”Did you make a student cry again?”   Perhaps you need to work on your communication skills!”  This question came from my husband, and I was appalled at his opinion of my teaching ability.   I was a seasoned educator with fifteen years of experience with two students on their way to the Governor’s School for the Arts in Greenville, SC. I did not appreciate my husband telling me to improve my communication style.

After three years of dodging his invitations, I finally succumbed to his invitation in October 2012 – first to prove to him that I did not need to improve my teaching style, and second to answer his challenge of expanding his exclusively white male club into a mixed gender, multi-racial club that better reflected the Clemson University population. 

My first “aha moment” was in my private piano studio when I had a student who was unprepared for an upcoming recital.  Instead of pointing out only what she did wrong (per my typical style), I used the Toastmasters P.I.E. evaluation style.   I started with Praise (P), gave her some needed Instruction (I), and then concluded with Encouragement (E).  To my amazement, this student did NOT burst into tears after my assessment.

I assumed this was an anomaly, but I tried it again with the next student.    Same result….no tears.  I tried it again and again over the following weeks and not a single student shed a tear. It seems I was the problem. I did need to improve my communication skills after all! 

I hate to be proven wrong, but the good news is that it encouraged me to completely embraced the entire Toastmasters program.  I reasoned that if the Toastmasters program could get my students to stop crying, there was probably more that I needed to learn.

As I worked my way through Club President, Speakers Bureau Chair, Area Director, Club Growth Director, Program Quality Director, District Director and Region Advisor (along with three DTM’s), I found that every step of the way I was learning as much as I was giving back.  It is true that you get more when you give.

My Toastmasters training changed the way I interact with people and gave me the confidence to launch a new business that completely changed my career path and earning potential. I remain in Toastmasters because I am still a work in progress and respect what the program can do for me both personally and professionally.

Dana