10/31/2020
👑 MEMBER PROFILE - Catherine Cummins 👑
1️⃣ What brought you to Toastmasters?
I was talking with a career coach about my fear of speaking in meetings and other venues. As I practiced in front of her, I could hardly gather my thoughts, let alone express them. She recommended Toastmasters.
2️⃣ What benefits have you gained by being in Toastmasters?
I have gained confidence in my voice. When called upon
during a meeting I can speak without being nervous. I’ve actually come to enjoy giving speeches in our club. My listening skills have also been enhanced. Toastmasters teaches you to listen carefully and provide critical feedback to other members. Finally, my every-day communications have become more concise without the use of filler words such as “Um” and “You know”.
3️⃣ In addition to public speaking, have you gotten any leadership experience from toastmasters?
Yes, Toastmasters has provided many opportunities to lead. I’ve held Officer roles such as Vice President for Public Relations, Vice President for Membership, Treasurer and President. Each of these roles teaches different aspects of leadership. There are also projects I’ve completed within Toastmasters that encouraged me to lead groups and then report to the club.
Each meeting has a different Toastmaster of the Day to lead the meeting. Members can also choose to be the General Evaluator who is in charge of the evaluation portion of the meeting with a team of evaluators to lead.
4️⃣ Anything . else you'd like to highlight about toastmasters or yourself.
Toastmasters has been a great experience for me. I enjoy connecting with other people and creating relationships as we help each other out in this journey to become more competent communicators. It’s a fun safe environment to learn and grow together.
