Toastmasters Meeting

A friend had invited me to check out Toastmasters. The purpose of this group is to network, practice public speaking and learn leadership skills. I have another friend who is a member of this club already, and he was often raving about the members, projects and assignments, etc... I finally gave it a try.

I met two friends at the station and it was quite hot that night. I always carry a small Japanese folding fan and showed my friend. She said: "Oh I have one of those too." and whipped out this huge paper fan! I took a photo...

o_O Holy sheep....

The meeting was held at the Goethe Institute. I was the only one who had been to this location before, so I had to give directions. ^_^ What surprised me most? All members were Thai (we 4 were the only foreigners) and the entire 2 hour session was covered in English! I was impressed. During a break, I got to speak with the President of the club, one Distinguished Speaker and another businessman.

View right:

My view left:

I was a little shocked when they asked us to get up and speak. I introduced myself and mentioned how my name is Greek for "moon". Everyone in Thailand has a nickname, as their formal name is often so difficult to pronounce; I thought sharing my nickname might be fun. It turns out there was another woman at the meeting whose name means "star", so one young guy joked: "I brought the moon and stars together!" (laugh)

It was interesting and I will attend a pot luck party next week with the members. I will likely join the club, since I used to teach classes on public speaking. It might be nice to be the speaker instead of the teacher. ^_^

Toastmasters is an international organization that promotes public speaking and leadership. All meetings are conducted in English, regardless of the country's host language. Membership fees apply, but are valid at Toastmasters Clubs around the world. Global website is HERE. In Japan, there is a club in Tokyo. Go HERE to see. In Bangkok, there are meetings daily. Go HERE for more information.