Hope in the Hard Times
How Joining Toastmasters Can See You Through
Has your company called it quits? Have you been downsized into a smaller office, or worse yet, the streets? With a dire economic crisis going on around the world, sooner or later, you’ll probably feel the squeeze of corporate belt-tightening tactics. How you react to the bad news can have a major impact on your future. And though you may feel it deep in your heart, panicking is not an option. So how do you face such harrowing circumstances without letting it all force you into making unwise decisions?
If you have already been laid off, it won’t help to sit at home alone contemplating the problems of the world. Consider, instead, using that extra time to boost your skills and résumé. Use your time wisely and you may revive your career in the end. Toastmaster Linda Martins-Mann, who belongs to four clubs in California, was laid off from her job earlier this year. But her spirits and goals remain high. She says, “Toastmasters has shown me that I am worth more than I ever thought.”
Mark Perew, a member of Toastmasters clubs in North Carolina and California, rebounded from a brief period of unemployment and even created a better future. “I was laid off in early 2003,” he says. “That was not a good time to be looking for a job. I credit Toastmasters with getting me employed again within three weeks.” This may seem fast, even for a Toastmaster, but Perew points to his Toastmasters training: “Interviews are just real-life Table Topics [impromptu speaking] sessions. I knew I had to answer the question that was asked; do it in a limited time; have a beginning, middle and end; use good eye contact; include personal stories; add appropriate humor and connect with the interviewer. My time in Toastmasters made it possible for me to accomplish all that and get a better-paying job.”
After relocating to San Jose, California, Renee Lam attended a number of Toastmasters clubs during a time when she didn’t have a job. She visited a flurry of club meetings in the space of two weeks – and says it produced all sorts of practical benefits, including getting an informational interview with someone and meeting a couple of people willing to circulate her résumé. “I want to emphasize that active participation in Toastmasters pays off,” Lam says, “Keep Toastmasters dues in your budget, even during unemployment.”
For Lisa Westlund of the Simi Valley club in California, it was a case of role reversal. She had worked in management for 27 years and was used to conducting interviews and hiring others. She says, “Being on the interviewee side is totally different and after so many years of being in charge, I needed to gain confidence to go on job interviews and also to have impromptu conversations.” Lisa joined Toastmasters to learn how to handle being on the other side of the table. She was hooked from the first meeting and adds, “I also gained the confidence to not only go on job interviews but to land a great job with a great company.”
If you’re still working but a layoff appears imminent, try not to panic. This may not be easy to do when you see others forced out, one by one, all around you. But panicking won’t save you or your co-workers. Preparation is the key. When Judi Goldberg of the Minutemen club in Massachusetts was laid off, it did not come as a total surprise. She handled the incident calmly by relying, in part, on her Toastmasters training. She says Toastmasters “helped me push on and just know I will get another job.”
Beverly Murray belonged to a corporate Toastmasters club made up of members from the financial industry giant, Wachovia. With their company in crisis, the club members were too busy to attend the meetings. And though the club disbanded as a result of this, the good news is that each former member knows about the Toastmasters program and can join another club when the opportunity arises. Murray continues to have faith in Toastmasters and says, “I plan to find another local club to join after the first of the year.”
You can increase your worth to your company and, if necessary, to interviewers simply by building your communication and leadership skills. Have you checked to see if your company offers Toastmasters meetings? Joining your company’s club – or a neighborhood group – can be an easy way to accomplish this goal.
It is alarming to be surrounded by a global financial crisis in which so many giants of industry and finance are going under. These disasters leave us wondering how to navigate such rough seas without sinking, but the answer remains the same: The best way to survive is to set a course that includes daily, weekly and monthly objectives. Eventually, with steady progress, you will steer through the troubled waters of today and reach the safety of that distant shore. You will get there. And when you do, you’ll be glad you’ve prepared for it
Has your company called it quits? Have you been downsized into a smaller office, or worse yet, the streets? With a dire economic crisis going on around the world, sooner or later, you’ll probably feel the squeeze of corporate belt-tightening tactics. How you react to the bad news can have a major impact on your future. And though you may feel it deep in your heart, panicking is not an option. So how do you face such harrowing circumstances without letting it all force you into making unwise decisions?
If you have already been laid off, it won’t help to sit at home alone contemplating the problems of the world. Consider, instead, using that extra time to boost your skills and résumé. Use your time wisely and you may revive your career in the end. Toastmaster Linda Martins-Mann, who belongs to four clubs in California, was laid off from her job earlier this year. But her spirits and goals remain high. She says, “Toastmasters has shown me that I am worth more than I ever thought.”
Mark Perew, a member of Toastmasters clubs in North Carolina and California, rebounded from a brief period of unemployment and even created a better future. “I was laid off in early 2003,” he says. “That was not a good time to be looking for a job. I credit Toastmasters with getting me employed again within three weeks.” This may seem fast, even for a Toastmaster, but Perew points to his Toastmasters training: “Interviews are just real-life Table Topics [impromptu speaking] sessions. I knew I had to answer the question that was asked; do it in a limited time; have a beginning, middle and end; use good eye contact; include personal stories; add appropriate humor and connect with the interviewer. My time in Toastmasters made it possible for me to accomplish all that and get a better-paying job.”
After relocating to San Jose, California, Renee Lam attended a number of Toastmasters clubs during a time when she didn’t have a job. She visited a flurry of club meetings in the space of two weeks – and says it produced all sorts of practical benefits, including getting an informational interview with someone and meeting a couple of people willing to circulate her résumé. “I want to emphasize that active participation in Toastmasters pays off,” Lam says, “Keep Toastmasters dues in your budget, even during unemployment.”
For Lisa Westlund of the Simi Valley club in California, it was a case of role reversal. She had worked in management for 27 years and was used to conducting interviews and hiring others. She says, “Being on the interviewee side is totally different and after so many years of being in charge, I needed to gain confidence to go on job interviews and also to have impromptu conversations.” Lisa joined Toastmasters to learn how to handle being on the other side of the table. She was hooked from the first meeting and adds, “I also gained the confidence to not only go on job interviews but to land a great job with a great company.”
If you’re still working but a layoff appears imminent, try not to panic. This may not be easy to do when you see others forced out, one by one, all around you. But panicking won’t save you or your co-workers. Preparation is the key. When Judi Goldberg of the Minutemen club in Massachusetts was laid off, it did not come as a total surprise. She handled the incident calmly by relying, in part, on her Toastmasters training. She says Toastmasters “helped me push on and just know I will get another job.”
Beverly Murray belonged to a corporate Toastmasters club made up of members from the financial industry giant, Wachovia. With their company in crisis, the club members were too busy to attend the meetings. And though the club disbanded as a result of this, the good news is that each former member knows about the Toastmasters program and can join another club when the opportunity arises. Murray continues to have faith in Toastmasters and says, “I plan to find another local club to join after the first of the year.”
You can increase your worth to your company and, if necessary, to interviewers simply by building your communication and leadership skills. Have you checked to see if your company offers Toastmasters meetings? Joining your company’s club – or a neighborhood group – can be an easy way to accomplish this goal.
It is alarming to be surrounded by a global financial crisis in which so many giants of industry and finance are going under. These disasters leave us wondering how to navigate such rough seas without sinking, but the answer remains the same: The best way to survive is to set a course that includes daily, weekly and monthly objectives. Eventually, with steady progress, you will steer through the troubled waters of today and reach the safety of that distant shore. You will get there. And when you do, you’ll be glad you’ve prepared for it
Comments
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Baby-sitting
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Nursery
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Freelance
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Internet related work
This is a very vast field and here sky is the limit. All you need is a computer and Internet facility. Whatever field you are into work at home is perfect match in the software field. You can match your time according to your convenience and complete whatever projects you get. To learn more about how to work from home, contact us today on workfromhome.otr214423@gmail.comand our team will get you started on some excellent work from home projects.
Diet food
Since now a days Women & Men are more conscious of the food that they eat hence they prefer to have homemade low cal food and if you can start supplying low cal food to various offices then it will be a very good source of income and not too much of efforts. You can hire a few ladies who will help you out and this can be a good business.
Thus think over this concept and go ahead.