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COVER STORY

and never took credit for anything.

It really impacted my career. I
wanted to give it one more shot
and learn how to speak up for
myself. That’s why I took on the

Toastmasters project – not just for
myself but for other people like me
who had been passed over.”
His first project was to help

charter one of the earliest online
clubs, Virtually Speaking, for
UPS employees across the United
States and in Costa Rica. This was

before Covid-19, so the corporate
club was on the cutting edge in
person for the job. I asked him, he said yes, and he terms of virtual meetings. To gain experience
did a fantastic job with TLI.” When it came time about how a good club should work, he joined

for the District Trio to choose the Toastmaster Professionally Speaking in Vancouver, which
of the Year, “We looked for the person that really became his home club. His sponsorship of
helped bring our District to the next level, and Virtually Speaking helped him earn his first
we unanimously named Bob.” Distinguished Toastmaster award.

Hall’s IT background prepared him well to Now retired, Hall wrapped up his career as
be Webmaster, but he admits that serving as a Solutions Consultant at UPS working in IT
TLI Coordinator was a stretch. He had to build on national and international transportation
and manage a team to recruit 30-plus speakers, systems, where he applied his two science

Zoom masters for 10 rooms and all the volunteers degrees, a BS from Cornell University in
behind the scenes. “Pulling it all together was a Statistics and Biometry and an MS from Boston
fairly big ask. But I had a team. It wasn’t a solo University in Computer Information Systems.
effort.” For Hall, stepping up as a leader brought him

His Toastmasters journey started while he was first and foremost “a lot of self-confidence. I don’t
in the Air Force in the 1980s, but his participation feel uncomfortable to pick up the phone and call
was off-and-on due to reassignments. He rejoined anyone. I can talk to anybody about any subject.
in civilian life while working at UPS in 2016. That was something I lacked in my career. You

What drew him back to Toastmasters was the have to speak up for yourself if you’re going to
chance to address something he felt he lacked. be successful as a leader. Toastmasters gave me
“I was never very comfortable putting myself the ability to do that.”
forward,” he says. “I worked in the background Speaking of self-confidence, he will soon test

8 ONE COMMUNITY