Day 7 winning at Toastmasters

[Fiona Campbell]

My gift for today was at Toastmasters. I'm a newbie, given two speeches so far. I offered to evaluate the icebreaker speech of another new member.

Beforehand, I chatted to her to find out what her goals were for the speech. I realised she may not have paid much attention to the manual which outlines what to aim for with each speech, so asked her, then gently directed her to the page which is for the evaluator to fill out, so she could have some clue prior to delivering the speech.

It was a conscious gift, a decision based on my assessment of her being able to take on board something new and use it, rather than projecting it would all be too much for her, thus giving myself power over her.

As it was, the heart of her speech was inspiring - she made light of having epilepsy and instanced times when she'd used the condition to her advantage - getting out of boring parties, helping her team win at netball.

It was a win/win for the whole group. We learnt about her and supported her, I could honestly say she had the makings of a motivational speaker if she so chose, gave her some tips for which she was grateful, and realised myself how I could have done a better job presenting the evaluation.

[Fiona Campbell]

Thanks everyone.
Today I kept thinking about something else I wanted to tell her. So I found her number (oh white pages online are so helpful!) and called, and gave her the extra piece. She was still on cloud nine, and commented that her mum had encouraged her to become a motivational speaker for people with epilepsy. Very cool, adding to the collective pool.

[Harriet]

what a great give to a fellow member!, encouraging and mentoring and showing compassion!

[Margi]

Such a thoughtful gift Fiona - you were obviously meant to chat to her before the meeting! xx

[Susan Loraine Barker]

Great gift Fiona. I am a seasoned member of Toastmasters. Good evaluations and that extra effort to help someone already outside of their comfort zone working on public speaking is such a gift.

[Deb~ Community Manager]

Very touching gift Fiona~ You are so gracious...xoxo