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"Toastmasters is the best investment of my life..."

Dear Friend,

Hi there, my name is Alice. I'm Metrospeaker's VP of Education, also the Area Governor 82 overseeing 5 Toastmaster Club. I joined this amazing organization September of 2003 after my friend from SFU Ian Su had raved about the great people, and the incredible learning that he has embarked on since joining. I'm a person that lives the philosophy "Try everything once, expand your horizons" so I took two of my best friends and came to a meeting. It was a night to remember, because Ian was the Table Topic Master. In his usual theatrical style, he picked the theme of Oscar Award Night and invited me down as Helle Berry to give an Award Acceptance speech!! I went up and mustarded all my acting ability and the presentation skills I had learned in high school and university to survive this 2 minutes ordeal, feeling my heart jumping in my throat. Miraculously, I won Best Table Topic Award that night. I was so taken aback with the incredible energy Metrospeakers had displayed, the professionalism and humour of Marc Hurtubise as Chairperson and I distinctively remember feeling amazed at the skill some of the evaluators had displayed. It was not only a meeting place for learning and sharing, it was a place as close to what Socrates had envisioned as his democratic town hall where great minds discussed and debated ideas that changed the world. I knew I was home.

I signed up that night and threw myself into the club, taking roles, joining the executive team, going for my CTM, CL and other achievements, telling anyone that would listen how wonderful Toastmaster is to one's growth as a person. Later, starting a monthly newsletter for our club and helping to organize some of our unforgettable social gatherings. I had learned so much from the great friends in Metrospeakers, I gained a lot of perspective from the mentoring of Chris Wearing, learned tactfulness from Sandy MaCintosh, Leadership from Daniel Lok and Sheree Gable, and living in the moment without fear from Ian and Marc, finding your purpose from Ben Ratje, being a friend from Jeremy Sherk. Many people come and go in our club, and we had our shares of ups and downs, but I really do believe we're always at the right place to learn what the universe wants to teach us. Our club is diversity, from our age, to our cultural backgrounds, to our professions and our hobbies. But we do have one thing in common, we're all students of life, and we're open to learn with an open mind.

Due to my training in Toastmasters, I have now had the courage to discover and pursue opportunities that has led to Professional speaking, becoming a writer, and one that I'm most proud of teaching. I currently teach a 10 weeks Event Planning course at Vancouver Community College, and in April, I will be teaching 4 event related courses. Imagine what new career path you might lead when you over come your fear of public speaking.

Toastmasters is the best investment of my life, it's my weekly pick me up. I come every Thursday to challenge myself to grow and live not in the comfort zone but in the courage zone as Ben Ratje recommands. I get to learn unique lessons such as Nuro-linguistic Programming, Spirituality, Business, Personal Development, Psychology, Gardening, Traveling, and overcoming struggles. I watch people blossom into their confidence, taking pride in sharing their knowledge, becoming more energetic and positive and striving for more in their life.

Sincerely,

Alice Zhou

Area Governor
Area 82, Division J
District 21 of Toastmasters International