One day a friend of mine asked me, do you know what Toastmasters is? I swear I had no idea about Toastmasters. I promptly searched Google, and I knew that this was the right platform that I was searching for to boost up my confidence in the area of leadership, communication, and public speaking. With great enthusiasm, I agreed to join the Toastmasters forum. In December 2019, we had our first demo meeting with experienced toastmasters at Diyalo Foodland, Butwal. The orientation and presentation given by Toastmasters Ankit Goenka, Birendra Dhami, and Asira Khanal made me more passionate about Toastmasters. Immediately our journey started as Butwal Toastmasters club under the presidentship of Toastmaster Neha Agrawal. It has been a fantastic experience since I have become a part of the Toastmasters family.
At the initial days, we had a tough time carrying out the roles, many of our members were not able to manage the time, and hence the participants were very less to fill up the roles based on the Toastmasters protocol. But what I loved about Toastmasters is the mentorship, guidance, and support we received when we were in need. The mentors and members from other clubs continuously guided us and helped us to learn by taking the roles themselves. Now, as we have shifted to virtual meetings due to COVID 19 pandemic, we have no limits of developing ourselves. We can quickly join the meeting of other clubs nationally and internationally. We are connected through the virtual platform at this challenging time, making our lives easier. What would be better than developing oneself during this worldwide lockdown?
It has been an incredible journey. I feel honored to be a member of Butwal Toastmasters. The networking with my club members and the quality time we had to groom ourselves is one of the precious moments of my life. Since I joined the club, it has been easier for me to carry out my profession as well. It has added value to deliver my lectures effectively with full confidence. For me, the crucial part of the Toastmasters meeting is the impromptu speech, which develops us to speak on our feet without thinking whenever it is necessary. Now I can face people and situation more confidently.
Shanta Sharma, Secretary, Butwal Toastmasters