By Judd Spitzer, DTM
Welcome to Toastmasters! You’ve taken an important first step in your journey to becoming a more confident and effective speaker. But before you go any further, there’s something you need to understand: your success in Toastmasters is entirely up to you.
Toastmasters is not a class, and it’s not a course where an instructor tells you exactly what to do. Instead, it’s your personal laboratory—a place where you experiment, practice, and refine your skills. Your fellow members and mentors are here to help, but they can’t do the work for you. If you want to improve, you have to be internally motivated.
Why Are You Here?
Before you can truly commit to growing as a speaker, you need to answer an essential question: What is your motivation to speak?
Are you here to:
• Gain confidence when speaking in public?
• Improve your communication skills for work?
• Become a more persuasive leader?
• Tell better stories and connect with an audience?
• Challenge yourself and grow as a person?
Your reason for joining matters because it will keep you pushing forward, even when it’s uncomfortable. Public speaking is a skill—one that improves only with deliberate practice. If you rely on others to push you along, you’ll struggle to make real progress.
No One Can Spoon-Feed You Success
In school, you may have been used to structured lessons, assigned reading, and deadlines set by a teacher. Toastmasters isn’t like that. No one is going to hand you a script, force you to give a speech, or tell you exactly how to improve.
Instead, it’s up to you to:
• Take initiative—sign up for speaking roles and challenges.
• Seek feedback—listen to evaluations and use them to improve.
• Experiment—try different speaking styles, structures, and techniques.
• Reflect and adjust—analyze what worked and what didn’t.
Every great speaker you admire once stood where you are now. The difference is that they took ownership of their growth. They put in the time, practiced, made mistakes, and learned from them.
How Toastmasters Helps You—If You’re Willing
While the responsibility for your progress lies with you, Toastmasters does provide an incredible support system—if you engage with it.
Here’s how you can make the most of it:
• Participate actively—Volunteer for speaking roles, even when you don’t feel ready.
• Give speeches regularly—The only way to get better is by speaking.
• Engage with your mentor—Seek guidance, ask questions, and apply what you learn.
• Listen to feedback—Use evaluations as tools for growth, not as criticism.
• Support others—Encourage your fellow members, and you’ll build a network of motivation and accountability.
The Choice Is Yours
At the end of the day, you determine your success in Toastmasters. You can show up to meetings, listen passively, and wait for someone to push you—or you can step forward, take charge of your development, and embrace the challenges that make you better.
Your motivation is the fuel that will drive your growth. Find it, hold onto it, and use it to propel yourself forward. No one can do it for you—but when you take responsibility for your own improvement, you’ll be amazed at how far you can go.
Welcome to your journey. Now, step up and speak.
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