1. Living the Dream c o n t i n u e d
and had received the prestigious Golden Gavel award from Toastmasters in 1972, he still felt our weekly infusion was important. I’m
still a member of Toastmasters today, and consider it one of the most
enriching experiences of my life.
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~ LAEC KRSOOBNE,RW, YCOTM I ,NSGI ,NU SEAR / S O N G W R I T E R A N D S T O R Y T E L L E R ,
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It All Started With A Speech!
And to think, it all started with a speech!
I needed a topic for my third speech, “Get to the Point,” in the
Competent Communication manual in 2011. I had just joined Toastmasters to work on my presentation skills after writing my first book.
People were calling and asking me to give book presentations and I
was terrified of speaking. (That’s why I became a writer!) I was also
bothered by a local news story about missing women in my hometown, so I put together a speech called “Personal Safety for Women.”
I talked about my days as a Flight Attendant and how I overcame my
fear of traveling alone and living alone while doing it.
The speech received kudos from not only my evaluator, but the
other members of my club. Some commented on how they had never
thought of the tips I mentioned, and some of the men even said that
they would tell women in their lives about the tips. I felt I was onto
something….
Two speeches later, for the “Your Body Speaks” speech, I gave a
speech called “Personal Safety, Part Deux.” My club members once
again were very complimentary; they suggested I write a book with
the tips in it. At first I did not think that I had enough material to
write an entire book.
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2. Living the Dream c o n t i n u e d
A few months later, I was approached by the CEO and publisher
of the Professional Woman Network (PWN) to write a chapter in a
book, Single and Lovin It: An African American Woman’s Guide to
Life. I mentioned the safety-tips speeches that I had so much ­ uccess
s
with in my Toastmasters club. She loved the idea and requested a
10-page chapter. Since I save all of my speeches, I combined the two
speeches and came up with a great chapter quite effortlessly.
Months after my submission had been accepted and the book was
underway, I received a call from my publisher asking if I had thought
about expanding the chapter into a book. She was not aware that my
club had already suggested the same thing. I decided not to tempt fate
this time. The result was In the Still of the Night: Personal Safety for
Women. Not only that, she asked me to do a presentation at PWN’s
International Women’s Conference the following year. I had not even
finished my CC manual, so I really wasn’t too confident speaking in
front of an international conference. She was unconcerned and told
me to “stick with Toastmasters and you’ll be ready.” It is amazing how
the name and the brand of Toastmasters is known by people whether
or not they are involved in the organization. So last August I debuted
both books and gave a 30-minute presentation to more than 100
women. And to think, it all started with a speech!
~ A N D R E A F OY, AC B , A L B , DAY T O N , O H I O , U S A
H e a r t o f a To a s t m a s t e r ❤ 121