3 Reasons Why I Joined Toastmasters and Why You Should Too!

Hey guys!

Sorry for the delayed post as I was travelling last weekend, and no, I haven't gotten around to scheduled post yet. Anyhow, let's dive in to today's topic on PickMyBrain.

I've recently joined Toastmasters, amid quite some reluctance on my part prior to this semester. And now, I'm so convinced that I've made the right decision, I'm going to share 3 reasons why I decided to join Toastmasters and why you should too! For those who's asking, what IS Toastmaster, click here.

1. Constructive Environment to Grow In
Toastmasters provide a very constructive environment to grow in, perhaps due to their pledge or something. But, this is more than a pledge; I felt it. The first time I entered a Toastmaster's meeting, I was warmly greeted by various strangers. I felt so at home right away,  I made tonnes of new friends.

Through the public speaking course, there's always the evaluation. I witnessed first hand, constructive criticism at its best! I'm not one who's very good at softening the blow, but after seeing how an evaluator evaluated a performance objectively, with good points I totally overlooked, I'm a changed man.

Of course there are many other supportive and constructive environments to grow in, but most of them are either religious or incomparable to Toastmasters. Here, you are allowed to grow at your own pace, with the people by your side always.

2. You Get What You Pay For
Cost was one of the reasons why I did not join Toastmasters earlier. I did not comprehend why anyone would pay RM240 (varies by club) to join as a member and RM120 every 6 months to keep your membership alive just to talk to a bunch of people who would later judge you.

Of course you get the coursebook and stuff like that, but I'm pretty sure I can get those online, for free! Youtube's a great source for starters. So, I was asking where does the money goes? Does it go to a new building fund perhaps? No, not really. So, why do members need to keep paying a fee for peer review (since everyone is benefiting from peer review, the money only serves to benefit the International body, right?) ?

Well, for one, Toastmasters is a non-profit organisation, meaning any extra income they have at the end of the year has to be reimbursed back to its members. Two, there ARE hidden cost to be paid for like food, servers maintenance, sometimes venue, and perhaps marketing? But it's there, like any other organisation. Three, after all is said and done, it's still worth it! Just google any public speaking course or leadership seminar and you'll see what I'm talking about. They go from a couple of hundreds right up to thousands! And most importantly, the people in your Toastmasters club remain somewhat the same, thus providing a strong support group, which everyone knows, is very crucial in a setting such as this.

So, really, you do get what you pay for, perhaps even more.

3. Grow Thy Network!
Regardless of your profession, meeting new people is unavoidable. What better place to practice than Toastmasters? Not just practice, you actually do meet lots of great, interesting, like-minded individuals who could very well land you your dream job, or recommend you to a multi-million dollar deal.

One of the reasons why Toastmasters work is because of point number 2, up above. You see, when people have to pay this much (and might I say, consistently) for something, they usually think twice and asks themselves, 'What's in it for me?' Most can't convince themselves. However, those who do, have already been filtered out to be positive thinking, wanting to improve, supportive individuals. This is where like-minded individuals come together and discuss ideas, proposals, forward-thinking concepts, etc.

Again, you get what you pay for, but this time, in immeasurable returns. A dream job, a real estate deal or even a close confidant. Who knows? :)



However, I did left out one point, which is extremely crucial in reaping these benefits. It's this:

Toastmasters, like anything in life, is what you make of it. 

There are those who solely attend their own club's meeting, completing the course in due time and perhaps become a better speaker. There are also those who make the most out of the course and in the mean time, also make the most out of every new encounter, every new club, every new experience. Which one are you, is entirely up to you.

Cheers,
See you guys next Saturday!