New member testimonial: Madelyn

1. Why did I decide to become a member?

I had been eager to study English since the beginning of this year and sought the most effective and suitable way for me.

Encounter with the Senri Toastmasters Club

I accidentally discovered an English speech club meeting being held in the same building when I went to the library. A sheet of paper with a member's photo, showing the location of the meeting, attracted me. At this moment, I had no idea what the Toastmasters club was. I became curious and took a peek at what people were doing from outside the room. The meeting looked professional as one person was making a speech in front of the audience with a monitor and a camera set in the middle. Although I had to leave there before the library was closed, I couldn’t stop thinking it must have been a very interesting place. 

Then I found a group of people from the meeting and I tried my best to speak to them. They were so friendly to me, a stranger who wasn’t even a guest at the meeting. I decided to attend the following meeting as a guest. This is how I got to know the Senri Toastmasters Club.

My first impression of the Senri Toastmasters Club

I was a bit nervous before entering the meeting room for the first time. But the friendly greeting and welcoming atmosphere eased my nervousness. Then, I was so surprised to see that the meeting had started in a very formal manner. The meeting proceeded with set phrases and formal expressions. They even used a gavel and, whenever the person came in the front, they shook their hands.

Each member has a role such as Ah-counter, Timer and Grammarian, Speaker, and Evaluator. All of them are evaluated by a General Evaluator. There is a ballot after the speeches and the Best Speaker, the Best Evaluator,  and the Best Table Topics are selected. The meeting is moderated by the MC, the Toastmaster of the Day.

It was a completely novel experience for me, and I found myself thoroughly enjoying it. I was called on to speak for the Table Topics, and my nerves were at their peak. However, warm support and smiles from the members lifted my spirits. I joined the meeting two more times. You can participate as a guest up to three times. This gives you time to think it over, so I think this is a good system.

I finally decided to be a member. The right balance between joyfulness and nervousness would surely keep me motivated.

2. What skills do I want to gain?

I have three skills I want to gain which are currently my biggest weaknesses.

The first is to organize my thoughts and clearly express what I want to say. When I try to write essays or even a few paragraphs, my mind goes blank. And I tend to speak without getting to the main point. I believe receiving training in the Senri Toastmasters Club would be the most effective way to get over these weaknesses.

The second skill is fluency in speaking English. I haven’t studied English for a long time, which contributes to my lack of fluency. I have a lot of words that I understand but struggle to use. Immersing myself in this club will help me improve this skill.

The third skill I want to gain is the ability to speak in public with confidence. I get very nervous when speaking in front of people, even at past kindergarten parent-teacher meetings. To conquer this fear, learning tips and practicing with supportive members would be greatly helpful.

3. What goals have I set?

I have been enjoying studying English because I like to communicate with people around the world, share thoughts and insights, and exchange cultural perspectives. However, I often get frustrated not being able to express myself clearly, and sometimes I just give up trying to make myself 100% clear.

I want to be a good communicator who can express ideas clearly and confidently in English, and connect with people from diverse backgrounds.

My Experience in the Senri Toastmasters Club

It has been exactly one year since I joined the regular meeting of the Senri Toastmasters Club as a guest for the first time. I will write about what I have learned and what surprised me in this club by reflecting on this year. My experience of joining a club with zero knowledge may be helpful for those who are considering joining this club or are interested but unsure about what this club is all about.

As I had been interested in public speaking and improving my English speaking skills, Toastmasters had captured my attention for a long time. However, it took me five years to gather the courage to visit a club. I remember I was very nervous on the day of my first visit. Upon arriving at the venue, the club members were busy setting up the room, but they kindly took the time to engage in a conversation with me. This short conversation not only brought me a sense of relief but also made me feel genuinely welcome. Once the meeting started, it proceeded at a rapid pace and ended before I could fully figure out everything that happened. However, I was so impressed by the members' positive atmosphere and remarkable command of English that wanted to become a member of this club. After my second visit (The Senri Toastmasters Club allows up to three visits.), I decided to join the club.

Before I joined the Senri Toastmasters Club, I held the impression that Toastmasters was a place where we practice speeches earnestly like a "Speech Dojo." Later on, it turned out to be different. Surprisingly, not everyone gives speeches at every meeting. There are various roles to fulfill besides giving speeches, and there are so many things to learn through taking those roles. One such role is that of the Evaluator, responsible for assessing the strength and areas for improvement in speeches. In my case, taking this role makes me more nervous than giving my speech. To evaluate someone else's speech, careful listening and thoughtful consideration of good points and areas for further improvement are needed. It is a difficult role, but I have recently realized that it is a very good opportunity to learn about speeches and actually, I gained a lot of knowledge and awareness from this role. The Evaluators also have an opportunity to be evaluated on their evaluation speech by the General Evaluator. I find this aspect of the club's system to be excellent because regardless of the role we undertake, we can receive feedback. I think these aspects are the appealing features of this club

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Perhaps you may be wondering, after reading this far, if you join our club you will be required to take on so many different roles. There is nothing to worry about. New members will not take on roles immediately upon joining. The members in charge of education and other experienced members will gently push you to try new roles at the right time. Moreover, for a while after joining, new members are assigned experienced mentors, and if you have any questions or concerns, you can ask them any time and will be assured that they will always be there to provide you with genuine support.

Toastmasters is not a place where a teacher teaches you something, but it is a place where you can learn from each other through taking on various roles. Perhaps it is not so much "a club to learn speech" as "a club to learn various things through speech." These various things are not only English speech or presentation skills, but also leadership, teamwork, and communication skills, which are very useful in the real world. Why don't you join the Senri Toastmasters Club and enjoy valuable experiences through public speaking? If you have been interested but hesitant, as I once was, I encourage you to attend our club meeting as a guest. You will be welcomed by friendly and supportive members!