Speaker 1 0:04

Okay, okay, got to get my head in the podcasting mode, alrighty, okay, so I'll just count us in on three, two, one. Ladies and gentlemen, oh, hang on, I'm going to start again. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. Oh, hang on, I'm going to start again. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to episode 45. This week, my guest, umi Hussain, is calling in from Montreal, canada. Umi has been in and out of Toastmasters since 2015 and has held club leadership positions, such as president and vice president, education. She's currently a member of the Words of Wings Toastmasters Club and she says that Toastmasters has helped her tremendously, with her YouTube channel, being a panel speaker for several events, giving workshops for non-profit organizations and doing many podcast interviews. She reached out to me via social media after finding my podcast and I'm delighted to be speaking with her about her Toastmasters journey. Urmi, welcome to the show. Hi, great to have you here. Can you start by telling us, urmi, why you joined Toastmasters in the first place?

Speaker 2 1:24

Yes. So if we go back to 2015, this was the period where I was still in university and I joined Toastmasters because, basically, I needed some extracurriculum activities. And what happened is I actually attended a workshop while I was still in university where they were talking about Toastmasters and I was like you know what I have to work on my public speaking skills? Let me just go and see what this Toastmaster is all about. So I joined a club in 2015, the one from my university and I was part of it for like eight months, and I didn't stay longer because afterwards I had to graduate, but back then I wasn't doing as much work as I was supposed to Like, I was just going there for the sake of like having something on my resume, and I did like a few speeches, but I feel like I was never getting anything out of it. And then what happened in 2019, this is when I was like I'm going to be serious about this, and what happened is I watched a speech from Meghan Markle and where she was basically talking about, like, women's education. And then I used to watch a lot of TED Talks and I still do watch a lot of TED Talks and so what happened is.

Speaker 2 2:37

I went to this other Toastmaster club called Royal Speakeasy, which is based in Montreal. I went to their first meeting and I told them that I'm here because I want to deliver a TED Talk eventually. So that was my main reasoning for joining Toastmasters. I began my journey, my actual journey, in 2019. I was part of this club for five years. I took on several roles. I took the role of president, I took the role of VP of education and now I recently changed to a new Toastmasters club because the previous one wasn't quite working with my schedule. And now I joined the WOW club and it's been, I think, three weeks that I'm part of this club and I'm very much enjoying it a lot.

Speaker 1 3:24

And it's interesting you talk about how you decided to actually make the commitment to get engaged. You know, the first little stint you weren't really committed, but then the second stint, like okay, right, and then you did five years at it.

Speaker 2 3:39

Did you find the consistency of going and really getting stuck into it started to make a difference in your public speaking skills yeah, I would definitely say the biggest difference or the biggest impact that I had in my uh, my personal growth was when I took the leadership roles in Toastmasters. It was literally when basically what happened is there was a VP of education, like there was a role of the VP of education, but the actual VP of education back then had to drop, like, had to drop on the role, had to. Basically he was not able to commit. And then they came up to me. They're like oh, do you want to be the VP of education?

Speaker 2 4:21

And this is when I feel like I started to see the real change in me. Like I took every single meeting very seriously, I took on my role as VP of education very, very seriously, and that's when I started to see that, you know, I was becoming much more confident. I was much more comfortable talking in front of people. I was still very nervous but at the same time, I told myself that if I don't do this, I'll never conquer the fear and so I kept like I.

Speaker 2 4:50

I was very committed. I'm still very committed and I always go back to my why, which is I want to give a TED talk and I see how Toastmaster has really helped me in other aspects of my life, like I, you know, open a YouTube channel, I get interviewed in various podcasts, I go to job interviews and I'm okay to answer. You know those impromptu questions that we learn from the table topic session. So I have learned really a lot of good things from it.

Speaker 1 5:18

Yeah, look, and I'm looking forward to hearing more about the YouTube channel in a minute. But so what do you most enjoy being about being sorry? What do you most enjoy about being a member now?

Speaker 2 5:33

You know what it's a sense of community that we get from Toastmasters. I think every Toastmaster club that you participate, it's the longer you stay, the the longer you feel like you belong like it. The longer you stay and the more you feel it feels like you belong to something. Um, and I do feel like, especially my my previous sauce master club, the royals pkz club, where I've been there for about five years I do consider them as my family, like my second family, because I feel like the, the group is, is supporting, is encouraging. They want you to succeed, you know, they help you with your growth and I feel like every single club does the same thing.

Speaker 2 6:14

I also spoke with another member from a different club and she told me the same thing. She's like every club feels like it's. It's like sort of like your family, because everyone is there for it with the same, because everyone is there with the same goal. Everyone is there to cheer you, everyone wants you to see that you're not conquering the fear, being able to speak confidently. So I do very much enjoy the sense of community that I get from Toastmasters.

Speaker 1 6:37

Yeah, definitely, and I agree I think that is very much a global experience and each club is slightly different. But yes, once you've been there a couple of years and you sort of grow with the members and you get to hear all manner of bits and pieces about their life that they probably don't share outside of the clubs. In some instances it's quite personal what people share in their speeches and and the vulnerability, and I guess that's a place for practicing vulnerability and and just gauging people's reactions to the stories that you tell. Um, have you found that in your clubs?

Speaker 2 7:15

yeah, yeah, definitely I. I do feel like you get to learn so much from other people and the most beautiful thing is that you get to meet people that you wouldn't meet normally, like these aren meet people that you wouldn't meet normally, like these aren't people that you would hang out unlike, like these are not like your circle of friends. These are people that come from different parts of their life, from different you know industries, and it's nice that we all come together with this same goal and and and it's nice to see also their journey, how much they have grown you, how much they have become better speaker, and it's nice to hear their stories because you know from the icebreaker that everyone gets to do. You get to learn a little bit about who they are, why they're there, what is their story, what is their why, and that's really nice to see in every Toastmasters club.

Speaker 1 8:01

And in terms of your, why you mentioned wanting to do a ted talk, and so have you actually put a a time limit on when you want to do this ted talk?

Speaker 2 8:12

you know what? I've been telling myself this like since 2019. I was like, yeah, yeah, I'm gonna give it. I'm gonna give it within five years. It's been five years and I still haven't done it, but it's still like I always try to manifest it as much as I can. I'm putting it out there in the universe so that eventually, I'm gonna give this tech talk and I give myself like another deadline, which is before I reach 35, which is in two years. Okay, and so hopefully, before I am I turn 20, 35, I'm gonna give my tech talk and and.

Speaker 1 8:42

Have you started to formulate an idea of what that will be about, generally, what your message is going to be?

Speaker 2 8:50

yes, I do have an idea.

Speaker 2 8:51

I'm not gonna reveal it no, no, no all good, I do have an idea and I also started to talk to people that have given TED talks so that I can get a little bit of like an idea on how the process works. And I must say it's not that easy. It's not that easy because you have to reach out, like the local TED Talk organization, see if you can, like you know, deliver some speeches there, but, like in Montreal, there are no local TED Talks. So that's what I have been. I've been finding a bit challenging. I know that there was an opportunity to speak at the TED talk in Victoria, but Victoria is pretty far from from Montreal, like I have to catch a flight and then go there and also like what are the like?

Speaker 2 9:40

you still have to apply and you have to be chosen among other speakers. So, even like I feel like there's a lot of competition.

Speaker 1 9:48

And I guess on that note, have you competed in the Toastmasters contests to get a bit of practice for that lead up to your TED Talk.

Speaker 2 9:58

No, I have not. It is something that I have been thinking about since the beginning of the year. It is something that I have been thinking about since the beginning of the year. I never competed in any sort of like speech competition, but I am ready for the challenge. If there is an opportunity and I have the time. I'm actually thinking of competing. I think it's always nice to put small goals for ourselves to see if we're capable of doing something, but also just for the fun of it. I think it's so much fun when you're competing. I think you are also learning a little bit about yourself, what you're capable of if you're capable of competing, so it's really nice to put like little goals or objectives within the bigger objective.

Speaker 1 10:44

Yeah, definitely, and I think there's, as some of my guests have talked about, and in fact last week's guest just came back from speaking at the World Championship of Public Speaking one of my club members, colin Williams, and yeah, just hearing about his whole contest journey over 10 years you know, 10 years and he got to Anaheim this year and, yeah, he talked about the amount of work that he puts into speeches and crafting them and, yeah, just a phenomenal amount of work, but a phenomenal amount of growth and learning comes from every contest journey, from what you know, from what I've heard and from my own experience. So, yeah, it's, uh, sounds like a great challenge for you for this year, exactly. Well, all the best if you decide to compete, because I know it's contest season for us, I'm gathering it's similar for you in in Montreal. Um, yeah, so, and so you mentioned a couple of the skills that you've learned during your Toastmasters experience so far, but can you perhaps talk, you know, about the most valuable skills that you're seeing come out for you now?

Speaker 2 12:03

I would say there are three skills that I have learned from Toastmasters, one of them being leadership skills, and I can see how I have, you know, willingness to take initiatives.

Speaker 2 12:17

I can see how it's important to motivate people when you're a leader.

Speaker 2 12:21

I can see how it's important to encourage your members to, you know, continue giving speeches, and that's one thing that I have learned a lot from like Toastmasters, like the leadership skills. The second skill that I have learned is the critical thinking skills, which I have learned by giving, basically, feedback and evaluations, and it gives me also, like you know, a way to think truly and analyze people when they're giving speeches, and so that has been really nice because I feel like I'm able to observe and notice, like things where people have to improve. And then the third skill is the impromptu speeches. Especially because I have a YouTube channel and also because I go to interviews, podcast interviews I feel like I've been able to master a little bit better impromptu speeches and I've learned that you know, you don't have to always say the truth. As long as you can come up with a nice speech and you can deliver it in a nice way, that's all that matters. So these are the three things that I have learned the most.

Speaker 1 13:22

Yeah, it's interesting your take on table topics and the impromptu speaking. One of the members in one of my clubs says if you don't know, just lie, make something up. We won't know any differently. And and every time he talks now we're sort of all sitting there going. Is that true? Because some of his stories are quite colorful and we're like that. That probably happened or maybe it didn't. So, um, yeah, yeah, and I think also, if you say something confidently, people don't tend to question it as much as if you're stuttering and stammering your way through a response. If you say it confidently, people are just okay, that's how it is.

Speaker 2 14:01

Yeah, no, exactly, exactly. Like you know, there is an expression that says fake it until you make it. That's what I tell everyone. Just no one needs to know that it's a lie. You know there is an expression that says fake it until you make it. That's what I tell everyone. Just no one needs to know that it's. It's a lie, you know, and if you say it in a confident manner, no one will know that it was a lie exactly now.

Speaker 1 14:17

You've mentioned your youtube channel. Did tell me a bit about that. Did it come from your Toastmasters experience or just yeah, what got you into creating a YouTube channel?

Speaker 2 14:30

Basically, it all started with a friend who has invited me on her YouTube channel. So she invited me four years ago to go on her YouTube channel for an interview. And then, further to that, there was a second person who invited who has invited me on his channel, and this is what triggered my interest in creating my own channel, because I realized how much I enjoy being like in front of a camera. I enjoyed how much I actually liked connecting with people, how much I, like you know, talking to people, and that's what got me to create my YouTube channel. And I also saw this as an opportunity to be able to use my skills that I learned at Toastmaster, like, for example, the table topic session.

Speaker 2 15:18

You know, a lot of the times I do a lot of interviews and I'm like asking questions. I have to use my active listening skills, you know, and so I thought this is an opportunity to learn, but also to be able to apply everything that I have learned at Toastmasters. So that's what got me to create my YouTube channel. I very much enjoy it. I can see how the table topic session comes into play, because you really have to pay attention to what the person is saying. You have to you.

Speaker 1 15:46

you know give short responses whenever they're responding back, and so that has been really really helpful definitely, and so you, on your channel, combine your professional focus, which is the, you know, finance and accounting and but I also see videos on there you, you're a polyglot, you speak English and French, amongst other languages, and you also talk about Toastmasters on there. So it's a really interesting mix of subjects, and does that make it easier to keep going with creating content? Because you've got, you know, a nice broad mix of topics you can talk about.

Speaker 2 16:27

Yeah, this is why I created that channel because I wanted to use this sort of like a platform to express myself, but also to talk about my passions. And so I do talk about, like you know, provide tips on how to pass, you know, certain financial exams. I do talk about Toastmaster because it's a big part of my life. I also talk about, you know, leadership. I talk about language learning and I use this as a way to really express my passions, like I want people to know what I do in my life, and we're in a country where you know we can do everything we want. And so that's how I was like you know what it's free, why not? Let me just try it? So that's how, how I use it.

Speaker 1 17:08

And you learn so much when you do it and I only do audio, you do video. That's a whole new level of you know just. I mean, it's a similar process but there's more moving parts and I just find that you learn so much and when you have to, typically you're teaching yourself, you're working out how to create and edit things and you know just and interview people, and there's so many practical skills that can be applied to real world situations just by doing this in your own spare time yeah, exactly, there is a pre-preparation and then there is a host sort of preparation, I guess, because you know you have to contact the, the guests.

Speaker 2 17:51

You have to know a little bit the guests, you have to do a little bit of research, you have to provide them with the link to record, you have to let them know how like the questions topic, you have to ask for the social media accounts, and then afterwards there is this whole editing part, which is a lot of work if you think about it.

Speaker 2 18:08

When it comes to video editing, it's a lot of work. So I'm also learning how to do some video editing, which is something that I had zero clue about and I had to watch a lot of YouTube videos to learn a little bit about editing, and it's still a learning process, but I started to work towards that and I feel like it's also, again, it's another added skills that I'm working on. And then, of course, there is this whole like coming up with a caption, coming up with a description, with a title. You want to make sure that it's captivating, you want to make sure that it's catchy, that it goes well with the YouTube algorithm. It's a lot of work, but it pays off. It pays off.

Speaker 1 18:45

Yeah, and in ways that you can never necessarily predict. I mean even just the nature of the people that you chat with and the information that they share and how you can learn from. You know every guest. I learn something from every guest, but I think it also gives you an excuse to contact people that you otherwise never would. You know, whether it's people that have bigger channels or are experts in an industry. I think when you do have a platform there and you know they can see that you're active on it and regularly creating content that yeah, my cat's just walking across the desk here yeah, I just think it opens up all sorts of opportunities, and I think in one of your videos I heard you talking about personal branding, and could you perhaps talk about that, the importance of personal branding in today's world?

Speaker 2 19:44

Yeah, I do think personal branding is super, super, super important.

Speaker 2 19:49

I think it's the most crucial thing that one person can have. And I do talk about, like I do, a lot of personal branding and for me it's very important because, you know, I work in the corporate job and I often think that I don't want to be associated just with my corporate job. You know, I just don't want to be associated with my company, like there is me and then there is me working for the company, and so I always think about. You know, if I'm ever, let's say, let go, if I ever have to quit or I have to change job and people are googling me, I want them to see me for who I am and for what I'm able to offer. You know, I want them to see my interest, my passion, my personality, and often you see that when you do these things that are outside of your you know day-to-day job Because I feel like a lot of people don't do a lot of personal branding you know they just work for a certain company and then you know when they quit, it's Urmi Hossain who was working for this company.

Speaker 2 20:42

But it's important to stand out. I think personal branding it's something that you will always carry. It's always going to be with you. I think everyone has personal branding. It's just that it's a matter of cultivating it and working towards it. You know, and there are different ways that you can do it, like you can do it by writing an article on LinkedIn, you can write an article for an organization, you can do a YouTube interview, you can do a podcast interview. There's so many ways out there. I think it just shows a little bit of our personality which I think a lot of employers always look for Definitely.

Speaker 1 21:19

And I think when you can point to a body of work and say, yeah, that's what I do in my spare time, when you know I'm not getting paid to do that, it's something I do, regardless of who I work for and how busy I am, I still find time to do that and I do it consistently. And I think even that is such an advantage If you've got two job candidates and fairly similar on a skillset and one's out there pushing out content each week and has been for years. It just shows a level of determination and commitment and persistence and I think yeah, I think it's really important and I think so many Toastmasters could actually take more advantage of these platforms.

Speaker 2 22:03

Yes, especially because they're part of Toastmasters. Like, I feel like you know, there are a lot of people part of Toastmasters, but not enough people. So I feel like, if you are able to use, you know, toastmasters as a way to promote yourself, to show that you know I am working on myself, I do. I am a big proponent of personal development and public speaking is an important thing. I think you can market yourself pretty well and I think every Toastmaster has the skill of being able to speak, so why not use it? And, like Warren Buffett said, like public speaking is probably one of the most valuable skill out there. Like, let's just use this. I feel like a lot of people can benefit a lot with everything that they learn at Toastmasters. And I think you know you can create your own YouTube channel. You can create short videos, short reels, you can create Instagram lives, you can go to podcast interviews and no matter what way you're able to use that skill that you use at Toastmasters, I think you can brand yourself very, very easily.

Speaker 1 23:05

Definitely, and also it just gives you experience with well, with interviewing, which is a technique that requires public speaking and active listening, as you mentioned, but also like if you do solo episodes, that's effectively creating you know whether it's a 20 minute presentation or a 40 minute or however long it goes for. Then the guest interviews are quite a different vibe and and process as well, so you don't necessarily get all that time in clubs to practice as often as you do when you're creating this content. So do you think again, this is accelerating your own personal growth beyond Toastmasters?

Speaker 2 23:47

I think it helps. It helps because, like you know, when you're creating a speech yes, you're creating a speech and you have to create it within like a certain timeframe you know it has to be a certain length, you have to follow a certain objective. And then I find myself, when I have to create a YouTube content, that I'm like repeating the video I don't know how many times, cause I want to make sure that it comes across really nice. And this is where, like, I feel like I'm helping myself by doing that, like I'm I'm like working on my like being able to speak eloquently. And the same thing, like I get approached by people to create like short videos to promote stuff.

Speaker 2 24:27

And again, like I feel like, yes, I've been learning, I've been going to Toastmasters, but when it comes to creating content or videos, you still have to practice a little bit. So I feel like I'm helping myself, I'm working towards like mastering this, this, this skill. And I do think that doing these extra things outside of Toastmasters give me a little bit of like advantage compared to other people. I think I feel a bit more confident and comfortable doing these things. So it does help.

Speaker 1 24:55

Yeah, yeah, and I mean, as you mentioned, doing interviews is just like doing a series of table topics for each person. You know, it's the listening and the responding and the um it's, it's, it's really but, but it's live and in action.

Speaker 1 25:11

And you know, I've got friends in Toastmasters who have said we don't join Toastmasters to go and present in front of other Toastmasters. It's about getting our messages out into the world through whatever means, and if that's the online route, then so be it. Do you do much speaking outside of Toastmasters, on stages, you know, actually in in rooms and how's that been for you?

Speaker 2 25:37

so in stages it has not happened because I feel like now, with everything being very much hybrid or virtual, people, uh reach out to me for virtual stuff. So for virtual, I did have a lot of opportunities and I did go forward with those opportunities because I like I was, for instance, a moderator for an organization and they wanted me to interview people and so I did that. They actually reached out to me because they saw my YouTube videos. Then there was another organization where I was on the other side being interviewed, so I was part of a panel discussion and I was part of one of the panelists. I didn't know what the questions were going to be and so I was on the other side, which was nice. I also, um, I also did some, uh, workshop. Um, that was also very nice. They contacted me.

Speaker 2 26:29

It was actually for one of the toast masters, um, training, they like basically they were looking for people to deliver a workshop and I was like, why not, let me just try one? And I proposed the topic of, like, mentorship and I did that. And and now what I'm doing is actually I'm reaching out organization to see if I can do some on-site event. I want to give, like in-person speaking of speeches, because I feel like, because of the whole pandemic and everything, a lot of things went virtual and I feel like I'm not having the opportunity to speak in person. So I want to challenge myself by actually doing in-person speaking engagements. I'm also reaching out and looking for those opportunities because I feel like, when it comes to virtual, I've done a lot and I do very much enjoy doing them, but I want to do something that it's a bit more like extra now.

Speaker 1 27:22

I want to go a little bit like above yeah, and is your current Toastmasters club online or do you meet in person? It's online, oh, okay, right, right, so you're not getting that regular dose of speaking in front of people, gotcha, yeah, and I mean, the online clubs are great because they provide flexibility when you're really busy, and it's great that there is the options of online hybrid and in person. But, yeah, I think there is a little bit of a difference when you got 20 people in the room eyeballing you and I feel it sort of through my body differently. The adrenaline is actually quite palpable when you're standing in a room which is I like, I like, I like it. But I think it's important to be able to do both. You know to be able. As you say, so much is happening online and to have those skills is important as well.

Speaker 2 28:25

Yeah, definitely, I agree with you. I definitely agree with you and that's why I think you know when you get on stage it's different than getting in a virtual stage like real life stages. You feel it in your body, you know you're like, you see, you have people staring at you, you're nervous, you know you're shaking or trembling, whatever any sorts of you. You know any source of thing is happening in your body and and. But I do think that you get a lot from in person in like speaking engagement, like, yes, you're nervous, but I think once you're done speaking you feel much more confident. At least that's how I used to feel when we would meet in person before the pandemic. So I highly recommend that if anyone wants to join a Dose Masters Club, just join an in-person club. That meets in person.

Speaker 1 29:17

Yeah, I always recommend that as a first stop, and it's really interesting because it's only in doing that that you recognise the physiological things that happen, like the experience of actually getting up in front of the people in a room. Even when they're very supportive, people like your body can start to do things that you may have no control over, like, as you said, the shaking or the you know, or just little ticks or whatever happens to happen. And and until you do that, you don't. I don't experience that, you don't. I don't experience that when I speak online, I just don't have any of those physiological symptoms, but sometimes when I'm in front of an audience, yeah, you definitely feel it so.

Speaker 1 30:02

I guess it's just understanding. And the more you do that, the more you then learn how to control those whatever's going on physiologically with your body. And you sort of touched on it. But what would you say to people out there who are thinking about Toastmasters but keep putting it off, procrastinating? What would you say to them?

Speaker 2 30:24

Definitely, if you're looking for a Toastmasters club, I would definitely compare it like going to shopping or not. Actually, it's not like shopping, it's more like dating, because you have to try different clubs until you find the right fit. You have, you know, experienced members from who you can learn a lot, but you also need to find your right fit. I think Toastmasters is probably not for everyone, because, you know, some people prefer more like a one-to-one type of coaching and then other people prefer like on, like in person, not in person, like group setting. And I think you have to find the right fit because, you know, sometimes in group setting not everyone has the chance to speak, or maybe it doesn't work with the schedule, and so you have to like literally go around and find the one that it's like good for you, good with your schedule. Are you comfortable, you know, being in a group setting or do you prefer having like one-to-one, like coaching sessions?

Speaker 2 31:27

Definitely, that would be my first advice, and the second is to just do it. You know, like it's. I know this is what nike uses, but literally just just do it. You're not losing anything. And the beautiful thing about hostmaster is that you can go as a guest and you can go for free, so you don't have to pay anything. If you just want to attend and see how it is, you can. You can go as a guest and you can go for free, so you don't have to pay anything. If you just want to attend and see how it is, you can test a little bit the waters by seeing how you speak for the first time when you go, because they ask you to introduce yourself. So I definitely would say, just do it, just go with it and just commit to it, because I think a lot of people they don't commit, but it's important to stay committed until the end. So always go back to your. Why go back to? Why did you decide to go to a Toastmaster club in the first place?

Speaker 1 32:14

always remind yourself about your, why yeah, definitely, and I think as well, some people can get into the trap of comparing themselves with some of the more experienced Toastmasters. I was having a chat with a relatively new Toastmaster the other day who was saying, oh, you know, this person's icebreaker speech was amazing and they used no notes and they were so articulate. And I'm like, well, yes, but this is an advanced club, this person is doing an icebreaker speech, but has done one previously and has done probably 15 speeches. So what you're seeing is is not actually a typical icebreaker speech. It's. It's someone's. Almost it's like comparing yourself. What do they say to someone's highlight reel when you're not really seeing everything that has gone on beforehand? So I think that's the other point. It's. It's. Don't compare yourself to anyone you see speaking in a Toastmasters club. We're all at different stages and Toastmasters will meet you where you're at, but it it's more about how you can improve each each time you speak. That's, that's the only competition here.

Speaker 2 33:25

Yeah, yeah, I agree, and I do think, though, when you see a very good speech, it gives you like sort of like a motivation to also work on yourself, because I remember when I first joined Toastmasters and I would see people giving speeches, you know, being able to give feedback, I was mesmerized. I was like this is what I want to turn into. So for me it was sort of like a motivational tool. You know, like for me, I saw this like very motivating to see that people actually are able to improve, so I saw this as an opportunity to. You know, I have to stick to this if I want to turn like this people and that's what I did I learned a lot from from a lot of the members I worked with. A lot of them were seasoned, seasoned speakers. And a lot of the members that I worked with A lot of them were seasoned speakers and a lot of them were also distinguished Toastmasters. So I actually learned a lot just by observing and seeing how they were delivering speeches or giving evaluations, answering impromptu speeches.

Speaker 1 34:27

Yeah, and there's a lot to be said, as you say, for just being in the room. Even if you're not speaking, you're observing, you're practicing your listening skills and you're hearing, even if someone else is delivering an evaluation of someone else's speech. There's always nuggets in there that you can apply and you think, oh, that's a good tip, I'll try that next time. So it's that, learning by osmosis and just being in the room with all of those people who are committed to improving it's a powerful environment, right.

Speaker 2 34:58

Yeah, yeah, definitely, it's a powerful environment. Yes.

Speaker 1 35:03

And almost I don't think people realise that as much when they go for their first couple of times, because they're so nervous and, you know, deer in the headlights not wondering or wondering what's going to happen and what the meeting is going to be about. But yeah, I think when you can look back over a year or two or three or four and go, wow, I really have learned a lot just by being there, let alone the direct experience that I've had. So, yeah, it's an interesting environment. Now, what would you say are your goals for the year, your Toastmasters goals for this year?

Speaker 2 35:39

So I am in level five of the dynamic leadership pathway, so I'm very much looking forward to finish that. Yep, and I have a second pathway, which I forgot the name of it, I think yeah, I forgot the name of it, but it's basically the second pathway. It's when we got it for free during the pandemic I don't know if you remember and so I'm looking forward to basically do the second pathway as well. Yeah, and when it comes to being a member of Toastmaster, I do see this more like a long-term commitment, like I don't see myself stop being part of it, especially because I've seen other members past members or members that are still like like in my previous members who are in my previous club they've been at Toastmasters for the past 20 years and they're still giving speeches and they see this as a way to basically improving themselves on a daily basis. So I actually see myself being there for a very, very, very, very long time.

Speaker 1 36:45

Absolutely. And I don't know what it is about because I've had been in and out of Toastmasters for many years and I literally say in and out and this current stint I don't know what it was about at this time, but this is my I'm committed stint, I'm not leaving. This is and I don't know why, maybe it's just I I've got more time now I'm not moving location as much as you know I used to and yeah, I think as well, when you're in clubs that have some of those very long-term members, you know the 30 year or 40 year members that have been it's been such a part of their life for a long time and you can see where they're at and say, okay, all right, you know that's where I want to be and I know I have to keep doing the work to get there. And I heard you in one of your recent interviews and you were saying that public speaking is like a muscle and you basically have to keep practicing.

Speaker 2 37:48

Working on it, yeah, yeah yeah, yeah, because as soon as you stop, you become rusting. Trust me, yeah.

Speaker 1 37:57

Definitely.

Speaker 2 37:58

You have to work on it on a daily basis.

Speaker 1 38:02

Yes, and it's one of the reasons I came back to Toastmasters three and a half years ago, because I was doing Facebook Lives for an online business that I had and I was watching myself back on some of those and, okay, time to go back to Toastmasters, all right. So finishing your pathway and what's the final project? You must be working on one of the bigger projects, or longer speeches yeah I?

Speaker 2 38:33

uh, yes, I think it's, um, if I'm not mistaken, it's like an overview of your experience at Toastmasters, something along those lines like what did you learn? It's a long speech. Yes, it's a long speech, it's something along those lines, but I don't want to expand too much on it because I'm also not 100% sure what it's called long speech. Yes, it's a long speech, it's something along those lines, but I don't want to expand too much on it because I'm also not 100% sure what it's called the speech itself. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1 38:55

Actually, one of our members just did that on Wednesday night and, yeah, it's just interesting to hear people's reflection on where they've been as well, because those speeches force you to think about, well, what actually has all this meant to me and what difference has it made and what can I impart to other people to inspire them. And yeah, I think some of those higher level speeches the level four and the level five projects really do challenge you beyond the five to seven minutes, for sure. Yeah, definitely do challenge you beyond the five to seven minutes, for sure. Yeah, definitely. Do you like the longer speeches or do you like the five to seven minutes? What's, what's your take on that?

Speaker 2 39:37

I have to say, yeah, that's a tough question. I actually I'm not so sure if I which one I prefer, because some days I do find it really difficult to give a speech between five to seven minutes. I find it really tough, like I'm like I need to say more and then I see myself like cutting a lot.

Speaker 1 39:56

So I probably would say that I think I prefer longer speeches, especially because, even when I create my YouTube content, I always see myself like talking for like a good 10 minutes easily yeah, yeah, and I wonder if doing the YouTube channel, as as I do the podcasts, if that is actually making the five to seven minute speeches harder, because we're used to having almost no, no time limit oh my gosh.

Speaker 2 40:25

Honestly, I can see why the time as well is so important. I can see why it's so important, Otherwise I think no one would stop talking. I can see why we need it. I see why the time as well is really important in every sense. Even when I go to meetings, even when I do these things, it's very important to be within the timeframe.

Speaker 1 40:49

It's important for life and and all sorts of situations. So it is a good discipline, but it's still hard. I always talk long. If I'm going to talk, it's not ever going to be under the time limit exactly. And is there anything else that you'd like to share before we wrap up?

Speaker 2 41:09

I do have a quotation which I very much like to live by and it says everything you ever wanted is is sitting on the other side of fear, and it's a quotation by george adair hopefully I'm pronouncing this correctly and basically, uh, what the quotation is? Saying that if you ever want to achieve something in life, you must conquer your fear. And I do, like we know, public speaking, it's probably one of the most, you know, common fear among many people. But if you ever want to, you know, become a better speaker, you have to conquer this fear.

Speaker 1 41:47

So I do like very much this quotation and that's my message for your audience out there, for your listeners awesome, well, great piece of advice and, as you said earlier, just do it if you're thinking about wanting to get into a Toastmasters club or just even starting. So, ermi, I've really enjoyed speaking with you today and thanks so much for reaching out. It's always lovely when other Toastmasters reach out through the wonders of social media and I love that the community is like that and normally you get the best reception and it's like, yes, cool, let's chat, you know. So I wish you the best with the preparation for your TED Talk and potential contests this year, and I look forward to seeing the footage of you on the TED stage. Thank you, all the best with everything. Let me stop recording.