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From: Russ Hicks
Date: 18 Oct 2006
Time: 00:00:47 -0500
Remote Name: 71.123.208.188
Hi Kelly, ..... Thanks for your kind words. They mean a lot to me. ..... You said, "I have been thinking about joining Toastmasters in my area but I am extremely nervous..." You are? Really? Golly gee whiz, you must be the ONLY person in the entire world who ever felt that way! Ha, ha, ha! Join the crowd! ..... Fear of public speaking is THE MOST COMMON FEAR in the world! (The SECOND most common fear is DEATH! As Jerry Seinfeld says, "Then it stands to reason that if you're going to give a eulogy at a funeral in front of an audience, you're in worse shape than the guy in the box!" Ha, ha, ha! I've always loved that quote!) But Toastmasters recognizes that oh-so-common fear and there absolutely IS help available. People who stutter don't have a corner on that fear market! Almost everyone I know was scared to death in Toastmasters at first. But if you survive your first few speeches (and the fatality rate is actually pretty low <grin>), you begin to realize WHAT to do and HOW to do it. And the fear really does begin to melt away. I've seen that magic happen in hundreds - maybe thousands - of cases. Public speaking is a learned art, just like baseball and playing the piano. It really does become easy - and most of all FUN! Try it, you'll like it! See http://www.toastmasters.org Click on "Find a Club" on the left and follow your nose. Then go visit a club or two or three in your area. They/we LOVE to have visitors! ..... I was able to overcome my fear like being strapped into a roller coaster for the first time. The guy who strapped me in was a heck of lot bigger and stronger than I was, so I had absolutely no choice in the matter. But once I did it a few times I really got to LOVING the experience. I know, it sounds crazy, but that's EXACTLY what happened. Toastmasters are the most caring and supportive people in the world. Believe me, if you're scared of public speaking, you're in GOOD company! ..... Don't worry about preparing yourself before a speech. You'll learn how to do that in Toastmasters. The hardest part is simply getting started. Once you visit a club and like it, the rest is easy - and a LOT OF FUN! ..... Email me and tell me when (not IF, but WHEN) you join Toastmasters! My email address is russhicks@mail.com. I'd love to hear back from you! ..... My very best to you, Kelly. ..... Russ, my email is russhicks@mail.com