# written a long time back in 2010, narrating my wonderful time at SKIT Toastmasters Club
Toastmasters International,USA is a
prestigious organization which fosters among its clubs, in the varied parts of
the world the art of effective communication skills and leadership qualities.
SKIT has one such proud club in its campus which is not just the only club
among technical institutes in northern India but also one of the prime contributors
to success of District-82 comprising India and Srilanka.
16th October, 2008 was my
first day in the SKIT Toastmasters club, It was a demonstrative meeting in
which only Icebreakers and Table Topics were spoken, I was keeping my fingers
crossed that I shouldn’t be picked up by the Table Topics Master to speak on
any topic, because I was so hesitant and nervous that I was sure that If I had
to speak my heart would plunge out of my body, Luckily I wasn’t called that
day.
But, I wasn’t lucky in the subsequent
meetings as I got to speak many table topics shivering, stuttering and
stammering, I somehow delivered those,
some even left in between, often not completing the time limit, but that sole
point was the beginning of improvement, the onset of an education which would
last with me for an entire lifetime. So, from that time I graduated from being
a very bad speaker to a bad speaker.
I gave my first speech on 3rd,
February, 2009 and 40 speeches later I find myself immensely confident to speak
comfortably at any given point or situation. This improvement in my confidence
that I lacked at a time is all courtesy Toastmasters club, without its
wonderful programme I would never be able to find out that I can actually speak
in public.
Toastmasters club is not just about
giving speeches, it was much more, I got the opportunity to visit Gurgaon for
the Area Level Contests twice during the last year. First on 22nd
February, 2009 when I went for “Area Level Table Topics Contest”, I wasn’t much
successful that day but the experience was awesome as I got a chance to meet
many great speakers and we also attended the officers training programme. The
next opportunity I got was on 18th September, 2009 when I went for
the “Area Level Evaluation Speech Contest” and was lucky enough to get the
second prize and as a result I went to Delhi for the division level contest
later that year.
Toastmasters Club is all about
helping others to grow and perform better. There is not a panel of expert
judges during the meeting but the evaluation are mutual and through a system of
cooperation. It is not just about improving your communication skills but also
about honing your leadership skills. I have played many different roles like Time
counter, Ah counter, General evaluator, Grammarian, Toastmasters of the day
which have all helped me to improve. Preparing the newsletter, going for the
sponsorship campaign, conducting a contest were few of the activities which
have enriched me to my very core.
I would sincerely like to thank the
most important pillar in our club Tm. Pramila Bafna and our club’s president
Tm. Vineet Jain for encouraging and guiding us in whatever manner they could
because in their absence the club wouldn’t have grown so much as it has in the
past two years.
I would also like to encourage
students to join Toastmasters club because it’s such a good platform for self
development that you would cherish your decision for the entire life.
I have achieved six certifications in
toastmasters club, when I once thought that doing just one is impossible, It is
all due to the kind of support I got and the wonderful environment in the SKIT
toastmasters club. Without everyone’s help I would never have been able to
achieve my goals.
The improvement can never stop, the
development can never cease to occur, So, I would like to continue my stint in
Toastmasters club wherever I go to become even better and more confident,
because this is just” A small step”. “The giant leap” is impending.
TM. Happy Garg ACG, ALB
