Do you remember the first time you attended a Toastmasters meeting? I remember my first time.
A friend of mine had been hounding me to go with her for a couple of years. “This is right up your alley. You’ll like it!” she told me.
I was intrigued by the concept, but not by the 7 am start time. Once I got over my lazy attitude, I attended my first meeting as a guest.
When the meeting was over, I was greeted warmly by someone who spent a few moments asking me if I had any questions and talking to me about what Toastmasters is all about.
While I don’t remember exactly who it was that I spoke to, I do know that I walked away from that initial meeting with a very positive impression of Park City Toastmasters.
If I were to attend a meeting as a guest today, I would probably find myself in a conversation afterwards with John Concannon.
As our current Vice President Membership, it’s John’s job to greet guests at the meetings and talk with them afterward to see if they have any questions he can answer. He also responds to email inquiries about our club and tries to increase membership.
Jon has been a Park City Toastmaster for about three years. Like many of us, John was intrigued by Toastmasters but couldn’t find time to make a formal commitment at first. A period of unemployment gave him the time he needed to explore it and decide that he liked it – so much so that he’s also served as Co-President and Treasurer.
His favorite part of Toastmasters is that, “It pushes me to do things I wouldn’t normally do and it’s an outlet for creativity.”
What Jon wants our members and potential members to know is that they, “… shouldn’t feel burdened by the responsibilities of making long speeches. Speeches are an opportunity to learn more about yourself.”
