First thing I learned in Toastmasters

Good evening, dear guests and my Toastmasters fellers.

Before I start, I have a question for you?

Put your hands up if you know what is "Step Up" mean.

So the first thing I learned in Toastmaster is the meaning of  "Step Up" in English, literally, it means to put extra effects in something, could be your work, could be your life or could be tonight, you step up to the stage and give your first English speech in public.

I have joined Toastmasters Club 2 years ago in Guangzhou. My home club called "Step Up TMC" and that's the reason why the first thing I learned in TMC is the meaning of step up. Cause every time you join the meeting someone will explain it to you.

Few days later after joining the club, our club coach, a very elegant lady, found me .

"Hi,  Nami. We gonna have a club officer election next week and we need all the members to be here and vote."

I said great I will be there

"Also, we want to promote you as our next VPM. Don‘t worry about it we gonna support you to win the election"

"Oh~really!! As a member for 1 week and I gonna be promoted." Last time I have been promoted, I have suffered our costumers' complain for half year. But the promotion in club seems to be so easy and so fast.

Maybe this is magic in Toastmasters. Or it is the magic of the backdoor.

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Then the day of election just coming. We have 18 members here. And 1 candidates for President, 2 candidates for VPE, 3 candidates for VPM, only 1 for others

I was so scared and want to quit. Mrs Coach, you haven't told me we gonna have a 2 mins speech for election. You know I was shaking in table topic every-time and I even don't know what is VPM.

"Clam down Nami. Remember, you got a team at you back'

Who is us and how many people we have

You and me. 

18 members here, minus 4 candidates and I gonna have 17% to win. Such a high probaliy, even higher than become a milinions.

Fine. I am an expert at losing the election. I lost 2 elections for 班长 when I was a teenager. And 1 elections for the Students Union. And hundreds of times to lose in the job interview on-campus tour.

Then she said something to me. Something really inspired me and push me to step up. I want to share with you guys today.

There are some chairs on this stage and you think you may not qualified to seat there. Every time when the chairs is open you told yourself you are not ready, so every time you standby and watch. You don't need to be ready now. What you need to do is step up and take a spot. at the moment, when you seat down there, you know you will be ready for everything that could happen to you.

At that night I shared this with my previous club and started my journey in Toastmasters.

The very first thing I learned in Toastmasters, step up and stand on the stage. Dont just standby and watch.