So I’ve been going to Toastmasters for about a year now.

I have to say, I’ve seen a marked difference in the way I speak but just as importantly, or perhaps unanticipated the way I listen to people.

I originally joined to find an interest outside of my traditional paths to friendship. I wanted to meet/mingle with other LGBT people and we are fortunate to have a chapter that is predominately queer here in Austin. So, with the encouragement of my friend Bart (who is an amazingly accomplished speaker/leader) I went to the inaugural meeting of the AGLCC Toastmaster Meeting.

So far it’s been an interesting journey. There are multiple lessons which spring from different types of speeches one gives to gain confidence and competency in different areas and with different approaches to speech giving. So, in succeeding entries on the subject you likely will find typed versions of the speeches I give so I can record those here for posterity.

The first speech is the Ice-Breaker speech. And, primarily it’s an opportunity to provide an introduction of yourself to the group. It’s only 4 minutes or so long, so not a lot of time (particularly for those of us who’ve been earth more decades than that).

In that time we tell a little bit about ourselves and why we came. I hope to develop and improved sense of self, timing, grammar and all that is on TOP OF meeting some new and interesting folks.