Don’t be late

The truth is, if you don't know how to speak in public, you could be hurting your professional and personal life.

I realized my fear of public speaking since I was in junior high school. That was after a long time illness in my life. One day, when I was tried to speak in the classroom , I felt my heartbeat so fast , my face flushed, and I lost my words in the middle of my spoken. After that time I tend to keep silent even though I knew something that was asked by the teacher in the class. The worst experienced when I was skipping school because I knew there would be a speaking practice in front of the class. That fear had never gets rid in my mind, when I was in senior high school, in the university, and in my work.

Dear fellow Toastmasters and Distinguished Guests,

Once in my professional life, I ever had superior judgments which said that I had a lack of personal appearance. I pondered for a long time thinking about the meaning of the words, and I realized that it was about my fear of speaking in front of audience. Since that time I tried to look for help to improve myself. I found many professional training about public speaking and to develop self-confidence. I remember one of them offering training which could change my self to be a professional speaker only within three days. Wow, amazing training. But I could not join the training not just because I could not afford the training fees but the main thing was because I could not believe my self would be able to change in that short time of the process. Then I continued to search with my long life learning partner Mr. Google, until one day I found the words “Toastmasters International”. When I came to the website and red about the purpose of this non-profit organization, about continues learning and improvement programs of public speaking and leadership skill, with millions of people around the world has change their life by joining the organization, I felt my hope was started and growing strongly in my heart. This is the right place for me to come. Public speaking and leadership skill, continuous learning, with millions of people around the world. These are the skill I really need to equip my life personally and professionally. Really prodigious!!!. From the website, I knew that so many clubs were already spread world wide. I started to search for the nearest club from my place. As a result, I found the Jakarta Lions Toastmaster Club. When I tried to contact the club committee, I was asking about how to be a member, but they kindly invited me to the club meeting as a guest, and soon after that I registered as a member. That was the time I started my journey in Toastmasters.

One they, after a few months joining Toastmasters, as usual, I attended monthly meetings in my main office in Jakarta. I felt so much different. I was able to deliver and explain my project progress with more effective and confidence than before. And surprisingly, after I finished presenting my project report, the Division Head who was lead the meeting gave my applause followed by all project managers who attended the meeting. I had never ever experienced such moment in any previous meeting. That was the time I felt the difference in my professional life. Since that time I was assigned to many other challenging jobs that I never have done before. Once I was assigned to be a “headmaster” when my company conducted training for hundreds of employees, for ERP system implementation in my company. Other times I was able to attend a meeting with foreign partners confidently. And since then on, I always so excited when I got an assignment to speak in the meeting or in front of the audience. Even though I still have a wide room of improvements to be a better speaker, I felt that now I have a control on my fear of public speaking.

Dear fellow Toastmasters and Distinguished Guests,

Suppose that I would be given a chance to change the time, back to the earlier stage of my life, I would have to join Toastmasters about thirty years ago, when I just started my work in professional life. I could imagine, how my life could be different with Toastmasters in my young age. The chance now is still remains for you young fellow guests who are considering to join Toastmasters. The opportunity and decision are in your hands and the time is so precious. So, don’t be late.  

(This script is my project for Presentation Mastery, Level 3 Project 1- Persuasive Speech, I like to share it and I also could easily to read it again sometimes).