Toastmasters Table Topics: My Hilarious Experience that Changed my Life Forever

Did you ever get the chance to speak in a Toastmasters table topics portion?

Or probably the right question to ask is this…

Have you tried attending a Toastmasters meeting before?

So what is Toastmasters, by the way?

In any case, allow me to introduce what this non-profit educational organization is all about…

It’s a platform where you build your thoughts, echo your voice and unleash your confidence!

So if you want to hone your public speaking skills in a no-pressure environment, Toastmasters is the way to go!

I thought I’d share with you my first ever Toastmasters table topics experience.. ( kinda hilarious though 😀 )

Little did I know, this experience that will change my life forever!

Yep, that’s me doing the Toastmasters table topics portion! 😉

“Look at how big of a person you are. And you can’t even make your voice louder!”

I remember this phrase uttered by one of my professors in college.

I was asked to recite in class then.

But because I was too shy to speak up, I was stuttering when I stood up to answer her question.

I was mumbling that I couldn’t even hear the words that were coming out of my mouth.

This is my usual thing before whenever I was being called to speak in a crowd or in a class. It was as though a spotlight is being pointed at me that people are all ears hearing what I was going to say.

I would always cringe after!

You see…

Way back in High School, I never really practiced reciting English in class. I was not even proactive when it comes to sharing my thoughts—much more to a large number of people.

That’s why when Sha Nacino, my sister, invited me to attend one of the meetings of Presidents Toastmasters club, I thought of going out of my shell.

Though a bit reluctant, I said yes!

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I can still vividly remember when I first attended one of the Presidents Toastmasters club meeting…

Being a first timer, I wasn’t briefed as to how the meeting would run.

All I thought was that, I was just there to observe…as a guest!

Everything went pretty well until the Toastmasters table topics portion.

Can you guess what happened next?? 😀

I got called to speak in this impromptu part of the program. (Im talking about the Toastmasters Table Topics portion)

I was about to decline because I was too shy…

But my sister who was seated beside me that night whispered this (in the nicest way possible)…

“Nobody says NO here in Toastmasters. Just stand up and talk.”

I didn’t even know what to say.

“Can I just disappear??”, I was telling myself!

I was shaking! But I had to stand up anyway.

Because I really ran out of words during that time, I just rendered a song just to consume my allotted time.

I was ready to accept criticisms then…

But I was floored by what happened next!

All I heard was applause from the members!

They were all smiles and congratulated me for standing up and doing my thing. (Oh boy, I was already expecting them to condemn me or something for not delivering an impromptu speech.)

This has led me to comeback for more!

It feels so good to be in a community that accepts you for who you are. It feels so right to have people who laugh with you whenever you commit mistakes. It’s even more rewarding learning from the best of the best who give their all to help you!

I can’t thank God enough for my Presidents Toastmasters family for being with me in my journey towards bettering myself especially in the field of public speaking.

I’ve been attending Toastmasters for 5 years now and it literally feels just like yesterday.

Did I ever feel ridiculed nor scolded for delivering what I thought was an awful speech? (not that I know of!)

Instead, every members have been affirming every time even in the way they evaluate my speeches.

Really, it’s a safe environment where you can learn, train and gain wisdom all while having fun in the process.

This club has opened doors toward unlocking my untapped potential.

To date, Presidents Toastmasters club has been continuously moulding me to become better at what I do.

Other than being a Digital Marketing Specialist, I’m also a Life Skills, Positivity and Digital Marketing Trainer.

I also lead The Feast Mandaluyong Shaw (founded by Bo Sanchez), where I preach every Tuesday.

I would also hold workshops and be a coach to aspiring Work from Anywhere students.

Not to mention that it has led to write my first eBook “How to Work from Anywhere” which I’m giving away for free at http://marchnacino.com/. (Click the image to download the eBook for FREE! )