I completed my C10 speech last Friday, and it feels like a huge weight off my shoulders. Looking at the new title I’ve been given, Competent Communicator, the title given to a Toastmaster who has completed his first manual of ten speeches, I still feel like I’m anything but competent!
I had a lot of fun delivering my C10 speech though! About three or so minutes from the end, I forgot my lines, and so I was winging it completely. I felt some sort of rush the whole time, a knowledge that I was about to be found out at any moment! No-one could tell that I forgot my lines, so I’m pleased with my performance. I don’t for a second condone my lack of preparation, but it was a welcome change from the usual struggle to complete my speech on time.
I think that as a result of forgetting my speech, my execution was more natural this time around. On the whole however, my speech lacked a bit of focus. With the struggle with programming, I didn’t allow myself enough time to program. It was a sort of ‘generic inspirational speech’, but since I was winging my inspiring conclusion, it really lacked the impact I was hoping for.
I’m looking forward to a small break from Toastmasters. I have to wait a while for my new Advanced Manuals, so maybe I’ll be able to take part in some more Table Topics contests (I’ve only done about three and they were all awful).
The thing I’m most pleased with is that I reached my goal of completing my CC certificate by June. There were times when I really didn’t think that this would be possible, so somehow I feel like I’ve excelled myself. It’s sort of a nice inspiration for me because it demonstrates that setting a clear goal brings you 90% of the way to achieving it. The rate at which I attained CC, less than six months, is faster than most other people within Toastmasters, but I’m still hoping that I can get even more experience. I’m having a little trouble coming up with speech topics, however, and as I set such high standards for myself, it’s definitely something that is holding back my progress.
The knowledge that I can go up on stage and deliver an ad libbed speech, is a comfort to me, as it means I’ll be able to take more risks in speech preparation and hence get more vital stage experience. I think my new target will be to finish ten more speeches by the end of the year.
Toastmasters has been a great experience and has been a wonderful place to grow and build confidence that enters into other areas of my life. I feel like I’m building some sort of momentum. Getting to C10 is a huge relief, and a nice milestone for me. As I said in my speech, it’s exciting to see how far I’ve come, but even more exciting to imagine the speaker that I will become in the future.
