Page 30 - October 2017 Voices

Connecting with the Audience

by Jawad Ali

When I first came to come in from different Toastmaster clubs. They
Toastmasters about four provide advice and guidance and help our club
years ago, I had a huge prosper. On behalf of Future Stars, I’d like to
fear of speaking in front of give a special thanks to them.
people. I hated it because I Jawad Ali is a VP Education at Future Stars. He
couldn’t connect with people. is a senior in high school and plays varsity tennis. His
What compounded my fear was that I
never had enough emotion, which prevented me Toastmasters experience has transformed the way he
from connecting with audiences. I didn’t know thinks and the way he interacts with people of all kinds.
how to write an engaging speech. I needed to Future Stars Gavel Club, is a youth communication
present something besides facts and numbers. and leadership club administered by Toastmasters
And I’m not saying that facts and numbers are International, helping the young people of today
bad. They’re just not relatable. become the great leaders of tomorrow! The club is
I remember one time when I wrote a speech open to all middle school and high school aged kids. It
on homelessness in America. I presented lots gives them the opportunity to become better listeners,
of facts, numbers and information that made thinkers, speakers and leaders.
logical sense. I talked about how I saw homeless The club meets weekly during the school year
men under bridges and how my trip to Seattle every Saturday from 10:30am-12:00pm at 4115 SW
enlightened me. However, I was told to show 160th Avenue, Beaverton, Oregon 97007 in the first
more emotion because this would help me room in the portal. To learn more about Future Stars
connect. Homelessness is a big issue in America. or to visit the club, pleas contact Coach Humaira at
How was I going to call people to action if they
never felt connected to my words? futurestarspdx@gmail.com. Visitors are encouraged to
After writing a half dozen more speeches, visit the club and see for themselves why Future Stars
I feel as if I can finally speak and establish a should be part of their educational journey.
connection with an audience. The amount of
growth that took place inside of me hit me
about three months ago, when I started writing
scholarship essays. I got an email directly from
an admissions counselor, saying how much he
enjoyed reading my essay and how he already
felt connected to me, even though we’ve never
spoken.
My biggest problem was writing a speech
that was inspirational, motivational, and
engaging. Toastmasters helped me overcome
that obstacle by giving me a means to practice The audience is the
writing and presenting speeches, all while getting
feedback from the coaches and my peers. barometer of the truth.
Toastmasters for youth is extremely
beneficial, in my experience. I’ve been attending Barbra Streisand
Future Stars for almost six years and have been
feeling myself grow since day one. Part of the
reason why Future Stars is able to benefit the
youth, is from our many guest speakers that

30 VOLUME 4 ISSUE 4 OCTOBER, 2017