Communication and leadership skills go hand in hand. We need them constantly in our day to day lives, whether or not we’re actually professionally leaders or speakers. If you are one of those people who seem to be born with these skills, then Toastmasters offers a great opportunity to hone those skills, and make yourself much more effective. Personally, I started off utterly terrified of any opportunity involving putting myself forward, of standing out. In fact, I was reluctant to even attend a Toastmasters club at all, until my boss strongly encouraged me to try it out.
I won’t go into that story, other than to say that Toastmasters has changed my own life, given me the capability to overcome my own fears, discover my capabilities, and make use of them. I am now capable of taking on tasks that require me to talk to other people, and, in fact, I’ve discovered that I enjoy doing so.
Despite that, I know I still have a lot more to learn. The wonderful thing about Toastmasters is that it’s not a three-day course that you forget a week or two later — Toastmasters is an ongoing program, that you attend as often as possible to build up your own skills, become a better speaker and leader, and while you are at it, have a bit of fun.
Our club is still very new, but we’re already off to a great start. Our members are of all ages and professions, with varied backgrounds. Some of us are native English speakers, while others grew up with other languages and are using the club to improve our English.
Toastmasters clubs are supported by the members for the members. So the cost to become a member is quite reasonable, as compared to traditional training courses. The membership fee covers the basic operating costs of the club. A new member receives a kit with all of the material needed to start off improving both communication and leadership skills.
You are more than welcome to visit our club with no charge or commitment. Come on by, see what we’re about, and meet our members. We’d love to have you join us.
Daniel Bernstein
President, Modi’in Toastmasters