A Toastmaster President’s Farewell Speech

Leadership by example, these are the keywords of a president. For the past year I have done my best to emulate these words. It wasn’t always easy. There were times when I didn’t feel like attending meetings, when I’d get frustrated with members who promised something but didn’t deliver or when I just didn’t feel like being a leader. But in the past year, I’ve learned that leaders couldn’t be ruled by their emotions. Otherwise, the club would suffer.

According to leadership expert John Maxwell, if you can’t carry the ball you won’t lead the team. There were times during my term when I wasn’t sure if what I was doing was right. But I realized that this was normal. No one starts out in something knowing everything about it. You figure it out as you go along. In a way, leading Iligan TMC has helped me find myself. And I have my mentors, the club officers and club members to thank for that. I could never have done it without them.

Being the president of Iligan TMC has taught me so many things. But if I could sum it up in four words it would be vision, attitude, generosity and commitment.

Vision. You achieve only what you can see. Good leaders create a vision and place them continually in front of the members. In my case, I didn’t have to create one. Toastmasters International did that for me. Yes. I’m talking about the Distinguished Club Program. A compelling vision gives your club direction.

Attitude. More specifically, a positive attitude. What you believe, you can achieve. A positive attitude is extremely contagious. I’ve observed that if leaders exhibit a positive attitude the members catch that and the club becomes a constructive environment that fosters growth.

Generosity. It is the job of a leader to give more than they take for the essence of leadership is in putting others first. I observed this first-hand with ACB Nene Legaspi. I noticed how she would always praise and give credit to other people rather than receive it herself. I have tried to emulate this in my own club and I am amazed at how people seem to bloom and grow right before my eyes with just a few words of praise. 

Commitment. People won’t follow uncommitted leaders. I’ve observed that if you want people to follow you, don’t tell them what to do. Show them.

Being the president of Iligan TMC has been an amazing journey. But if I could name one thing that has been instrumental to the club’s success it is teamwork. Without the support of the members of Iligan TMC and the rest of Division F none of this would be possible.

Leading such an incredible club has been a great honor for me. And I want to thank Iligan TMC for trusting me to fill this important position.

As my term ends, I promise to continue to support and serve the club in any way possible.

To the incoming set of officers, I know that with your commitment and ability, this coming year will be even better for Iligan TMC.

To the next president, ACB Mark Grageda, I trust that you will be able to lead the club well. With your skill and superb leadership I know that you will surpass all that the club has achieved in the past year and carve out a new milestone this year.

This has been a great year for Iligan Toastmasters Club. But I know that we can be better. I believe that we are only a fraction of what we can be. Of what we should be. Of what we are meant to be.

In our club, WE BREED CHAMPIONS.

Iligan Toastmasters, let’s continue soaring high!

Alessandra Victoria D. Zeta, ACB

Immediate Past President, Iligan Toastmasters Club (2010-2011)

Champion, Evaluation Speech Contest, Discon 2011

How to Conquer Your Fear of Public Speaking

Have you ever experienced the feeling that the moment you stand up to speak in front, your heart starts pounding like crazy, your hands get all clammy and you seem to lose all train of thought? If so, then you are not alone. According to most studies, glossophobia or the fear of public speaking is the number one fear that most people have. Yes, people fear public speaking even more than they fear death!

 We all know that the most successful people, whether in business or any other field, are also the best communicators. And for this reason alone many people desire to become better speakers. But how does one eliminate the fear of public speaking?

The answer is that you don’t. I have been a Toastmaster for over two years now. I regularly give speeches during club meetings and I have joined numerous speaking contests. You’d think two years of speaking would have made the fear disappear, right? Wrong. You can’t totally eliminate your fear of public speaking. You can only conquer it. As someone once said, if you can’t get rid of the butterflies in your stomach, at least get them into flying formation.

So how do you conquer your fear of public speaking?

You can conquer your fear of public speaking the same way you would conquer any other fear. You have to face it. How? Speak in front of an audience – regularly. Or better yet, join Toastmasters. The more you speak in front the less you’ll find doing so “scary”.  Most people are afraid of the unknown. Once you get accustomed to speaking in front you’ll discover that it isn’t that bad after. In fact, public speaking can actually be enjoyable.

They say that preparation is the key to success. This applies to public speaking as well. Before you even think about speaking in front you should learn your material. You should know it so well that you can speak without having to think of what’s next.

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself – especially if it’s your first time to deliver a speech. We learn by doing. And we’ve all got to start somewhere. So don’t expect your first speech to be perfect. Practice and then deliver it as best as you can. The best thing about being part of a Toastmasters club is that you get evaluated every time you deliver a speech. Thus, you’ll know which things to improve to make your next speech even better.

The worst thing you can do is to disregard your fear and pretend that it doesn’t exist. No matter how much we try to avoid it there will come a time when we will have to stand up and speak in front. Personally I think it’s better to be prepared so that when that time comes, we will be able to speak with such eloquence and conviction that we can get our point across effectively. 


Do you want your speech to come to life? Read this post and learn about the power of Using Gestures in Public Speaking.