Speaking with Confidence

By Suzann Gilliland Peterson --  Do you ever feel that you’re left out of a conversation?  Do you think you have nothing to contribute?  Have you forgotten the text of your presentation?  Welcome to my world!  Or, I should say, my world of the past. Five years ago I joined Oasis Toastmasters here in Fallon to improve my marketing and public relations skills.  It had been more than 24 years since I’d spoken in public.  I was rusty.  I knew about Toastmasters and found Oasis, a club right in my own back yard.  I joined. Fear of standing in front of club members to talk for even one minute kept me from participating in meetings.  But with patience and encouragement from my peers, I finally took the podium.  I was terrible!  My initial speech was 14 minutes over time.  I was so nervous I forgot what I wanted to say and all speech organization took a holiday.  I was so disappointed in myself.  But in that verbal mess, my evaluator found a handful of skills he could praise (I certainly didn’t see any).  He also gently pointed out one or two of the many mistakes I made and gave me suggestions on how I could improve.  That opened a small window of hope for me. I stuck with the Toastmasters process and found myself improving my communication and leadership skills month by month.  I became more confident in my ability to speak before an audience and to interact personally with individuals.  One day I realized I was having fun! I’m not alone.  Oasis members come from all walks of life … business owners, managers, employees, retirees, military, housewives, students.  All of us seek to improve our ability to connect positively with others and to do so in a supportive environment.  Today I can confidently field any topic and speak with ease and enjoyment whether before an audience or one on one. I cordially invite you to join us at one of our meetings to see if you agree that this experience is mutually beneficial.  We meet every Thursday evening from 6:30 to 8:00 in the Highland Village Estates dining room, 570 N. Sherman St.  Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 775-217-7223 or at [email protected].  I look forward to sharing the experience.       Sign up to receive updates and the Friday File email notices. Support local, independent news – contribute to The Fallon Post, your non-profit (501c3) online news source for all things Fallon.