting series at the moment about the Level 4 elective, because so many people have asked me about how to get started and I'll say oh, you know, I've been thinking about doing that podcasting elective, but it just all sounds a bit too hard, it's daunting, it is daunting, but it's definitely the thing that happens.

Speaker 2 54:30

You know, I have headphones that I wear to bed at night and I listen to podcasts at night. I started with the you know, traditional true crime one, where you think about someone murdering to put yourself to sleep.

Speaker 1 54:43

Nice, peaceful sleep time, but really it's just anything when you're a very stressed person.

Speaker 2 54:47

I don't know if you've ever encountered this, mel, but if you're very stressed and you wake up in the night, you can have a tendency to get into your own thoughts and then it's difficult to go back to sleep. So I have discovered that, with the sort of headphones that enclose it, looks a bit like a headband and goes all the way around the sort of head. It's sort of snuggly and cosy as well, and also my partner can't hear anything that's going on whilst I'm listening to the podcast Makes a difference.

Speaker 2 55:16

So if I've got that on, if I get up and go to the toilet at two o'clock in the morning or whatever, normally I would come back and I would have to pick up my phone or pick up a book or something to try and get myself back to sleep. Now all I do is just put my head back on the pillow. I listen to a few sentences from whatever podcast it happens to be at and.

Speaker 2 55:36

I'm straight back to sleep. It actually really works. So they're really important to me and I've listened to so many things. I'm sort of hoping that the knowledge is going in whilst I'm sleeping. I don't know about that, but it's certainly working. So, it's the way of the future.

Speaker 1 55:55

Definitely, definitely, definitely, and I can completely relate to what you're saying. I have, at least for about the last 25 years, gone to sleep listening to guided meditations or visualizations and, yes, you know, plinky, plonky music or whale song or whatever it happens to be that sort of stuff.

Speaker 2 56:15

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So I now. It's just you're listening to someone tell you about this guy who got murdered in the united states I wouldn't be listening to that.

Speaker 1 56:25

I can't be listening to that before. I want a nice peaceful sleep. But but you know, whatever, whatever works right, I mean it's. I think it's just that voice, you know, and yes, it is. It gets you out of your own head and listening to certain voices huv and kyle and berg.

Speaker 2 56:42

He's got a fantastic podcast that he does with his brother and um and a guy called ryan shelton sheldon. Um, it's a fantastic, and if you know anything about huv and kyle and berg, he's the mindfulness mindfulness project or something like that. Okay, he's a great guy, inspirational speaker. Speaks to um.

Speaker 2 57:00

Speaks to sports um, men and and oh yeah and sporting teams and stuff and uh, yeah, he's, but goes to schools and all sorts of stuff. He's an amazing speaker and he's got a beautiful voice that all three of them have got great voices and so, and they interview some amazing people about resilience and stuff. So, yeah, he's my favourite at the moment.

Speaker 1 57:22

And Michael.

Speaker 2 57:22

Mosley. I love to listen to his podcasts. Yeah, I'm listening to all his back catalogue now that, unfortunately, he's passed away.

Speaker 1 57:30

Yeah, yes, it's funny how you sort of go through waves of you know listening to an entire back catalogue of people and you know you binge, listen to all of their stuff and then it's like, oh, they're either not around anymore or you run out of things to listen to or they stop the podcast. It's like, oh, that's sad, so yeah, but I think it's such an interesting path for Toastmasters because we focus on storytelling and speechcraft and all the things and it just lends itself to getting another 10,000 words out.

Speaker 2 58:08

Exactly right. That's exactly right and it's a great forum for you as well, because you know, we all know that in a vibrant club that's got 20 members or more, I'm sure, there's lots of Brisbane clubs out there, lots of Australian clubs out there, lots of Australian clubs out there, lots of worldwide clubs out there who've got lots and lots and lots of speakers who want to speak. So you can't always get in there and have your captive audience, because you've got to make space for other people too. So you know, if you've got your weekly podcast happening, then you've got your audience all to yourself.

Speaker 1 58:41

Yeah, definitely. And what I wasn't sort of necessarily expecting was Toastmasters to be listening to this content and sort of saying, oh, it's so interesting learning about such and such. It's almost like the District Chronicles and you know names we may have heard of. And yeah, even I've interviewed members of my own club and they're like, oh, that episode was so interesting, I didn't know that about such and such. So it's sort of yeah, it's just interesting, sort of yeah it's fun.

Speaker 2 59:17

You're getting the tea, the goss. No, it's not just superficial Toastmasters, we're getting down to the nitty-gritty.

Speaker 1 59:24

Yeah, absolutely, and it's a fun project. I'm not intending to stop anytime soon.

Speaker 2 59:30

No, I don't think you should. I think it's fantastic. I love what you're doing and I think the questions that you ask are really interesting and relevant as well, and I that you ask are really interesting and relevant as well, and it's a good. I think it's a good level for someone who's new like me, having not participated in this sort of thing before to know as well that you've got something to offer to an audience is really interesting. So I do hope that this goes well and that people enjoy it, because it's nice to think that there's others out there who are interested in what you've got to say.

Speaker 1 1:00:03

Yeah, definitely, definitely. Now we've talked a little bit about your goals for this year, one of which was just surviving and getting through. But, like, even in terms of working through pathways and focusing on your own speeches and things like that, do you have any particular goals for the year?

Speaker 2 1:00:23

Oh look, I'd love to finish my first pathway. I'm not sure if I will be able to quite achieve that, maybe. Maybe We'll see how we go, but that would be a really nice goal to have. I'm not going to be down on myself if I don't get to do that, though, because look, particularly with this first um three or four months, there is a lot of commitments that you have to do, so if you don't focus on yourself for that, then it's important to um. There's lots of other things that you can focus on.

Speaker 2 1:00:50

it's important to do service in an organization that you do love and and you know it's obvious I would hope that it's obvious that you love Toastmasters and I love Toastmasters too. Exactly. And I do think that people who are involved in that service level that's what they are showing they're showing that they've got a commitment to the organisation and it is important, when you do love something like that, to give back.

Speaker 2 1:01:12

And so you know, I'm happy for this first six months in particular to be about that. Yeah, this first six months in particular to be about that. It's my time to give back to the organization that, even though I haven't been in for a very long time, has so obviously given me very richly. So I'm more than happy to do that. And then, yeah, let's launch back onto some other things. I understand I can't enter any competitions this year which I really did want to be in competitions last year.

Speaker 2 1:01:40

That's probably one of the areas of speaking that I am nervous about. I'm happy to get up and speak in front of people normally, but to be judged officially by others, that is an area that I'm I do find a little bit confronting, and so I'm certainly my stretch goal for for when I am once again able to compete, yeah, will be that, um, that I do put my hand up and and try and enter some of the competitions, perhaps not the international one just yet, but maybe. But um, certainly, things like the humorous and the table topics and things like that. I'd really love to give those a go yeah, well, table topics.

Speaker 1 1:02:20

You can't even prepare for an evaluation, so it's it's like you just get up and it's like another club, exactly, exactly. Uh, I mean that is interesting about not competing. So I find myself now just encouraging everyone. I'm like compete, compete, go, compete, go out. I want other people to compete.

Speaker 2 1:02:41

Yeah, I want other people to have a go, so you have competed before Mel.

Speaker 1 1:02:45

Yes, I got to district level in May and I was in the evaluation contest. But yeah, I've been competing for the last three years. I've been in Toastmasters, so mostly evaluation and table topics. I haven't really got anywhere with an international speech and I haven't put myself forward for those for that one. And I think I got to area level for the humorous contest in one club but I was the only competitor so that didn't really count.

Speaker 2 1:03:16

Yeah, yeah, that's how I was going to the area one as well.

Speaker 1 1:03:22

Yeah, yeah, count. But yeah, yeah, that's how I was going to the area one as well. Yeah, yeah, but the evaluation contest like speaking doing that at district level this year was, it was, it was. It was my first district conference, so it was the first time I'd been to one and my first time competing at that level, and so that was, yeah, I mean it was. It was an amazing experience and you just meet so many people and see so much at each level of competition. So, area and division and district, yeah, the bar is raising each time, so it's a little more terrifying each time. Um, so, yeah, I'm, I'm, yeah, I can imagine yeah, yeah, but I'm.

Speaker 1 1:04:01

I'm happy to be having a bit of a break from that and, and you know, organizing it and and encouraging other people to participate, and also I did the judge training a few weeks ago, so I want to get a bit of experience in judging, which I think also makes you a bit of a probably a better competitor because you know exactly what's going on there. So, yeah, but also contests are a bit of a future goal, when you can.

Speaker 2 1:04:31

Yeah, I think that'll be a bit of a stretch goal, I think, for me. And, yeah, getting that first pathway done, I think will be really good. Maybe, if I really push myself, once we hit into January and things have slowed down, or even after October, once all the area contests are over in October, I might be able to, you know, in the break, write a couple of speeches, you know, do a bit of pre-emptive planning and stuff for some of the things that I want to do next year.

Speaker 2 1:04:58

And you know, even if I've got to do next year and you know, even if I've got them up my sleeve and then you know you can whip them out on a night if you're at a meeting and someone doesn't show up. I think that's really important as a Toastmaster to have not just the stories which you know I've done in the past. I've got plenty of stories that I can whip out as we discovered tonight. That's easy to do, but it would be good to have those things already there, ready to go.

Speaker 2 1:05:24

So that you can whip out something that's actually of benefit to you, not just of benefit to other people as well.

Speaker 1 1:05:29

Yeah, definitely. I did a lot of my pathway, or a pathway last year by getting involved in because I was president and I was seeing the agenda go back and forth. It's like, hey, we've got a spare spot and I always jumped in and I always would say, if someone else wants to do it, give them the slot. But I jumped in at. You know, sometimes it was 5 o'clock the night of a meeting and they're like does anyone want to do a speech? I'm like, yeah, i'll'll do it yeah, yeah, that's a good idea.

Speaker 2 1:06:03

That's a good idea. Yeah, that's gonna. I'm, I've got that in my head now. I'm gonna. I'm gonna do that. I'm gonna look ahead to what's coming up, rather than just sort of giving myself the two weeks between meetings where you know you've put up your hand. Actually start to think about what's coming coming up and pop that on in my head and start preparing for some of these things.

Speaker 1 1:06:22

Great idea. Thank you, oh, you're welcome. I definitely think it's worth. You know, having a few speech ideas in mind, and even all the stories that you've got, it's like all right. Well, how would I weave them into a speech that I can, you know I can use?

Speaker 2 1:06:37

for pathways, and make sure I always carry my torches with me, just in case it's time for the night diving one.

Speaker 1 1:06:44

Yeah, well, you never know, it's just like a little talk around the campfire, you know, you just never know when the opportunity might present itself. But I think that sort of being prepared for any circumstances. You know, you just never know what speaking opportunities are going to come up.

Speaker 2 1:07:02

so well, that's exactly right, and I think maybe that is what what the lesson is for me. You know, if I've got to take away from Toastmasters is it is that, you know, even though I suffer terribly from this imposter syndrome of of thinking that I am not good enough or I'm not going to fit in, or you know, I know that we all have that a little bit, but some of us have it a little bit more than others, but you know, I know that there's lots of things out there that I can do and that I'm capable of, and Toastmasters has really taught me that.

Speaker 2 1:07:35

You know all of the things that I've done, even in this short time of the last year, and the opportunities that I've been offered and have taken they've shown me that I can stand up and do things, things that I didn't think that I was capable of, and I've even got my Google Drive working tonight.

Speaker 1 1:07:55

There you go, you're cooking with gas, gas. You'll be running contests next half day events and yeah, it's well, yes, I will be. I have to be I know, I know it's, it's, uh, it's looming, but contest season is looming, so yeah now, is there anything else that you'd like to share before we wrap up?

Speaker 2 1:08:22

else that you'd like to share before we wrap up? Look, no, I don't think so. I think we've covered everything that I wanted to share, but I just wanted to say, look, a really big thank you to you for the opportunity. I mean, toastmasters is a place of opportunity, as we've both seen and discussed a little bit tonight, but I saw this as a really big opportunity and a bit of a stretch goal for me, too was to do this A because of that sort of imposter thing. It's like you know, what have you got to offer you?

Speaker 1 1:08:47

know, don't do this you know. I'm glad you did.

Speaker 2 1:08:50

I don't know what you've got to say, but yeah, I can see that you know I do have something to say, and so I really appreciate that when I reached out and sort of said that I was interested, that you were wholeheartedly in agreement and yeah. So I guess my final takeaway is a big thank you to you, because you've really shown me something about myself that I didn't really know.

Speaker 1 1:09:14

Oh well, it's a pleasure to have been talking with you. I'm glad we got to chat at District Leader Training, and that's one of the amazing things about this organisation is you get to meet great people from all over the state and sometimes the country. Yes, completely. And so, yeah, thank you for coming on and sharing your story and your vulnerability and your passion for so many things. It's been great so well. I wish you an amazing year and, certainly, you know, all the strength for the next few months.

Speaker 2 1:09:49

I know, I know we can do it. It's going to be okay.

Speaker 2 1:09:52

We can do it, it's going to be okay and you know we'll see each other throughout the year as well. So I'm not quite sure if I'll get to go to training in the middle other throughout the year as well. So I'm not quite sure if I'll get to go to training in the middle. It might just be a bit bit much because it's a long way. It's always a long way to go for us, but but definitely when the training is happening, the third block of training, I'll I'll, I'll definitely make myself available to come along to that one, so hopefully, we'll get to see you and lots of the others that I met at the first session as well.

Speaker 1 1:10:18

Absolutely, and by then we'll be sort of having a well-deserved drink to because we made it, we'll know exactly what's going on. Excellent. Well, thanks so much, tammy, and all the best for this Toastmasters year, yep.

Speaker 2 1:10:32

Thank you, you too Mel.

Speaker 1 1:10:33

You're welcome.