A great deal has happened in my voyage to the semifinals during the past two weeks, and my head is spinning.
For one, I took vacation time in hopes of recharging my batteries. I intentionally set aside not just my professional life but also my Toastmasters life. The "meat grinder" of club presentations and evaluations had taken its toll and I needed perspective.
As is so often the case, that really didn't work. The day after my return I returned to the circuit and it was not an energizing night. The members of that club dished out a massive load of criticisms unaccompanied by anything I considered positive reinforcement. The message I took away was "change everything, including the title." And the primary evaluator made more than clear that the speech was perhaps good enough for a "local contest" but not the international stage.
I returned home entirely demoralized. I even contemplated closing down polishing work on the finalist speech. Didn't seem that would be a good use of time. And I dreaded the club presentation the next evening.
To my own surprise I didn't let that discouraged attitude color my presentation that Tuesday night. Toastmasters has taught the lessons needed to get back on the saddle and deliver a speech with passion. To my astonishment the club loved the speech and even asked me to do some Q&A after their meeting which lasted quite some time.
Same material. Different reaction. Go figure.
But that evening had only settled in my mind that I had solved the emotional questions, the takeaway, and the "connect-the-dots" issues I had wrestled with over the previous weeks. It did not change my mindset on the semifinal. I would be lying if I said that I am highly optimistic. Of the 92 people competing on August 20th, 27 will earn a trophy of some kind. I do not expect to be one of them. The corpus of feedback I have so far received has left the strong impression that I have not developed the skills needed by a contestant in the World Championship of Public Speaking. I am proud I did so well to date, and winning a district crown in a mere 24 months as a Toastmaster is a heck of an accomplishment. Now is the time for a sober assessment and a reality check. It's midnight, Cinderella.
At this point I will fly to Kuala Lumpur, give my very best, enjoy the astonishing voyage I have been on since my club contest on March 19th, and then watch and learn from the best. And perhaps again next year try the thing again.
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