Would YOU Invest in You?

As I was reading, or rather listening to a book on CD this week entitled, "Persuasion IQ: The 10 Skills You Need to Get Exactly What You Want," the author makes a statement related to my love of professional development: "Would YOU invest in you?"

In other words: if you were an employer or customer, how attractive of a candidate (or purchase) would you be? He then goes on to explain the value of continually developing your skills to keep yourself current.

As working professionals, whether you work in marketing, retail, technology, accounting, building maintenance, horticulture, or marine biology, it's important to continually educate and improve yourself. In effect, this means it is essential that we continue to invest in ourselves to make ourselves marketable. Regardless where you are in your career, the time you reach a point and you no longer seek to learn and improve your skills might be a tipping point in the time when you start to become obsolete.

I love to learn. I remember growing up loving the school library. I was such a big reader that I recall my elementary teacher at Marie C. Graham schools in the L'Anse Creuse Public School District letting me go to the library to read once I had completed all my schoolwork. At the end of the school year, I was allowed to go to the library to help the librarians clean the books. I remember the smell of the books and the sense of excitement to this day.

My mom was also a book lover. She would take us to the library and let us pick out any book we wanted. But I digress.

There was a period of time where I didn't want to learn anymore, or rather, I was just tired of going to school and wanted to be done. It was the last few years of my undergrad and luckily by then I had decided to major in marketing, which came easy to me. Over time, I eventually returned to the libraries and used bookstores and even started a few fiction books during my first job. They are on a disk somewhere in the house.

After a few job changes early in my career, I had landed a position with a 1-hour commute both ways. I decided to make the most of it and started listening to books on CD. I began with fiction, and eventually moved into professional development books, including Covey's "7 Habits of Highly Effective People."

While at that job, I recall mentioning to my manager how I wanted to move into management in marketing, and he suggested Toastmasters International to help me develop my public speaking skills. It took me a few years, but I eventually did join and I'm so glad I did. I found it to be a great support group to help me overcome my introvertedness (is that even a word?) and I still consider myself an introvert at heart these days. Probably all that time in the library when I was a kid!

I completed my Competent Communicator achievement in Toastmasters within the first few years, and have recently completed my Competent Leader achievement as well. By staying active in Toastmasters, it helps to keep the edge off my nerves. Plus, over time I've found that all the practice has made me actually enjoy the act of speaking in public. Well, most of the time... my nerves still act up from time to time.

Not too long after joining Toastmasters, I also started to seek out networking organizations. I wanted to find more women like me. At the time, I worked for a male-dominated company with very few women in management or leadership positions, and I knew there had to be other women like me out there. I was embarrassed at my first meeting to announce this, but many of the other women in the room nodded their heads in agreement and gave me a kind smile of support. I joined Inforum Michigan back in 2008 thanks to a birthday gift from my husband, and have found it to be a worthwhile organization.

When I changed jobs and joined Walsh College in 2008, there was no Inforum Michigan networking group in the area. So I did what any smart career-loving, busy woman would do, I started a group at Walsh so I could benefit from a convenient location. (I've found over time that my mom's mantra of "you always make time for the things you really want to do" is very true. Sometimes you just have to think creatively about how you spend your time and what optional items come off your daily list.)

Michigan Supreme Court
Justice Bridget Mary McCormack

I've been chairing the Inforum Troy networking breakfast since early 2009, and have great co-chairs to help make it more management. (side note: Connect with Laura Rolands and Bailey Bynum if you get a chance. They are both rock stars.) Infohttps://www.inforummichigan.org/events/presence-and-professionalism-face-politics). In addition to the networking breakfasts, I've found events like these are great educational and networking opportunities. I'm always impressed by the caliber of the Inforum speakers and events.
rum recently asked me to share an upcoming event featuring Justice McCormack, a rising star in Michigan politics. The event is in Grand Rapids next week on November 13. (note: You can read more about the event at

Do I stop there? No, of course not. About a year ago, I finally (FINALLY) started my MBA at Walsh College. I'm doing it a class at a time and you know

"Yes, I'm proud to say
I continue to invest in myself,"
shares Brenda Meller.

what? I love being a student again. I was debating taking two classes per semester to finish sooner, but decided against it. It will take me five years, but I'll take one class at a time, enjoy one class at a time, and at the end of it all, five years will go by and I'll have an MBA that I can appreciate. Incidentally, that Covey book I listened to over 10 years ago was in my second class in the MBA program. And I'm kicking myself a bit for not starting the MBA years ago! :)

What's next after that? I'm not sure, but I know I'll continue to find ways to invest in myself. How about you?

My “Not So Secret” Process to Speechwriting

Think back to the reason you joined Toastmasters. Or if you’re visiting a club, what brought you into the room to check out Toastmasters?

For many people, Toastmasters was sought as a place to practice and improve the art of public speaking.

As for me, fear and lack of confidence brought me to Toastmasters over five years ago. During my first speech, my lips and chin trembled, and I spoke way too fast. In my first year of being involved with the club, I won our club’s speech contest, and went on to win the area speech contest. I know you’re thinking “pretty impressive!”

I would agree, except that the only reason I won is that everyone I competed against in that contest run was eliminated because of time limits. Yes, my fellow Toastmasters and future Toastmasters, I won because I stayed just within the time limits. But that’s another speech for another day.

Today I come to you to talk about my secret method for creating speeches. After today, it will be known as my “not so secret” process since I’m also posting a blog on this topic.

A sample speech outline.
~ from Toastmaster Brenda Meller

In Toastmasters just as in our professional careers, there will be many opportunities to sign up weeks in advance for presentations. There will also be those times that you have just the night before to prepare. Or if you’re like me, Toastmasters speechwriting was on your weekend list, below homework for class, spending time with your family, a mom-to-mom sale, and housework.

Yes my fellow Toastmasters, I admit I started writing this speech at 10:15 p.m. last night.

The beauty of Toastmasters is that you’ll learn so many techniques that will help you in the speechwriting process and delivery. Today, I’d like to share with you four techniques.

• My speechwriting process.
• My inspiration.
• My practice method.
• And as a bonus: my delivery method.

So let’s start with my speechwriting process. I always start by identifying the objective of my speech, and tie it to a manual speech so I can get credit toward my Toastmasters program. I’m working on my CL manual right now, and identified I could use this speech for project 4, which deals with time management. How’s that for irony, by the way?

Then, since there are not requirements other than demonstrating my timing skills, I have to think of my topic. I’ll wait to explain my inspiration process in the next step

I then write out an outline, thinking of a clever opening and witty conclusion, with three points to cover in the body. Okay, I added a fourth as a bonus section.

Next, I write out the speech in a narrative format. I’ll practice reading it once or twice after I’ve written it, and that’s it. I’ll use my outline for practice. More on that later.

So how do I come up with these fabulous speech topics? Well that’s easy. I choose something I like to talk about, and make sure it’s relatable to my audience.

For today’s speech, this was a no brainer. Use my process as the topic. Pure genius!

I’ll often use projects at work for my speech topics, since by delivering them here at Toastmasters, I’ll gain real, usable, productive feedback. Not the “great job Brenda’s” that I get at work, which really don’t tell me if the presentation was effective or not. But the descriptive, specific evaluations we can only get here at Toastmasters.

Other times, I draw on my family as stories of inspiration. In fact, if you Google my name, you’ll find a YouTube video of me at Toastmasters describing my son’s Easter Egg hunt a few years ago. I have to confess: that speech was written the night before, too.

Now onto my practice method. As I mentioned, I’ll write out my speech then read it through once or twice. Then, I collapse it into an outline that I use to rehearse my speech. In the car. Yes, that’s how I practice. Back in the beginning, I would actually practice my speech in front of a mirror or in my basement. But unless I give up more sleep – I don’t know where I would find the time to practice. We all have the same number of hours in a day, and we have to find the time for things we really want to do.

I have to share that when I practice speeches while in the car, I’m entirely hands free and I’m keeping an eye on the road. The people next to me probably think I'm singing along to the radio!

As I practice, I’m also envisioning delivering in the room.

Once I arrive at the meeting, I’ll try to get up in front of the room to assess the “feel” for the group before the meeting starts, if I can.

And that’s really it. I know a few of you were probably thinking I planned this speech weeks ago, practiced it a million times, but just like you, I’m pressed for time. I admit that I thought about cancelling my participation in today’s meeting, but then others started cancelling and I didn’t want to get yelled at by Charles, our club’s VP of Education. He scares me sometimes. (I’m kidding, of course)

This reminds me though that my Toastmasters training has prepared me to be unprepared, and how to quickly prepare. In fact, today’s speech is little more than an extended Table Topic for me.

If you attend a Toastmasters meeting, you’ll get the chance to try a table topic – even if you are not yet a member. Do yourself a favor: do one. Your mind will get practice that will pay off huge in the long run.

My last point I’d like to address regarding my now not-secret speech process is in my delivery. I will make an effort to ensure I’m having fun up here. I start my speeches by walking to the front of the room with a swagger and a smile, like I’ve just won an award that I’ve worked really hard to earn.

I’ve noticed that if I have a strong, confident opening, and I’m enjoying my speech, my audience will too. You should try this sometime!

In summary, my fellow and future Toastmasters, I’d like to say that you, too, can be a public speaking all star. With just a little practice – okay a LOT of practice – you will learn that Toastmasters teaches you techniques that will help you think on your feet, find time when you have no time, and make you a stronger, more capable presenter in any situation.

I’ve learned that whether you’re here at Toastmasters in a safe environment, or at work in a professional situation, you should honor your obligations. Oh, and I’ve also learned that the wrath of Charles is something you CAN avoid by not coming to a meeting, but in the long run, he’s doing all of us a favor by holding us accountable to become better speakers.

For that Charles, I say “THANK YOU.” J

Presented by Brenda Meller at

Toastmasters at Walsh College - Troy
October 21, 2012

Powerful Women -- quick... who comes to mind?

Without thinking about it too much, who comes to mind when you think of Powerful Women?

I'll give you a minute.

Okay, done?

So, who came to mind for you?

At the top of my list were Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Oprah, Suze Orman, Ellen Degeneres, and maybe a musician or two (Lady Gaga, Madonna, Britney Spears). I'll admit Sarah Palin was an afterthought for me. And she always reminds me of Tina Fey.

Thinking that I might be biased because I'm a woman, I asked my husband the same question. Surprisingly, his answers were similar. He also debated whether the Queen of England was powerful or not, and I prodded him to skip her if he wasn't sure and to name off as many women as he could.

What if I were to ask you to name Powerful Women who were local to your city/state? For me, Jennifer Granholm (Michigan's governor) comes to mind. As does Michelle Hodges (President of Troy Chamber of Commerce), Stephanie Bergeron (president of Walsh College), Terry Barclay (President of Inforum Michigan), Rhonda Walker (WDIV reporter, whom I heard speaking at an event last week), and Beth Chappell (President and CEO of the Detroit Economic Club). I'm sure there are dozens of others but those come to mind for me.

Now what if I were to ask to name Powerful Men? Or, Powerful People? Chances are, your list would be filled with politicians, businessmen, entrepreneurs, etc. etc. You'd probably mention a few CEOs who are men, too. If you had to name any CEOs who are women, you'd probably be hard-pressed to name a few.

Maybe this exercise was really easy for you because you follow Powerful People on a regular basis. And if you're not interested in Powerful People at all, you're not reading this post (yes, I'm talking to you... oh wait, you ARE reading this...).

There's been a shift over the past few years with more women moving into leadership positions. This was definitely highlighted by the last presidential campaign. As women, we know that we're still under-represented in many industries and within leadership positions. I was at an Inforum Michigan event today where one of the speakers was (is) a powerful woman: Charlene Begley (president and CEO of GE Home & Business Solutions and a senior vice president for GE). She mentioned that in her current role, she typically travels Monday through Friday. She further explained that up until a few years ago, her job did not require her to travel this much.

A question was asked during the event about work/life balance, and about women moving into leadership positions. Often women will not ask for promotions or more challenging roles. Some women don't think they are competent enough - nor do they want the added responsibility - that may come with those roles. Still many others who may be the breadwinner for the family are still the primary caregiver. We will make choices about having a successful career, but when it comes to deciding whether to accelerate into senior leadership positions, the family wins out.

I'll admit in some ways, it is our responsibility as women to find a careful balance between career success and personal/family happiness. Too often you see women who have successful careers who end up divorced, or without children by choice because the timing is never right. Having a supportive spouse and an extended network of family members and friends to help with family care-giving helps. And from there, it's up to us to decide how far we want to go in our career.

In other ways, our careers may be limited by the culture of the company. I've seen the good ole boys network alive and well at past employers and know I'm not alone in this observation. Even though we want to move ahead and move into leadership, the opportunities never come to fruition. Certain women acknowledge this and move on to find success elsewhere. Others accept the culture and come to terms with the environment.

Ultimately, it's up to each person to decide for herself -- or himself -- how far they want to go in their career and the choices or changes that will need to be made to achieve those goals.

As for me, I find it inspirational but also necessary to look around and identify Powerful Women. They can share their learnings. They pave the road for so many women behind them. They serve as mentors -- some directly, and others indirectly.

So who else is a Powerful Woman to me? In addition to the above, I think the list should include those who are just starting out in their careers and already demonstrating a quest for knowledge, and pursuit for excellent in any task - large or small. Amber Kaipio @akaipio, is a marketing intern at Walsh College who exemplifies this.

It should also include women in the Detroit Social Media community who are experts at building relationships and networking. Shelli Gutholm @shelligutholm, Carrie Roeder @ideationista, and Jennifer Marsik Friess @JenMarsikFriess to name a few.

Plus it should include those who have great presence in any group - positive energy, and a genuine, likeable woman. The kind of women who immediately bring a smile to your face and make you feel special, whether you're meeting with them one-on-one or see them in passing at a huge networking event. Susan Gibson at Corp! Magazine, Lori Williams @loritwilliams, Patty Buccellato of Refined Images, Tember Shea of Inforum Michigan, are a few that come to mind for me.

What do you think? Who comes to mind for you as a "Powerful Woman"?

How's Your Social Media Karma?

The more I use Social Media, the more I find myself to be a conduit of sorts to my network. I'm able to successfully link one connection to another via a virtual rolodex that didn't exist for me years ago. I've only been active on LinkedIn for a few years, and on Facebook and Twitter for just over a year.

I believe in karma, especially in Social Media. The more I help my network, the more my network helps me. I'm creating friendships and connections that make my job easier to do. Plus, there's no comparison to receiving "The Note" in my LinkedIn inbox from a job seeker who is back to work, and thanking me for the social media tips they learned along the way that helped them in their job search.

In addition to my network working through me for career opportunities, they also seek help in other areas. Sometimes they have job postings (seems like more and more of these lately - perhaps a good sign?). And sometimes they are looking to connect for networking purposes.

Back to the career seekers / job posting topic for a second. There's a phenomenon I see in my network which I call the "Titanic Effect." You'll recall the part of Titanic's timeline when the boat was sinking fast and the lifeboats were not all completely full, but they were rowing away from the crowded ocean for fear that the lifeboats would be overtaken and all would be lost. The same thing is occurring with some hiring managers nowadays: they don't want to post a job on monster or even on LinkedIn because they don't want to be overwhelmed with 500+ resumes and inquiries. Even though they know there are a lot of talented people seeking work.

There was a show on TV once about the Titanic and they had a group of grade-schoolers brainstorm ways that more passengers could be saved. They thought of dozens of solutions, the most memorable of which was bringing all the lifeboats together and using fabric and furniture to create a tarp to hold more passengers inside the circle of lifeboats. The kids put their heads together and thought of creative solutions, and so should we.

We all want the economy to improve and some of our lifeboats have space to spare. But if the fear of being capsized is greater than the belief that we can help, we're frozen to do anything (no titanic pun intended).

So I ask you: if you have an open position at your company, do something - reach out through your network with a description of your job. It's like extending a hand to an adjoining lifeboat and opening up a few seats as a result. I'm not saying to post it on Monster or advertise it on your nightly news. But if we all did a little something today, and then tomorrow, and then the next day, we'd start building more positive momentum. And that positive karma would create more positive karma, and would come back to us. It could be in the form of more business for our company. It could be in more leads from our network. It could be in stronger relationships with our clients and customers. But in order for anything to occur, the process needs to start somewhere.

Sometimes karma stalls out like a ball in motion that loses momentum. Push it forward a bit or even down a hill and you've got some serious speed. Don't expect it to come back to you. It will -- eventually though. Because that is the power of social media karma.

My goal is to help one person in my network before the end of the night. I challenge you to do the same. See you on linkedin, facebook, or twitter. And share your own challenges here.

Brenda

My secret: how I learn new marketing techniques

I attended a Toastmasters* Leadership Institute event yesterday in Dearborn, Michigan. The purpose of this event is to bring together all the Toastmaster members in our District (which covers metro Detroit, Windsor, and Toledo) and train the club officers as well as to keep us all updated on upcoming district events. There are also a free breakout session on various leadership and communication topics.

It's a great event for several reasons:
1. It's free and they give you breakfast. Hey - we all gotta be cost-conscious these days!
2. Gives me a chance to chat with other Toastmasters from clubs across the metro area, many of which I keep in touch with through social media (facebook, twitter, linkedin), but only see a few times a year.
3. Even though it requires me to give up half of a Saturday and forgo sleeping in , I look forward to going. I know I'll leave with more information that will help me and my club and I will be inspired. I've found once you start seeking inspiration, you tend to become addicted. :)

I could go on but you get the picture.

So onto the real topic - my secret for learning new marketing techniques: I find the people who are doing things really well, and I learn and then mimic their techniques. I figure out what works for me and what doesn't. Sometimes I ask them to suggest what techniques they would suggest for me. Sometimes I just read about their techniques, or notice what they are doing, or notice what they aren't doing (and see that golden opportunity) and voila I find something. And sometimes through trial and error I find a technique that works even better for me.

What does Toastmasters have to do with any of this, you ask?

Public speaking.

Egad. Even the mention of it is enough to cause a few of you to stop reading this blog right NOW. And a handful of others to recall their high school or college class when you gave a speech and thank god you don't have to do one again anytime soon. There are probably others of you who speak in front of groups regularly as part of your job and it no longer phases you.

Well, not me. I'm an introvert at heart and I'll ALWAYS have to work at my public speaking skills. But by paying close attention to those in my industry who are widely successful, I figured out that I'll need to be a confident, engaging, charismatic speaker in order to be successful in my future. Sure, I could be mediocre. But as my son will tell you, mediocre is "okay" and I want to be better than "okay."

So I joined Toastmasters. I was so nervous going to my first meeting. Would they single me out and ask me to speak? Would the group be so advanced that they would laugh at my speaking ability? And more importantly, would I have enough courage to commit to their program?

Well, nearly 2 1/2 years later I can share that I completed one manual (10 speeches) and earned my "Competent Communicator" award; I completed in an area contest and won best area speaker (funny story actually); I served as club president for a year; and I sponsored a new club and helped that club to charter within a month. But I think the biggest accomplishment for me was that I found my voice. I figured out my speaking style. I worked out many of the insecurities I had about myself speaking in front of groups. I'm proud (and still a bit surprised) to say that even though I still get a bit nervous before I speak in front of a large group - and we're talking groups of 50-100 or more - that I ENJOY speaking.

I also realized that I will always have to continue to practice public speaking and hone my skills. Remember, I'm an introvert at heart. That means that the nervousness I have will never completely go away so I have to chip at it all the time to keep my nerves at bay. That's why you'll always see me raising my hand when there's an opportunity to do so.

Over the past few years, I've had the opportunity to meet many, many, many talented public speakers in Toastmasters. And this brings me back to my secret marketing technique: learning from others. Surround yourself with those who are experts, and you will learn. I look at what they are doing really well - their timing, their gestures, their audience engagement, their jokes even, and I also look for areas where they could do better and think about what I would do differently. I'm continuously soaking up as much as I can from my fellow Toastmasters, and when there's a lull in a presentation, I'm jotting down notes for future speeches, and sometimes for techniques that I can bring back to my club.

Okay, so now you know my secret. Let's just keep this between me and you, okay? Oh, and the world wide web. :)



* If you're not familiar with Toastmasters, a lot of people know it as the "public speaking group." Toastmasters has been around for years and it's an international, professional development group. Its focus is to help people to improve their communication and leadership skills through self-paced programs. Plus, it's pretty inexpensive. I pay $35 twice a year. Read more at www.toastmasters.org.

A Big OOPS and Apology

Direct mail can be a powerful marketing tool, depending on your objectives. In a former career I remember reading that direct mail is 40-40-20: 40% creative (design); 40% list; and 20% message (offer). I could be wrong on the percentages but you get the idea. And speaking of, did you know that 67.3% of percentages* are made up?

But I digress.

So direct mail. Necessary? Maybe. Opened and read? Probably not. In fact, did you know that a 5% response to direct mail is considered effective -- and successful -- in some circles? Turn this around and consider that the whole direct mail industry is based on a 95% fail rate. (I heard this explained at an American Marketing Association conference this fall so I must give them credit.)

And I've digressed again.

Here's the real story:

A few weeks ago, I received a mailing at home from the National Jewish Health organization. It contained "holiday" labels with my name. The labels I could were clearly Christmas wreaths. I found this mildly amusing and showed my husband and several coworkers. Now I'm all about supporting all religions. I've always been fascinated by the Jewish religion and took a class on it in college. Before I married my husband, however, we both joined a Catholic church. My personal feeling is that we are all calling God. But we might be using different phones. And that's okay. I personally don't think it's up to me to judge a person based on a religious preference or no preference.

I give to charitable organizations from time-to-time, and one of my personal favorites is the American Cancer Society. My mom passed from cancer several years back and giving to this organization is my way of paying tribute to my mom. My guess is that the American Cancer Society sold my address to the National Jewish Health organization. I'm not a fan of this process, but I know it happens.

So there I was, amused by the fact that a Jewish health organization took a BIG chance and sent out a holiday label mailing - with Christmas labels no less! I showed these to my Jewish coworker and asked if she was offended (no, she was not) but she shared that she imagined some others might be.

I still haven't opened my pack of labels because I think it is way too amusing and it tells a great story. And no, I did not donate to the National Jewish Health organization. Not because I was offended, but because I've chosen to allocate my charitable donations to other causes. There are many worthy organizations out there and those who choose to give pick and choose where their dollars go.

So anyway, in today's mail I received an apology letter from the company who handled the mailing for the National Jewish Health organization. The letter itself is honest, but amusing to me as a marketer. Here's an excerpt:

"Recently, an error occurred in which address labels with potentially offensive holiday images were included in a fundraising mailing from National Jewish Health...We were responsible, and we are sorry."

"Jewish philanthropy is, and has always been, the foundation of funding for National Jewish Health. At the same time, the size and scope of the essential, lifesaving work they do make it necessary for them to also look outside the Jewish community to find other generous supporters. That's why Merkle produced two sets of address labels: one with traditional Jewish holiday imagery, and a second with non-Jewish images like Christmas ornaments and wreaths. A mix-up at the mailhouse resulted in some potential donors receiving the wrong set of labels."

There's more to the letter but this is the essence of it. They apologize profusely if anyone was offended and take complete ownership of the mailing glitch. The mailing also includes a second letter from the National Jewish Health organization's President and CEO, Dr. Michael Salem, who also apologizes profusely. He mentions that he heard from several people that they were disappointed or offended in the mailing and hopes this does not reflect upon their support of his organization.

Egad. His would be a tough job to have when that mailing hit. What would you do?



No, I was not at all offended but I sure want to open my Christmas ornaments to see what could have offended some people.

Yes, mistakes happen. Yes, this was a big risk for the organization to reach beyond the Jewish community for fundraising efforts. At the time I received the labels, I made the comment to my husband that some Christians may have been offended to receive a mailing from a Jewish organization and they definitely wouldn't donate. No, I was not offended but the mailing wasn't effective in getting me to donate. I'm in the 95% mentioned earlier. :)

So what's the moral of the story? I'm not sure. But I know that taking ownership for an error is a noble thing to do, and sometimes a difficult thing to do.

Oh, and now I know a bit more about the National Jewish Health organization and its fundraising efforts, so maybe I'm actually in the 5% category instead.

So - what's the best or worst mailing you've ever received, and why? I'd love to hear from you.

*Yes, I made this up, too. :)

Secret for Workers-in-Transition (psst... Toastmasters)

I was talking to Marie Jakubiak http://www.linkedin.com/in/mjakubiak today about a Toastmasters club we are forming at the Walsh College Novi campus, as well as the club at the Troy Campus (Park Street Presenters).

We were discussing how both clubs have been extremely successful at increasing members in recent months, and how many of the new members are workers in transition. When I'm talking to the unemployed about Toastmasters, I mention the following to them:

1. Toastmasters can help you with interviewing. How? Table Topics give you practice in answering questions on the spot.

2. Toastmasters can provide you access to network with hundreds of like-minded, driven professionals with leadership potential. Who wouldn't want these connections??? These are the people you want to know today, and the people you will want to know in the future when you're back to work. I can't even count the number of times I've provided a business referral to someone in Toastmasters, and many are not public-speaking related referrals.

3. Toastmasters will provide you with routine. Let's face it... when you're used to working 40-50-60+hours a week and then you're instantly unemployed, you're faced with an identity crisis. And a time crisis. What do you do with all that free time? And c'mon, admit it... even if you didn't love your job, you miss the routine. Most Toastmasters clubs meet twice a month.

4. Toastmasters will provide you with stability... through the current recession and beyond. There are many members who are beginners, but there are also many who have been with Toastmasters for 5-10-15-20+ years. And guess what? Toastmasters will NOT fire you. Well, unless you abuse the club rules (try selling to the members, etc.) but even in those circumstances we try to work things out.

5. Toastmasters will give you confidence and pride in yourself. I've been laid off, so I know how it can feel some days, like you've been kicked in the face. You start to doubt yourself. Even if you've been a dedicated, hard worker. Even if you were awarded Employee of the Month. Even if your former manager told you that you were the best hire she/he'd ever made. Because if you were so great, why aren't you working? Well, there are alot of great, talented people who are in transition right now. And you need to believe in yourself if you want your future employer to believe in you... especially in that crucial, uber-competitive job interview. Cuz gosh darnit, people like you! (remember Stuart Smalley?) I save every comment I'm handed after I give a speech at Toastmasters. I treasure the meeting awards I've won for best speaker, best table topics, best evaluator. And my Area Contest trophy, while it has an interesting story behind it, is a symbol to me - about me and how Toastmasters has helped me believe in myself.

6. Toastmasters will get you over your fear of public speaking. And if you're already over it, it will make you a better speaker. There's two types of people who come to Toastmasters: Those who are good speakers who want to be great speakers, and those who want to get over their fear or discomfort of speaking in front of groups. Guess what? Both will improve your communication and leadership skills through Toastmasters. And if you can speak confidently in front of groups, that's going to help you accelerate in your career and help you move into management positions, if you desire.

and if they're still listening to me after I've shared all this (you're STILL reading???), I'll share something a bit self-serving:

7. Toastmasters wants people like you. People who are highly talented, driven, leaders, lifelong learners, future CEOs, future managers, mentors, role models... and who have all the time in the world right now because they are NOT working. How many times have you put something off that you'd like to pursue because you couldn't fit it in with your work schedule? And how many times during your career did you think about maybe going back for that MBA, or looking into joining a professional association? And maybe you'd heard about Toastmasters, but were too nervous to actually go to a meeting. Well, after surviving a layoff, you're a stronger person and chances are you're open to taking chances. And you're the kind of person I would want in my Toastmasters club. You're the person I want in my professional network. Just because your former company has eliminated your position doesn't change that for me. Actually, it makes me want you as part of Toastmasters even more, because now you have the time to dedicate to helping my club and fellow members! :)

Toastmasters needs volunteers in leadership positions. Or you could even form your own club. How cool would THAT be on a resume? Forming a club in an organization known for leadership and public speaking. If I saw that on a resume, I would definitely call you in for an interview. That's just me, but I'm just saying....

I challenge you to check out a Toastmasters meeting. It can't hurt to visit and you never know who you'll meet. But I can guarantee you that there will be people there just as great as you.

Why I Love Toastmasters

Several years ago during an annual performance review, I asked my manager how I could improve on public speaking. I knew that working in marketing, I would someday need to be comfortable speaking in front of groups in order to move up in the organization. He suggested Toastmasters and told me a bit about the group.

At the time, the thought of speaking up in front of a room freaked me out. And speaking in front of a group of people who were GOOD speakers freaked me out even more. But this manager, Keith, was one of the best managers I have ever had. And he is a confident, engaging speaker. (Visit him here: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/4/294/868) So for Keith to tell me to join Toastmasters, it made me think that maybe it wasn't such a crazy idea...

A few years went by, and I finally started looking into professional organizations and found Toastmasters again. After several visits, I joined the Warren Toastmasters Club. It took me a few meetings to make the commitment, and I'm so glad I did.

Toastmasters is known as the "public speaking" organization, but what it's really about is improving your communication and leadership skills. Thank you to Vera for reminding us of this. When people join Toastmasters, they join for their personal goals. It might be improving their public speaking skills. It might be overcoming their fear of speaking in front of groups. It might be working on improving their English. Or, it might be because someone told them about Toastmasters and they really liked the members of the club. But regardless, I've found that when Toastmasters has started giving back to me is when I started giving back to my club and to our members and guests.

Toastmasters has taught me how to turn nervousness into positive energy. Toastmasters has given me the ability to practice speaking on a regular basis, so it's not as nerve-wracking to speak. Toastmasters has helped me to think on me feet - really helpful for those tough job interview questions. Toastmasters has taught me that it's not about me and my message, but it's about the audience and making a connection. And Toastmasters has taught me that I actually ENJOY speaking in front of people. This is coming from a person who was painfully shy.... plus it has given me confidence in myself and it has helped me to find my speaking voice.

And Toastmasters has introduced me to some really great speakers, friends, and mentors. People like Mary Comfort who has the gift of being an incredibly engaging and down-to-earth presenter and motivational speaker. People like Jim McVicar who has the ability to make you smile and laugh when he gets up to speak - and this is before he has said a word! And people like Joe Meirow, who started a new club in Shelby Township, Michigan - and he wasn't even a Toastmaster when he started the club! And people like Vera Johnson and Nancy Zychowicz - both which I consider to be true role models and mentors. Vera: for her enthusiasm and passion, while balancing an amazing career and young child. Nancy: for her willingness to support members of every club, and for her spirit and warm demeanor.

I aspire to be a strong speaker like Keith, Mary, Jim, Vera, and Nancy, and I know that Toastmasters will help me get there. Yes, I'm still nervous when I'm asked to speak, but I find speaking to be such a great experience that I push that nervousness aside. And now instead of dreading speaking, I actually enjoy it. In fact, I competed in a contest tonight and came in 2nd place!! :)

There are so many reasons why I love Toastmasters. If you're intrigued, check out a club sometime. http://www.toastmasters.org/ and click the orange FIND button to enter your zip code.

ps -- here's a sample speech I gave at the Park Street Presenters group at Walsh College about my son Joshua, entitled, "He's Only Four."

http://tinyurl.com/joshua4