Oprah does an annual show about her favorite (material) things. She rhapsodizes and then furnishes each of her audience members (e.g. diamond earrings, iPods, books, etc.) with her new “favorite things.” In a way I’ve been feeling a bit like Oprah lately since I have a new “favorite thing”: the Parker Toastmasters! If I could I would give a Toastmaster’s membership to each of my friends. Why?
The group is cordially professional. I confess that its official nature has been a bit challenging for me since I’ve been “home with the kids” for four years, but it provides a refreshing sense of momentum that can’t be manufactured by reading a self-help book. I am grateful for the structure and see it as perfect for helping me meet my personal goals in joining the group. I find myself feeling humbled by my lack of refinement–and I haven’t even given a speech yet! But I’m embracing the the chisel of maturation. Ouch!
The Toastmasters of Parker are a diverse group and although I’m usually a front-row dweller, here I like to sit in the middle since I have much to learn about being a club member. I’ve noticed the diversity in age, gender, and career types. It’s like being given an opportunity for personal growth on a silver platter, quality folks with the same desire to grow, willing to take the stumbles to get there. This is clearly the type of group from which to learn.
It’s also evident that this group has a cohesiveness borne from time and experience together. Yet as I read through the manuals (which I got in the mail after a little over two weeks from the date of joining) I see an air-tight system. It’s impressive. Not only do the manuals outline the speeches required to achieve various levels of accomplishment but they also delineate the roles and mores in Toastmasters. My experience with groups that attempt to define a manner in which to bond is that they feel contrived. This group does not. I don’t know what else to say about that except that, as an educator, the curriculum looks consummate and thorough; I find myself wondering why I don’t know more people in Toastmasters. It seems like the best-kept secret in town!