Posted by Dorothea Stuart
Hilary become a Distinguished Toastmaster last month. The DTM is the culmination of a lot of hard work - bringing together the leadership and communication awards.|
|
| Hilary Briggs and Area Governors |
Why did you join Toastmasters? I joined Grosvenor Square Speakers 9 years ago. I’d transitioned from working in big corporations to being self employed. I knew I needed to improve my communication and leadership skills.
What are you are proudest of achieving in Toastmasters? I set up the first meeting of Early Bird Speakers and took it through to charter in June 2007. It was the second early morning club in London (the first was Berkeley Square Speakers). The club has gone on from strength to strength. It's now meeting weekly and has 50 members.
Winning the UK & Ireland Speech Evaluation Contest in 2008 was a real thrill - nothing more to add!
I'm also very proud to have won the Area Governor of the Year Award for 2008/09 which I received at the York Conference last month. Our area did extremely well – achieving President’s Distinguished Area status. We had a number of problems to deal with and I had fantastic support. For example Alan Thomas took on being President of St Paul’s Speakers which was born out of another club which was struggling to survive. Rory Marriott and Himanshu Vora did great work as club coaches to support the relaunch. At MLP! London Bridge Speakers Susan Hawkins as club President created a thriving club with the help of Armando Armellini and Deepa Balasubramanyan, club coaches. I also got terrific support from Pedro Casillas and Maria Jesus Roja.
What have you learned through becoming a Distinguished Toastmaster? I learned a huge amount in terms of leadership - involving others, delegating and motivating, for example, during the process of chartering Early Bird Speakers. I’ve realized that there’s not point trying to push people to into doing things - you need to work with the energy and enthusiasm that individuals bring. And if you do you can achieve a great deal as we did in Area 33 last year.
Has Toastmasters helped you professionally? Yes. I was used to giving presentations to large groups but now I am able to be much more relaxed and flexible. I can meet the needs in the room and respond to the audience rather than give my standard spiel.
I’ve worked hard at developing my evaluation skills. My ability to give feedback at work is greatly enhanced. With the help of Toastmasters I’ve developed as a leader and my experience has helped me set up a new, successful business. I can’t thank the organization enough for what I have gained from my membership.
What next? I am looking forward to my second six months as London Toastmasters Division B Governor. We have a lot of new club that will charter as well as existing club continuing to develop. I’m also starting a Competent Communicator award and challenging myself to give speeches at short notice – continuing to increase my fluency and flexibility. There's always more to learn.
Hilary, congratulations on becoming a Distinguished Toastmaster in November. We look forward to hearing more of your speeches and seeing London Division B continue to develop.
