This is a guest post by Julie Carpenter, a Communications Specialist at Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minneapolis (JFCS). As a mom to three teenage sons, Julie gives a lot of impromptu speeches (and advice.).
“I was 23 years old before I asked a girl out. Seriously. It wasn’t that I didn’t know what girls were for. I’d seen movies. It wasn’t that my calendar was so full. Professional football, basketball and baseball do have a week hiatus from time to time. And it wasn’t that my mother wasn’t encouraging me. She certainly knew a lot of “lovely girls.” It was that I couldn’t get the words out of my mouth.”
Recently Joe confided his humorous dating travails not just to some close friends, but to a group of about 100 at the Toastmasters Humorous Speech Contest district competition. His confident confidential not only won first place, it also won the girl. During his soliloquy he revealed that joining Toastmasters is what gave him the confidence to date. And one young woman in the audience took his speech to heart and the two are now… meeting for private Toastmasters training… so to speak.
Toastmasters helps people gain great communications skills through supportive, fun, learn-by-doing meetings. By joining a Toastmasters group you will learn to effectively formulate and express ideas helping you gain confidence both in front of a group or speaking one-to one. The meetings are a great place to meet other positive-thinking individuals who also want to grow personally and professionally. Practicing public speaking teaches people how to think on their feet and get their point across quickly, while holding the audience’s attention.
Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minneapolis (JFCS) is starting a Toastmasters group which will meet monthly in the evenings at their Minnetonka office. For less than the cost of a couple lattés a month, you will make a big investment in yourself and your future.
We can’t guarantee that like Joe you’ll get the girl, but we can guarantee that you will learn how to get ahead.
If you’re interested in JFCS Toastmasters contact Janet Flam, Career Initiatives Program Manager at 952-417-2112 or [email protected] or register at http://is.gd/toast.
(Photo: NFSA Australia)