There was a sweet warm hearted woman who quit my Toastmaster’s club. She loved the members there, and the members loved her back. Perhaps we failed her because she felt we didn’t do enough to help her.
Jane was a very talented speaker. Whenever she talked she had a bit of warmness. Depending on the table topic, she can draw you in with her choice of words and the emotion she put into it. Even though she was talented, she didn’t know it.
Jane always was nervous about speaking. Rarely I could pick up a bit on a slightly nervous tone, but she would finish off strongly. She came to Toastmaster’s about facing her fear of public speaking. She was very active, and came frequently. I didn’t know she felt like she wasn’t growing until she quit.
Jane had signed up for a big role. Jane had been around long enough that I was sure she would handle it fine. She received our club’s guide to the role the day before of the meeting. Jane notified us she wouldn’t make it to the meeting and didn’t show up again.
The board contacted her if she was alright. This was when she explained that she felt as if we weren’t able to provide her the support she needed. We given her all the material she needed to perform the role. Yet what she was missing was confidence.
Jane had a potential she wasn’t aware of. If she had performed, she would’ve been able to gauge her level. She has embarrassed herself before in front of the other members, but in Toastmasters we want our members to grow.
I’ve seen many people like Jane come in. They can speak better than they realize, but they need to develop confidence. After this experience, I hope I can inspire confidence in others so they can see the potential they have. This blog is dedicated helping support those like Jane or I who needed help, when we didn’t know who to ask. If you lack confidence, I hope you can learn about it, and find people in your club to lean on.
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