Posted by Dorothea Stuart
At last...after nearly 4 years, one of our Division B London members, Dave Brooks, has achieved the prestigious status of Distinguished Toastmaster.
How long has it taken to achieve DTM? 4 years and 3 months. I have been very active in my club (Speakeasy @ Credit Suisse) and in the wider Toastmaster world because I knew I needed to improve my communication skills and confidence.
What have you gained from Toastmasters? The ability to face the challenge of much bigger audiences with far less trepidation. I now realise whether you have an audience of 10, 100 or 1000 you just need to take a breath and get on with it. I've understood that the speaker is not the most important person in the room! You are the vessel through which the story or message travels, you are not the story itself.
What else have you learned? We are on a journey to communicate. What Toastmasters gives us is the understanding that communication happens at many levels in many different contexts. You need to pick the most appropriate context and think about how to communicate with a particular audience. I have enjoyed learning how to give different types of speeches, working with voice tone, using kinaethetics and body movement in a way that adds to the message without being stagey or theatrical.
I mostly speak in a work environment and Toastmasters has helped me to be able to put together presentations far more quickly and perform them effectively at short notice.
The key lesson is that you're always learning. The day you stop is the day you stop breathing!
To become a DTM you also have to complete the Leadership awards. How did you find these projects? The leadership aspects of Toastmasters have been invaluable. You can achieve Advanced Communicator Gold pretty much on your own if you so choose. However, completing the Competent Leader etc. means you have to involve others. Being Area Governor for a year meant working with a number of club committees. The High Performance Leadership Project in particular requires a lot of delegation. By getting involved in this way you not only grow yourself you help other people to grow too.
How would you summarise your experience in Toastmasters so far? Toastmasters is a delightful journey. When I look back I can see just how much I have improved my communication, confidence and leadership skills. It's not about an absolute standard or measuring yourself against others. The test is how far you have come, how much you have changed - not only in speaking but also in learning to accept feedback and genuine help from others. That's how I'd summarise what Toastmasters is. Its about breaking old habits and forming new ones - by practice and feedback.
Thank you Dave. We look forward to seeing your continued involvement in Toastmasters.
