Toastmasters in the Community
Today was "Dundee Day", an annual street festival in the neighborhood where one of my Toastmasters clubs meets. As a part of the community, our club hosted a booth at the festival. At the booth, many people (mostly kids) engaged with club members as we asked them to speak into a microphone and share their name along with a story, joke, or what they liked about Dundee Day. In return, they got to pick a prize from our table. I saw a wide variety of reactions to this "ask" to speak up. Some were excited to speak to speak; some needed encouragement before realizing it wasn't so scary; some outright declined the opportunity. In all cases, though, we got to show people a taste of what Toastmasters is about: giving people a platform to find their voice and helping them become better communicators in a positive and encouraging environment. When Toastmasters, or any organization, can go beyond our normal meetings and get out into the community, we can re...