Rachel Zhou
When I was young, one of the skills I longed for was the ability to speak well. I often felt inadequate, especially when speaking in public. My shyness and lack of confidence held me back, and though I thought about changing, I never truly took action.
It wasn’t until I moved to the United States—facing culture shock and experiencing multiple job search failures due to language barriers—that I realized I needed to turn my desire for change into action. Years ago, a friend once invited me to a Toastmasters club, and that memory resurfaced. I thought Toastmasters might be the perfect place to improve my speaking skills.
My journey with Sooner Toastmasters began at the end of 2024. I still remember my first meeting—the club had a Caribbean theme, and Sammy was the Toastmaster of the evening. It was a blast! That night, I realized that Toastmasters meetings could be fun, and practicing public speaking could actually be enjoyable. After attending a couple of meetings, I decided to join.
From the beginning, I felt welcomed and encouraged by the members and supported by the club officers. It wasn’t just a place to practice speaking; it was a place where I felt I belonged. I soon had a mentor, Kathy, who guided me through my learning pathway and was always willing to help.
About a month after joining, I delivered my first speech—the Icebreaker. Another month later, Brad, the club president, challenged me to be the Toastmaster of the Day for a Chinese New Year-themed meeting. It was a fantastic experience. A few weeks later, I gave my second speech, titled "Pickleball: Why Should You Play?"
Even on weeks when I wasn’t giving a speech or taking on a major role, I always enjoyed participating in smaller roles—such as Humorist, Timer, Ah-Counter, Grammarian, Ballot Counter, Word of the Day presenter, or Listener. There was always an opportunity to contribute, and I loved listening to others' speeches and learning from them.
Our club meets once a week on Thursday evenings, and every meeting is a great experience. Beyond the regular meetings, members can also sign up for local or area speech contests, where we get to watch and learn from excellent speakers from different clubs. We can also volunteer to help with the contests.
I also appreciate Heather, who, as the Vice President of Education, does an excellent job planning, organizing, and directing a club program that meets the educational needs of the members. To support new members, she offers a one-month coaching program to help them (including me) improve specific aspects of their speaking skills.
Occasionally, we switch to Zoom meetings due to Oklahoma’s unpredictable weather. We had one last month because of the severe cold, but it remained a fantastic experience. Though we couldn’t meet in person, our table topic master of the night, Rob, was incredibly creative and gave us an unexpected and unforgettable Zoom Toastmasters session.
There are so many great things to mention! I highly recommend Sooner Toastmasters. It’s a place to develop your speaking skills, meet wonderful people, build friendships, and grow together. Our meetings are filled with joy, fun, excitement, and unwavering support for each other’s growth.
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