Do you have a goal to improve your speaking skills?
Maybe your goal is larger, maybe you want to improve your leadership skills.
Along with Eastside Madison toastmasters you can be on the team that exudes energy. Use Toastmasters to help you practice generating and leading an energetic, positive, professional team.
Jon Gordon, author of the Energy Bus advises that we as leaders should think of ourselves as bus drivers. AND as bus drivers we must choose who we want on our busses. Mr. Gordan advises we should begin with getting all of the energy vampires, or people who sap our energy, off our bus. The next step is to surround ourselves with people who want to work as a team. Gordon offers many other tid bits about becoming a positive professional leader, but I want to add my own spin to his Energy Bus philosophy. I believe individuals, specifically you and I, who want to improve our leadership skills cannot drive the bus from the back seat.
I believe that Toastmasters is the right environment for practicing speaking and leadership skills, but to gain the most benefit, each one of us must move to the front of the bus and begin driving toward our individual goals. We cannot blame someone else that we are not communicating enough to the community at large. Each of us must take a stake in this responsibility and be a PR representative on behalf of our club.
Toastmasters International's Publicity and Promotion Manual "Let the World Know, " states that the responsibility of Public relations in a club is the responsibility of each and every club member.
When you open up the Competent Leadership Manual, you are provided many ideas in the leadership arena. When you write a newsletter articles, bring guests to meetings, assist with the club website you are demonstrating leadership. Take some time and thin k about your opportunities to lead. Step a little out of your comfort zone. Check out that driver's seat. Heck, you might like the view from the front of the bus! Maybe you will find that you really enjoy a role you have not before filled.
This year I was asked to take on the position of President. Before this was proposed to me, I contemplated taking on another officer role, but CERTAINLY NOT the role of President! I thought I'd take on a role that held less responsibility, but then I decided that I should move myself to the front of the bus and drive toward my personal goals.
Now I am telling every person who reads this blog that each of you can be THE leader. Take it at a pace that is comfortable to you, but step up a little more this year than you did last year.
The competent leadership manual gives you credit for becoming a mentor, for being editor of a newsletter, for helping out with the website, for coordinating a club event, and the list goes on. There's a reason for these recommended opportunities. They help the club become stronger AND they expose you to practicing your leadership skills.
Remember, you can NOT drive the bus from the Back seat!
If you're not a member, join us and find out how fun it is to learn and be with good people.
Karen Staebell
President, EastSide Madison Toastmasters
