LW Toastmasters president wins district championship

In 2015, Andrea Regan joined Lincoln-Way Toastmasters because she heard about how she could improve her ability to speak in public. When I asked her about her overall experience in Toastmasters, she said, “I joined Toastmasters as an adventure towards self-improvement. What I really like about Toastmasters is the fun and supportive environment it has. The members of my club and other clubs are always encouraging and supporting me along my Toastmaster journey. Even though public speaking can be scary at times, I’ve been having a lot of fun along the way.”

While Andrea didn’t feel that she was bad at public speaking, she wanted to improve and become more effective at speech preparation. She plans to write a book about lessons she has learned to overcome many of life’s obstacles. Andrea feels that speaking about her life stories at Toastmasters will help her write a book that will help others overcome their adversities.

In the last few years, Andrea has experienced exponential growth in Toastmasters. She said that Toastmasters builds her confidence in all areas of her life. She is a spin instructor and has always felt confident when it came to impromptu speaking. Her challenge was preparing a presentation. She thought that the process of preparing and giving the speech felt uncomfortable. After attending Toastmasters regularly and working on the speech projects, she now feels less nervous as she prepares and gives presentations. She admits, “Toastmasters has brought my speeches structure, which has been key to building my confidence with prepared presentations.”

Another reason for Andrea's success in building and presenting speeches is surrounding herself with support. Toastmasters is a supportive environment which is one of the factors that has helped Andrea expand her comfort zone. "It allows you to be vulnerable because the other members will be there to help you build your success. It will help you overcome your fear and give you the tools to be even better!” She stated.

Taking things to the next level, Andrea joined a competition for Speech Evaluation in the Spring of 2018. When I asked Andrea to talk about her experience in her first competition, she started the sentence with the word “Scary.” She continued, “So scary, just a whole new level. Even while it was scary, it then became exciting because my club members were so involved with supporting me through each round!” Andrea competed until the end and won first place. After competing and winning the 2018 District 54 Evaluation Championship, she experienced an enormous stretch in her comfort zone. When asking her if prepared speeches were easy after the competition experience, she admitted, “Everything else in life is easy after that.”

While going all the way and winning, many lessons were experienced by her. When asking her what her most significant lesson from competing at Toastmasters was she said, “Don’t underestimate yourself. That is probably the biggest one. Even though it was scary, I can do more than I thought I could.” She stated that going to Toastmasters regularly, getting many speaking repetitions, and the support of the club members were all imperative to her success.

When asking her what she tells others when they ask about how Toastmasters has worked for her, she says, “Just do it, even if you don’t have a reason. At the end of the day, it will build your confidence in your career, relationships, and life in general. Do it for the sake of proving to yourself that you can do it. If it scares you do it. Suck at it until you’re good at it.”

Currently, Andrea is the club president of Lincoln-Way Toastmasters in Frankfort, IL. The club meets at 7:00 PM on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month at Frankfort Village Hall,

432 W Nebraska Street in Frankfort, IL 60423.

Do you want to overcome your fear of public speaking? Do you want to join a new group of people that will help you find success? If you want to grow your confidence in public speaking, then visit the Lincoln-Way Toastmasters and see what the club can do for you. You can learn more about the club by visiting www.lincolnwaytoastmasters.com

For more information or if you are interested in attending the next club meeting, contact Thad Gray at 708-769-7506.