"Leaving Your House"
By Richard Wang, ATM-B

Remember the first time you walked into Cupertino Toastmasters? Ah... I certainly do. Just like it was yesterday. The first time I entered a club meeting, I was a brash, young know-it-all with a chip on my shoulder. My father was once a Toastmaster and he told me about all the good qualities it can bring, and so reluctantly, I left the house one night to see what all the racket about public speaking was about. No big deal, I thought, it will be just like speaking in front of my family. Oh, how naïve I was.

Back then, meetings were held in the back room of Carrow's Restaurant and I immediately found it awkward having to filter out the clanging of pots and pans, the pouring of hot coffee and the ringing of the cash register just to hear the speakers talk. But that was the least of my problems. When I asked to speak as a guest, my knees suddenly buckled, my mouth turned into sandpaper and my face turned red. Remember that?

I felt like I lost a little self-esteem and maybe even lost some of my dignity that night. Whatever it was, I felt like I lost. And I hate losing! So the next week, I returned with a vengeance, and a faith to improve my public speaking skills. I arrived with a video camera to tape my speeches. I arrived early to learn all the members' names and to learn more information about the Club. And when asked to speak, it was still not a good feeling. But it was better.

Week after week, I showed up and the general trend was the same - it got better. I felt better. I was undoubtedly more comfortable speaking in front of my fellow members in the back room of Carrow's Restaurant. In fact, after two months, I qualified for the Area Tall Tales contest! Wow! Isn't that improvement?

I practiced, practiced and then practiced some more. I felt extremely prepared when the night of the contest came about. But when my name and speech title were called, back came the knee-buckling, the dry mouth and red face. Add to that sweaty palms and hyperventilation and voila! Last place! Ugh! What happened?

Well, I believe that we should strive to constantly expand our comfort zones by speaking at different locations, to different people and in different circumstances. People are naturally uncomfortable with the unknown. Every time you speak in front of a new group, or a new location, there is uncertainty, which is the root of all public speaking fear. In a new group, there are new minds to make laugh, persuade, or inspire. In a new setting, there are tricks to learn about the speaking area, the microphone, or the acoustics. For years and years, I am certain that I will be more nervous speaking in front of a new Toastmasters group than speaking at my home club, just because of the uncertainty factor. But equipped with this knowledge, I see that there is value in providing an extra challenge by putting myself in changing situations.

Try speaking at another club (see Note, below), speaking in a contest, or speaking to a non-Toastmasters audience. Each of these three opportunities provides us with a different challenge than the one we face weekly by creating an uncertain environment for us to overcome. But once we do, the rewards are priceless. In a way, it is similar to leaving the comfort of your own house to go to your very first Toastmasters meeting. Wasn't it worth it?

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