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You're listening to the Talkative Toastmaster podcast. I'm your host, melanie Surplus. In this podcast, we explore how Toastmasters can help you to polish your public speaking skills, communicate with confidence and amplify your authenticity. You'll hear from my fellow Toastmasters and I how this global organization has impacted our lives for the better and how it could impact yours. Now let's get talkative. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to episode 56 of the Talkative Toastmaster podcast.

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This week I'd like to recap on what has been an amazing yearative Toastmaster podcast. This week I'd like to recap on what has been an amazing year in Toastmasters, particularly during the 100th anniversary of this organisation. I'll recap some of the highlights and key learnings and then at the end I've got a bit of an update about this podcast. I think the overarching message for me from this year has been that Toastmasters is very much the kind of organization that, whatever you put into it, you're going to get out tenfold, and that has been my experience. It has really been probably the biggest, most action-packed, jam-packed year of my Toastmasters journey so far. So first I'll talk about the roles, then I'll talk about some of the different first-time experiences, a little bit about the podcast and yeah, and then I'll wrap up about the podcast and yeah, and then I'll wrap up. So I started the first six months as the president of Mount Gravatt Toastmasters and then in July, during the new Toastmasters year changeover, I moved into the role of immediate past president for Mount Gravatt. I also took on the role of secretary at Leading Edge and I then as well moved into the role of area 26 director. So each of those roles lasts a year and, like the club roles, they rotate each time.

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Being part of the club's executive and I happen to be part of two clubs executives is something that is really rewarding. It gives you the opportunity to have a say in how the club is run and to really understand what goes on in creating positive meetings, meeting after meeting. So I enjoy being part of the club executives. I think they're a great development opportunity for anyone wanting to explore that part of Toastmasters beyond the obvious reason for joining, which is to improve your public speaking. But holding club executive roles is just another opportunity that the organization gives you to perhaps get out of your comfort zone or develop new skills and really just interact with members of the club in a slightly different way from just turning up each meeting. And now the area director role and I'll talk more about that in a minute. But it has been eye-opening in terms of broadening my understanding of the Toastmasters organization and the different levels and just the different requirements of each role and the different focuses of each role within each level within the organization. So I'll talk a little bit more about that.

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But in the first half of the year one of the big focuses was helping out with the District 69 conference, with Leading Edge being the host club. So this is an annual conference. I talked more about that in episode 28. As the host club, leading Edge was responsible for pretty much putting on the entire conference much putting on the entire conference. Now I'd never been to a district conference and this year not only was I helping to organize it had a part in doing some of that behind the scenes organization, but I was also competing, which was my first time competing at district level, both of which pushed me out of my comfort zone but were amazing experiences. I think being part of the district conference committee helped me to see the organization at a broader level. So it's definitely a much bigger Toastmasters world out there. Beyond one, two, three or four clubs. This is really pulling together over 100 clubs to orchestrate an event that you know goes on to produce champions that then go on to represent the district at the world stage. This year it happened to be that Colin Williams from our Leading Edge Club actually was that representative in the international speech contest. So there were so many elements to that district conference attending it, competing, helping out that made it a completely unforgettable experience.

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I followed that up pretty quickly with visiting a holiday in Malaysia and visiting a couple of Toastmasters clubs over there and then inadvertently stumbling across their District 102 conference, which I ended up attending, and I talked more about that in Episode 28. But this was a reminder that Toastmasters is a global organization and that when you are a member of one club, you are welcome at pretty much any Toastmasters club around the world, except some of the restricted clubs which are corporate clubs and they're not open to the public. But for the most part you could be more or less anywhere in the world and a Toastmasters club there will welcome you with open arms. And that was the case for me when I visited the Malacca Toastmasters club and the Summit Toastmasters club online meeting during my holiday there To be able to share that fellowship and very similar way of thinking with Toastmasters in another part of the world was amazing, and I will continue to seek out Toastmasters clubs when I'm traveling again, for personal reasons or for work reasons. It's just a great way of expanding your view of the organization.

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And then in July I took over the Area 26 director role and it started with a full-on weekend of training which helped to put me in contact with a whole lot of people in the division and the district that I'd met once or twice before but had not really ever got to spend time with, and the training was practical. It was very helpful and I felt set us up really well to take on the role of area director. As I've talked about in previous episodes, the main functions of the area director role are doing club visits to the five allocated clubs in my area, so that's Mount Gravatt, upper Mount Gravatt, brisbane Leaders, chelmer Speakers and Sunnybank. So doing two official club visits a year, organising the annual area conference and then just helping to support the clubs, however, they particularly need Been a really rewarding role. I would absolutely do this role again and I would highly recommend and encourage anyone who wants to get out of their club and wants to support Toastmasters in a wants to get out of their club and wants to support Toastmasters in a meaningful way to try this role. It's fun. Everyone I'd spoke to previously said this was the most fun of the district leadership roles and it's been absolutely true for me. I have loved visiting the clubs, seeing how new members come in and then a few months later I'll be back at a meeting and really watch their progress. That will always be a fun thing about Toastmasters. It's one of the things I continue to love about this organisation just the rate at which people progress and improve their confidence and improve their speaking skills.

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One of the other key parts of this role is organising the area conference. So all the club competitions roll up to the area conference and we held the area 26 conference in early November. That was amazing also to see how many people came together. There's a lot of moving parts in a Toastmasters contest and I talked about that a couple of episodes ago. But it's quite different from attending as a competitor or as just a participant to organizing the thing and getting all the moving pieces in place. In my speech at the area contest or the area conference, I likened the organization of an area conference to a helicopter and my dad says that helicopters are a thousand spare parts. Flying in formation and running an area conference feels exactly like that. It has to be a well-owned machine to achieve liftoff. Despite the fact that the venue we were at for my conference lost water, therefore meant it lost bathroom facilities and kitchen facilities right before our event started, the event went off without another hitch and it was a fantastic afternoon. I'm so proud of the speakers and competitors who gave everything that day.

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Now, what I also then got to do was to participate in other area contests, because as an area director, I can't compete in any contests. This year I really decided to immerse myself into contest season and, as I talked about a couple of episodes ago, I put my hand up to be a judge or to help out with ballot counting or timing or contest chairing or whatever needed to be done. This really gave me such a broader understanding of contests than I ever thought I needed or that I ever would think I'd want. But I'm so glad I did it, because contests always used to be a little bit mysterious to me a lot of paperwork, a lot of process but I feel I understand that a whole lot better. So again I would say that if you want to really understand how that contest process works, volunteer. There's always space and always a need for contest officials, whether it's judges or ballot counters or timers or sergeant at arms. So you know, reach out to your Toastmasters, leadership teams if that's something you're interested in.

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Now I've also really enjoyed, as I said, the club visits and getting around to the different clubs and more often than not I've been invited to speak at those club meetings, whether it's just doing a five to seven minute speech or an educational session, which I've really relished. That opportunity to get more speaking experience and even just in some of the initial club visits I was able to work through level one, so five, six speeches through an entire level one completion which you just don't typically get to complete levels that quickly. So it's another benefit of taking on that area director role is the chance to do more speaking, work through more Pathways speeches and just get more experience doing what I joined the organization to do. Now I'm very committed to Pathways. I've talked about it a lot in many of the episodes of this podcast and I really believe that the clubs who encourage members to work through Pathways are the clubs that thrive. It keeps members engaged. The Pathways program is structured so that if people work through it, they are going to, you know, improve their speaking because they start to understand the various elements of speech. So I'm a massive fan of the Pathways program and I was really pleased to achieve the Triple Crown Award, which is awarded when you complete three educational levels in a year. So it's likely I'll probably complete an entire pathway. I know that other members who are members of multiple clubs will complete pathways quicker than that, but yeah, I think just volunteering I'm a big fan of volunteering to do last minute speeches if people happen to drop out, and that creates a particular experience of being able to pull together content quickly when you don't necessarily expect it, and I think that's become an invaluable skill that I can use very directly in my professional life.

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Now also, this podcast, as I've talked about many times as well, was part of a Pathways project. It was a level four elective called Create a Podcast, the original goal of which was to create one hour of published content, and I knew when I started this podcast that I wanted to go beyond that, but I really wasn't quite sure how long it would go for. But this podcast has really allowed me to learn a whole bunch of new skills that have direct relevance to what I do professionally, you know, be it planning content, arranging interviews with guests, editing and producing each episode, doing the marketing around it, and really the discipline of getting an episode out each week without fail. I have done many content types of projects before, like creating blogs and running social media communities, but I for some reason became very committed just to getting an episode out each week, no matter what, and I'm really proud of the fact that here, at episode 56, I have not missed one weekly episode going out at 4.30am on a Monday morning. It has taken a lot of time, but I've learnt so much, so for me, the trade-off between time and effort and what has come out of that effort has been absolutely worth it.

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There's been many other benefits. Of all the things I've mentioned this year, whether it's the leadership roles, the area director roles or this podcast, I have met some of the most amazing people, and you'll hear it in the guest episodes that have preceded this one Toastmasters is all about the people, the feedback you can give people, the feedback you can get from people, the stories they tell and, yes, meeting amazing people is definitely one of the highlights, but also in meeting those Toastmasters who have been in the organization for decades and even the newbies, we have something to learn from every member. If I reflect back on some of the episodes with my guests, you will find gems from members who came into this organization terrified of being able to speak, even just in work presentations, and they're now blitzing it. You'll find stories of members who've competed at the very highest levels of competition in Toastmasters, even to the world stage level, and you'll also hear from people who are thinking about doing their first contest. You'll hear from members who developed leadership skills that helped them to secure more senior jobs out in the real world or take on more high profile projects. And we even interviewed one of the past international presidents of Toastmasters International, jim Kukocke. So, jim, thank you for your time and sharing your vast experience of the organization. And we spoke with professional speakers who used Toastmasters as a stepping stone to transition them into paid speaking and consulting work or those who are now speaking on cruise trips in retirement.

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One of the key messages in talking with all these Toastmasters and hearing their stories is that, for whatever reason, we came into the organization and the most common reason is to improve our public speaking. Firstly, most people say they wish they'd started earlier. So if you're thinking about starting Toastmasters, just take the almost unanimous advice from all my guests and just do it. Make 2025 the year that you set foot into a Toastmasters meeting and give it a go. We've talked many times in previous episodes about if at first you don't find a club that you vibe with, keep going, go and find another one. There's many clubs around the world and multiple clubs in your area. So if you don't have the most amazing experience when you first go, go along but also give yourself two or three or four meetings before you decide if it's for you, chances are. If you continue to go to the meetings rather than making it just a one-off event, you will start to see the benefits of it and you will start to feel more confident and you will start to see the many opportunities that this organization has for you.

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I would also say that consistency is paramount when it comes to Toastmasters. Just by showing up to meetings, mostly fortnightly some clubs meet a little bit more frequently than that but just showing up is going to net results and that's wherever you are in your speaking journey. If you're new and haven't done a lot of speaking, you can start right at the beginning, and everyone in Toastmasters has started where you are at right at the beginning. If you are a confident speaker but want feedback about how you could take your presentations to the next level, toastmasters can meet you there as well. There's always going to be people that can help you to craft your speeches and your presentations and your delivery and to get even more impact than you are currently getting. So wherever you're at in Toastmasters or in your public speaking journey, toastmasters can meet you and help you.

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There's been many things about this year that has been amazing and inspiring, but I just want to say a couple of thank yous so to my fellow members of Mount Gravatt Toastmasters, which was where I once again started to find my voice four years ago after a long break from Toastmasters. So much has happened in the last four years since joining this club, but our fortnightly meetings are always a much anticipated highlight of my calendar. Perhaps the biggest highlight for the year was being nominated by these members as the club's Toastmaster of the Year, an award which I will always cherish, and I humbly accept your nod to my embodiment of the Toastmaster's spirit. Now to my fellow members at Leading Edge. You are tragics and legends of the highest order. The way this club pulls together to achieve monumental achievements which set the bar in the organisation is always inspirational.

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A shout out, too, to Kate Norris, who I interviewed way back in episode 19, who was recently awarded the District Toastmaster of the Year. Congratulations, kate, on a much-deserved recognition of everything you have done and continue to do for the organisation. It was Kate who personally reached out and invited me as a guest to Leading Edge about 18 months ago, and I can absolutely say that the decision to join an advanced club propelled my Toastmasters journey into paths that I truly never would have expected. Thanks also to the members and executive teams of the five clubs in Area 26, that is Mount Gravatt, upper Mount Gravatt, brisbane Leaders, sunnybank and Chelmer Speakers. I have loved visiting each club and seeing everyone's progress and I can't wait to continue those club visits next year. And seeing how our area grows. It really feels like our area is thriving and I'm so proud to be a part of that.

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To the 26 guests who have joined me on this show to share your experiences, wisdom, vulnerability and goals, thank you so much for helping to co-create episodes about this organisation and your lives that I truly hope will continue to inspire potential and existing Toastmasters long after we hit the publish button. And to you, the listener, whoever you are and wherever you've listened to any of these episodes from, thank you for following along. I hope you've enjoyed listening to the content as much as I have enjoyed creating it. And this brings me to an announcement a bittersweet announcement I have about the future of the Talkative Toastmaster podcast. After an incredible year of weekly episodes, I've decided it's time to bring this podcast to a close after next week's episode.

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This wasn't an easy decision, because creating and sharing this show has been a truly rewarding experience. Every conversation, every story and every moment of connection has meant so much to me, and I'm deeply grateful to everyone who's tuned in, supported me and made this podcast a part of their week. When I started this journey, I had no idea where it would lead, but what I found was an amazing community beyond the already amazing Toastmasters. Community Listeners who shared their thoughts, sent words of encouragement, and all of this inspired me to keep going. It's been humbling to know that this work has resonated with so many people, and that's something I'll always hold close to my heart. Although this chapter is ending, the memories and lessons I've gained will stay with me for sure. I hope these episodes continue to bring value to those who discover them in future. Thank you for being part of this journey with me. Your support has meant the world. Here's to all the stories we've shared and all the ones still ahead. It's Melanie Surplus, wishing you an epic 2025 and signing off.

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If you're ready to unlock your potential, consider joining a Toastmasters club near you. Check out the Find a Club link on the Toastmasters International website at wwwtoastmastersorg. It's worth visiting a couple of different clubs as a guest to see which club best suits you. If you do take the leap and visit a meeting, I would absolutely love to hear your experience. Feel free to message me at talkativetoastmaster at gmailcom or tag me in the comments if you found this podcast on YouTube, facebook, instagram or Twitter. Thanks for listening to today's show. Head to talkativetoastmastercom, where you'll find the show notes for this and all other episodes, as well as links to some awesome Toastmasters resources. If you found value in today's content, I'd really appreciate if you could share it with friends and colleagues who may be interested or leave a review on iTunes. This helps more people to find us. Until next time, remember the words of Rave Robinson the best speeches come from the heart and reflect your passion. Speak as if your life depended on it. Have a great week.