It’s been said that timing in life is everything. When I first joined Hunterdon Speak Easy Toastmasters club in 2009, I was more interested in networking than public speaking. I soon discovered that I was surrounded by some incredibly talented and high performing people. Our club officers at the time included such well-known names as Pam Winter, Cyndi Wilson and Andrew Smith, all of whom were soon to become Distinguished Toastmasters and hold D83 executive leadership positions. This Toastmasters Dream Team eventually served as my collective mentors and soon invited me to become a club officer as well.
I found that I really enjoyed public speaking and competing in speech contests. After a few years, I had completed my CC and all Advanced Communication awards. Janice Buffalow lived nearby and was a frequent visitor to our club. She encouraged me to work the Toastmasters Leadership track, serve as an Area Director and pursue my DTM.
During this process, I hit another wall while working on the Advanced Leader Silver award. I read, but did not fully understand the unique nuances of serving as either a Club Coach, Mentor, or Sponsor. Eventually, I connected with Club Growth Director Rachel Weiss who not only explained this to me but also connected me with a nearby company that wanted to start a new Toastmasters club. After speaking with the company’s HR Manager, I successfully facilitated the new club charter within three months and serve as their Club Sponsor. Once again, if not for the coaching by another dedicated Toastmaster, I might still be floundering and no closer to my DTM goal.
My pro tip for anyone interested in earning their own Distinguished Toastmaster award is to practice the Toastmasters core values: integrity, respect, service and excellence. And to leverage the immense talent pool within or own District 83.
Many thanks to my fellow D-83 friends and colleagues!