This is the first actual toastmasters speech I gave, meaning it was from the manual. You'll have to remember that because it's a speech, it is much more effective spoken rather than read on my blog. Unfortunately, I don't plan to film my speeches for you all to see (haha). But I actually thought it turned out OK, considering I procrastinated it until the last minute.
When I gave my first speech for toastmasters, I uncharacteristically went out of order in the manual and skipped over the icebreaker. Afterward, many people told me that the icebreaker would be much easier for me, as it was about myself. However, I think talking about myself is a lot more difficult than talking about, well . . . anything else. While brainstorming, all I could come up with was words, and I felt really stuck, until I realized that words were the answer I had been looking for.
The written word has always been a huge part of my life. That doesn’t necessarily mean that I’m a great speller, I have a fantastic vocabulary, or that I could take you down in a game of scrabble. No—instead, it means that as an avid reader and writer and former yearbook editor, English and journalism major, and magazine editor, I have chosen to let the written word dominate my life. Thus, it only seems fitting to let words dominate my icebreaker speech, as well.
Let’s start with the nouns. I am currently a wife, crazy dog lady, homeowner, and part-time fundraiser. I am also a daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, and cousin—and you can add in-law to most of that, too. I am a blogger, facebook-addict, reality TV watcher, and library enthusiast. I have been a Coloradan, a Goddard Rocket, a Littleton Lion, and a sorority girl. And I will always be a Nebraska Cornhusker.
But as I’ve moved from different states and different schools and had different jobs, I’ve learned that it’s the adjectives that really make me who I am, and that the adjectives never change. So here are three adjectives that I think best describe me.
Particular. When my husband and I first started dating, we discovered we had one very important thing in common: neither of us liked to have our food touch the other food on the plate, and we both only eat one thing at a time. He was relieved because his family would no longer make fun of him, as they would in turn be making fun of me, and I was super glad that I finally found someone who understood the importance of using a divider plate.
Being particular falls into everything I do in my life. I have an eye for detail and am very organized. I constantly carry around my planner, and my to-do lists are cross-referenced. I am never on time—I’m always at least five minutes early, more likely 10-15 minutes early. And don’t even get me started on my closet or the Tupperware drawer, two places in the house I have to have just right. While sometimes being so particular about everything can be overwhelming, basically, I like things to be just right.
Enthusiastic. Going along with my somewhat OCD-tendencies, I get really wrapped up in everything I do. This means I have varied interests and can often find something to talk about with people. If I’m interested in something, I’m INTERESTED in something—I tend to go through phases where I’ll learn everything I can about a particular subject until I lose eventually move on to something. I like to have opinions on topics I’m enthusiastic about, but I like to try to see both sides of an argument and often end up on the fence most of the time. But what I’m most enthusiastic about is people, which brings us to our third and final word.
Compassionate. I love people. While I’ve been told that I come off as quiet, shy, or even somewhat snotty and standoffish, I enjoy making friends and learning about people. More importantly, I like to help people, and this is why work in nonprofit drew me back in, even though going part-time has been a transition to say the least. I try to think of other people’s feelings before my own, and I am an includer, so I try to make sure people feel comfortable and welcome and invited. Mostly, I just really like learning people’s stories, because everyone has a story.
And now for some words I am not. Cook and mathematician are two that come to mind right away. But most of all, I’ve never considered myself to be a public speaker, so I hope my time as a toastmaster will change that.
When I gave my first speech for toastmasters, I uncharacteristically went out of order in the manual and skipped over the icebreaker. Afterward, many people told me that the icebreaker would be much easier for me, as it was about myself. However, I think talking about myself is a lot more difficult than talking about, well . . . anything else. While brainstorming, all I could come up with was words, and I felt really stuck, until I realized that words were the answer I had been looking for.
The written word has always been a huge part of my life. That doesn’t necessarily mean that I’m a great speller, I have a fantastic vocabulary, or that I could take you down in a game of scrabble. No—instead, it means that as an avid reader and writer and former yearbook editor, English and journalism major, and magazine editor, I have chosen to let the written word dominate my life. Thus, it only seems fitting to let words dominate my icebreaker speech, as well.
Let’s start with the nouns. I am currently a wife, crazy dog lady, homeowner, and part-time fundraiser. I am also a daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, and cousin—and you can add in-law to most of that, too. I am a blogger, facebook-addict, reality TV watcher, and library enthusiast. I have been a Coloradan, a Goddard Rocket, a Littleton Lion, and a sorority girl. And I will always be a Nebraska Cornhusker.
But as I’ve moved from different states and different schools and had different jobs, I’ve learned that it’s the adjectives that really make me who I am, and that the adjectives never change. So here are three adjectives that I think best describe me.
Particular. When my husband and I first started dating, we discovered we had one very important thing in common: neither of us liked to have our food touch the other food on the plate, and we both only eat one thing at a time. He was relieved because his family would no longer make fun of him, as they would in turn be making fun of me, and I was super glad that I finally found someone who understood the importance of using a divider plate.
Being particular falls into everything I do in my life. I have an eye for detail and am very organized. I constantly carry around my planner, and my to-do lists are cross-referenced. I am never on time—I’m always at least five minutes early, more likely 10-15 minutes early. And don’t even get me started on my closet or the Tupperware drawer, two places in the house I have to have just right. While sometimes being so particular about everything can be overwhelming, basically, I like things to be just right.
Enthusiastic. Going along with my somewhat OCD-tendencies, I get really wrapped up in everything I do. This means I have varied interests and can often find something to talk about with people. If I’m interested in something, I’m INTERESTED in something—I tend to go through phases where I’ll learn everything I can about a particular subject until I lose eventually move on to something. I like to have opinions on topics I’m enthusiastic about, but I like to try to see both sides of an argument and often end up on the fence most of the time. But what I’m most enthusiastic about is people, which brings us to our third and final word.
Compassionate. I love people. While I’ve been told that I come off as quiet, shy, or even somewhat snotty and standoffish, I enjoy making friends and learning about people. More importantly, I like to help people, and this is why work in nonprofit drew me back in, even though going part-time has been a transition to say the least. I try to think of other people’s feelings before my own, and I am an includer, so I try to make sure people feel comfortable and welcome and invited. Mostly, I just really like learning people’s stories, because everyone has a story.
And now for some words I am not. Cook and mathematician are two that come to mind right away. But most of all, I’ve never considered myself to be a public speaker, so I hope my time as a toastmaster will change that.
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