Culture

No.162 (4/23/10)

Toastmasters Means No Fear!

Standing in front of a group of people (no matter how many are staring at you), and speaking on a subject that you know about and had time to prepare still puts “butterflies in your stomach.”

What is even worse, is when you have to speak about a subject that you have not had time to study! We call that, “impromptu speeches.” The boss comes to you and asks, “What do you know about the exercise we are going to do tomorrow afternoon?” or, “Where can we get the information we need about the place we are going to next week?” We also call this, “Under the spot!,” as in SPOTLIGHT!

The Misawa Club is a member of the International Toastmasters Organization. We meet in the Mokuteki Conference room, the second floor, on Thursdays from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

We are a controlled environment where we practice all forms of speech, leadership and time management. We provide all our members a safe place to grow and develop communication skills. The more we do it, the better we do it!

As you progress through the structured programs of the organization, you receive official recognition documents from Toastmasters International, describing your new found ability to communicate and your expanding leadership qualities. The U.S. Air Force, Army and Navy recognize these accomplishments of its Toastmasters Members. And they spill over into your performance evaluations because they are tangible proof that you are continuing to improve yourself. This visibly displays itself in your everyday work ethic also! If you are staying in the military, you will increasingly need to be able to communicate effectively! If you do not stay in the military, you must be able to express yourself just to get into the civilian work force at any level!

One of the ways we overcome our fears is by sharing experiences. One such sharing comes from the President of Toastmasters International, Gary Schmidt, DTM (Distinguished Toastmaster ? February 2010). He learned, “If you focus on the audience instead of yourself, you will eliminate your fears.” Each time we meet, we share our own confidence, experiences and uncertainties. We do not know it all, so we learn from each other. We still get “butterflies” but they get smaller and smaller each time we try!

Anyone who is allowed on base is able to attend Toastmasters. Our Japanese Toastmasters are our strongest members. In fact we encourage the Japanese to practice their English and to occasionally deliver speeches in Japanese. One of our American members needed to give a speech in Japanese and our club members helped him put it together.

Contact: Rick Jones at e-mail: bhmrick(at)gmail.com or 616-8540 Or Tsuyoshi Kaneno at: 226-3142 or tsuyoshi.kaneno.jp(at)misawa.af.mil

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