Did you know that once you are a member of one Toastmasters club, you are able to drop into any other club in the world to attend meetings, and even, if asked, take a role?
During the lockdown period when every single club went online, thousands of Toastmasters zoomed around the world, dropping in on clubs on the other side of the country, or even the world.
Now that many clubs have gone back to meeting in person, dropping in on Zoom is less of a possibility but we are still welcome at other clubs, in the UK or abroad.
Recently I spent a few weeks in Singapore visiting family. I do this every year and have visited several clubs on the island. My most recent visit saw me attending two meetings at a small club outside the main centre of Singapore. I had visited them the previous year too, and was welcomed back with open arms.
They invited me to make a speech and I obliged by talking for seven minutes about my Toastmasters journey and how it has boosted my confidence levels and pushed me into leadership roles I would never have imagined a few years ago. I then opened up the floor for a discussion about different cultures – differences and similarities.
I also took part in a lively table topics session during which I found myself discussing social housing issues in Singapore – not really my specialist subject. Yet I won best table topics speaker of the evening! Somehow I get the feeling they were being kind. Table topics are our way of describing impromptu speaking about a subject you have no notice of. It gets you thinking on your feet!
Already a member? If you travel for work and find yourself in a strange city with nothing to do in the evening, check out local Toastmasters to see if there is a meeting you could drop in on. It is a fantastic way of learning about new cultures, places, and people. And you make friends.
Sussex Online Speakers meets online on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of every month (except December as a rule). Drop in, enter the Toastmasters world, and find the warmest of welcomes. Register now for our next meeting.
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