Livewire Articles

Been toastmasters since April 2013, taken multiple long breaks in between, you must be wondering what’s this guy up to. I have always been asking this question to myself, why join back Toastmasters again and again. Here are some of my thoughts. First time, I went on stage to speak up was when I must be 11 years old. The speakers before me were vibrant, confident and loud. Seeing them, I decided I should also be as loud as possible. This way I will receive more applauses. But when, I reached the stage, my voice vanished, my body acted like a pendulum and without utteringRead More →

Why does someone join Toastmasters? What drives a person to volunteer? There is no monetary gain. Volunteering demands time, effort and energy. There might be something truly rewarding that nudges people to. That something is the JOY of GIVING. This is why people flock to volunteer across multitude of organizations. Volunteering makes a person humble, grounded and more human. It brings me great joy to state that Toastmasters International recently stood third among all the volunteering organizations in the world. Apart from being a volunteer, a toastmaster has an opportunity to grow and polish his/her public speaking as well as leadership skills. A toastmaster canRead More →

It was the other day afternoon. I had just renewed my Toastmasters’ Membership, and I was brooding on whether spending the amount was wise, especially in this time of crisis. My garden boasts of a plethora of flowers. All seemed revived and rejuvenated after the short spell of rain, an hour before. Suddenly I spotted a butterfly. There is something about the butterflies that seems to inspire us. Its metamorphosis from an unostentatious caterpillar to a grandiloquent beauty blessed with the gift of flight, carries a strong message that speaks to our own capacity to move through stages of life, reflecting our own voyages ofRead More →

“Why did you join Toastmasters?” Do you remember? Was it to gain communication skills? Or was it to polish your leadership skills? Or was it to network? Or was it something entirely different? Do you have it written somewhere? If no, then right away take a piece of paper and jot it down, and if your answer is yes, then you have already crossed a major hurdle towards becoming an excellent communicator and great leader. Toastmasters is a platform where you can learn and grow like nowhere else. You just need to know what you want to learn. You just need to know where youRead More →

August 2015 when I stepped in toastmasters. The start was slow but the flow kept me improving. As we grow up, the challenges in life also intensified which kept me occupied in other things in life. Eventually I did not renew after 2.5 years or five consecutive terms in toastmaster. March 2018 was my last month in toastmasters and after 1.5 years I realized it was my Cardinal sin not to renew and continue in toastmasters. After a long break I thought to put a brake on the break and made my entry again on 1st January 2020. While speaking I genuinely realized that theRead More →

Promises are both simple and powerful. It is more than a verbal commitment. Holding up to your promises, however small it may be shows your convictions, dependability and trustworthiness. On a daily basis, many of us promise several things either to our own self or others like – I promise I will start exercising from tomorrow Next time I will come on time I promise and many more. Promises generally spring out from the intentions to do better or to improve further. Let me cite an example from my life. For a very long time, I had been an introvert and always wanted to conquerRead More →

Change is the only constant. How true these words are! Today we live in a world that is different from the one we grew up in. The world today is changing at such an accelerated rate that we, as humans need to keep up the pace. We stand poised on the threshold of a new era and the need for adaption is a must. Who had thought that in a span of just a few months our kids would become tech savvy and everything will become online. Businesses are conducted online; you can find your local vendor selling his products online. you even get freshRead More →

Life doesn’t always work according to your hopes and plans. There always seems to be some unseen or unforeseen circumstances that alters the path to your promises. The promises that you made to yourself when you were a child might not be relevant to you anymore or might be too far fetched now. But at that time it was like a dopamine, a perpetual fuel to your spirit which drove you forward. When I was younger I always had the hopes of escaping from my world and live somewhere I thought would be fun, easy and comfortable. I promised my self that I would experienceRead More →

Any relationship is based on a promise. We make a promise to our partner that we will keep contributing, keep taking care, keep investing in common goals. We also make a promise to ourselves that we will keep enjoying the adventures that the relationship brings and keep learning to be better people through the experience. Ultimately, that relationship could take both partners through a journey that lifts the spirits. But does that always happen? A married couple is ecstatic during the first year, but gradually, familiarity brings forth a tinge of apathy. A new mother goes gaga over every single activity of her new-born child,Read More →

Greetings of the day readers, My name is raj and today I am going to share my whole journey as a toastmaster how I joined toastmaster, why I joined toastmaster, and how was my overall experience with toastmasters international. First and foremost toastmaster has nothing to do with some sort of cooking or toast making club. For those who don’t know what Toastmasters is all about allow me to explain, toastmasters international is a non-profit educational organisation that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs. Toastmasters International has helped people from diverse backgrounds become more confident speakers, communicators, and leaders.Read More →