• Why did you come to Toastmasters?

I came to Toastmasters by accident, my friend who was the member invited me to come along with him and have a look. I loved it from the very beginning. As English is my second language, initially, my primary goal was to improve my vocabulary and to get fluency in speaking English.

• Tell us about your background?

I work in IT Consulting for large IT company, communication and presentation skills are imperative in my role to be able to explain complex technical topics in simple and logical forms. Eight years ago I moved from Moscow, Russia to Sydney, Australia.

• How much have you improved your speaking?

I feel I have come a long way since joining. Toastmaster allowed me to gain the confidence to speak at work and outside of work. I use it as a tool to maintain my experience and to experiment sometimes.

• What do you think the secret to Toastmasters is – in your case.

I would say it is the diversity of our club. It is excellent when people with different backgrounds and various experiences come together to help to improve each other talents. It gives different perspectives on your speaking skills, personality and presence.

• Best part about TM?

It is a perfect gym to train, improve and increase your speaking muscles, endurance and capacity.

I joined Toastmasters in 1984. The company I was working for had established a new club. I was in sales and saw that my job entailed doing a lot of presentations to prospective clients. Therefore, I thought it would be very important to learn how to be a better communicator.

I was also interested in the social side of belonging to a Club. I had arrived in Australia from England in 1981 and I had a limited group of friends. I came along to the early Toastmasters meetings and enjoyed the camaraderie and playfulness of the meetings.

I think I was always confident on stage. However, I have discovered in my time at Toastmasters that there is a big difference between speaking and communicating. Where I think I have grown as a speaker is better understanding how to get your message across and engage an audience.

The secret to Toastmasters is the honest evaluations that speakers get from others. This feedback helps you understand how you can improve. However, equally important, you get to witness others around you in the club grow from the feedback they receive. There is something in nearly all the evaluations that are given at a Toastmasters meeting that will help you become a better communicator.

The best part about Toastmasters is the opportunity to hear from others and learn their life journeys. Invariably their stories combine humour and inspiration. After a busy day at work a Toastmasters meeting is often a real tonic that recharges your batteries.

• Why did you come to Toastmasters?

My manager “suggested” I attend Toastmasters. It took a few meetings until I started to enjoy myself.

• Tell us about your background?

I was a manager of IT programmers who did not want to see daylight, let alone customers. After joining Toastmasters, I changed my career dramatically to be more sales oriented.

• How much have you improved your speaking?

I have presented and demonstrated around Australia, New Zealand, Asia, China and USA.

More personally, I have had to deliver a number of eulogies for family members – it’s a sad duty, but an important one and Toastmasters helped me to truly express what I felt.

• What do you think the secret to Toastmasters is – in your case.

The evaluation/feedback/encouragement provided after each assignment

• Best part about TM?

The fun and humour. It is great to be able to try out different techniques or practice work related speeches. I was also able to practice my “Father of the Bride” speech