Today’s guest post is from a new Toastmaster in one of the clubs I am in, Katie McCartney. I asked Katie to share her thoughts on being a new member and what she looked to get out of the organization.
I joined Toastmasters recently to improve on my speaking skills and to gain some new insights in the industry of public speaking. I was concerned going into the organization because I feared that either I was going to find a “coffee club” or advanced people in speaking that they were not interested in assisting in my quest to get better or just very competitive to win speaking contests. Well instead of finding the click that I feared, I found a very open and inviting group. Those who are just starting out in overcoming their speaking fears, people who are developing into a speaker, and those who are so polished that I am looking forward to sounding like them some day. Everyone was open and honest with each other and wanted to help each other improve.
I have learned so far that public speaking is not an innate talent. Although we may have the calling to go into speaking, speaking is something that should be practiced and refined. Refining what you do is a part of becoming that polished speaker. Having poise in front of everyone is indispensible in any situation whether it is in front of 1,000 people or just 1 person. Having poise and polish under pressure is indispensible.
My goal for Toastmaster is to continue to hone my speaking skills and develop that exterior self confidence and poise that I feel that I have inside myself. I am here to develop my whole self and put sometime in the development of what I find vital for my industry and career.
About Katie McCartney
Katie has been practicing Real Estate since April of 2007, and recently received from RE/MAX Affiliates the brokerage’s 2008 Rookie of the Year Award. She believes real estate is working with you to manage the project of selling or buying a home.
Katie started her career in Management Information Systems right here in Columbus, Ohio 10 years ago. SK Ventures embodies her desire to see technology used more effectively as a meaningful and useful tool to assist businesses in their never ending quest for prospects, leads, and just plain relationship building.
Katie lives in Worthington, Ohio with her husband of 9 years, Sean who is an IT Network Manager for The Ohio State University’s Business and Finance. Katie and Sean have one child, Ron (2) and one fur child, Edy (6).
You can read more of Katie’s writing on her blog at: www.katiemccartney.com
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