Toastmasters - Learn To Lead

In July 2024, I walked into Richmond Toastmasters with a practical goal: I wanted to be able to pitch investors. I believed in the ideas I was building, but I knew I needed to communicate them clearly if I wanted other people to believe in them, too.

I was also an introvert. For my first few meetings, I said almost nothing.

At my third meeting, I found the courage to take a Table Topic: a short speech with no advance preparation. My two minutes quickly revealed that I was a cryptocurrency enthusiast. It may not have been the subject that most interested the room. Still, the members listened closely and gave me encouraging, specific feedback on how I spoke.

That response mattered. I had found a place where I could test an idea, stumble through part of it, and leave knowing how to make the next attempt clearer. I was hooked.

At my fourth meeting, I took on my Ice Breaker speech. I talked about my vision of becoming an exceptional entrepreneur and leader. At the time, standing up to share that vision was a challenge in itself.

Learning to speak for the room

I kept speaking about subjects I cared about, especially blockchain and AI. With each speech, I became more comfortable putting my thoughts into words. Then I began to notice a difference between speaking about an interest and giving the audience something useful.

I started asking myself what the people in the room might want to hear. Sometimes the answer was something from my everyday life: why I start early, how I protect my sleep, or how I think about eating well. The subject could be ordinary. The work was to find the part of my experience that might help someone else.

That shift made me a better speaker. I still cared about clarity and accuracy, but I also cared about the people receiving the message. Toastmasters gave me regular chances to practice all three.

Learning to lead with other people

About a year after I joined, Richmond Toastmasters held its executive board elections. I decided to run for president. I had no detailed playbook for the job. In my election speech, I spoke about the members who had welcomed me, supported me, and helped me find my voice. I wanted other people to have that experience, too.

Officer training helped me understand the responsibilities. Serving in the role taught me something deeper: a club president needs to communicate with peers toward shared goals. The job is to understand what matters to the members and help them move it forward.

Some of my fellow officers had clear plans and the energy to pursue them. I tried to encourage their work and ask where I could make it easier. Others had goals but were unsure of the next step. They usually knew more about the problem they were trying to solve than I did. I listened, helped them find confidence in their judgment, opened doors where I could, and brought other members together behind their ideas.

I had joined to learn how to stand in front of a room. Now I was learning when to step back and help someone else take the lead.

That lesson reached beyond our club. When an opportunity came to help form new Toastmasters clubs, I volunteered as the East Coast Extension Chair. I had little business development experience, which made the work appealing: outreach was a skill I knew I would need as an entrepreneur.

I asked district leadership whether it would help if I emailed prospective organizations. With their approval, I reached out to 50. Those emails became calls about how Toastmasters could help people in those organizations grow as speakers and leaders. Working with district leaders and the people who answered those calls, I helped establish clubs at Liberty University, McKesson, and Reynolds Community College.

I did not expect a few emails, a few calls, and a genuine offer to help to travel that far. They did because other people were willing to build on the opportunity.

Making room for the next leader

Toward the end of my presidential term, I began thinking about who would lead Richmond Toastmasters next. I started conversations with members who might serve on the next executive board. Some were unsure they were ready. I understood that feeling because, only a year earlier, I had been in their shoes.

When I encouraged someone to step forward, I remembered the members who had encouraged me. They did not wait for me to become a confident speaker before giving me a chance to speak. They made it possible for me to become one.

I came to Toastmasters because I wanted to pitch investors. I found a supportive place to practice speaking clearly, learn what an audience needs, and take responsibility alongside people who wanted to grow. Those experiences are still shaping the speaker and leader I hope to become.

Toastmasters has about 13,000 clubs worldwide. If you are curious, find one near you or online and attend a meeting. You can begin by listening. That is where I began.