Well, I didn't throw up last night. Truthfully, I don't even know why I was so nervous; I'd been working on that speech for weeks, and it wasn't the first time the class had heard it. But I came dangerously close to having a nearly full-blown attack of hyperventilation just before I was introduced. Somehow I survived it.

The assignment was to give a five to seven minute speech on any topic of my choice. I talked about retirement planning and the three biggest mistakes that people make when investing for retirement, and my presentation came in at a very tidy 6:21.

I think my speech was well-received, and the evaluations from my classmates and the facilitators were very positive. The main facilitator, Robin, couldn't have been more effusive in her praise. She told me that I have a natural warmth in my voice that is very pleasant to listen to, and that I am able to project my voice without sounding shrill. Who knew?! She told me that my strengths include good speech organization and flow; appropriate use of gestures and facial expressions to accompany my message; and excellent vocabulary. Her comments also mentioned that I "radiated confidence and competence" while speaking, and that she learned anew about planning her investment portfolio. Later in the class, she pointed out that I have a very rare ability for a beginner speaker to avoid the use of filler words such as "uh" and "um" and "like," even when I'm not quite sure in which direction my speeches are going.

I just about floated out of the classroom at the end of the night! Taking this class was an overwhelmingly positive experience for me. I really went outside of my comfort zone when I signed up for the class, and I wasn't sure I'd enjoy it or do well at all. The group was so supportive and provided such excellent constructive criticism, though. I'm eternally glad that I went for it.

The facilitators also encouraged me to check out a few of their Toastmasters meetings, so I'll be going to one later this month. As I thanked each facilitator for their help and support during the course of the class, one of them shook my hand and said, "You're going to go places, I can tell."

WOW.

Labels: accomplishments, Toastmasters