Have you ever stepped out of your comfort zone to try something new? I have, and it was a very rewarding and educational experience.

Serving Area A26 Governor

Back in 2013 I was still a fairly new Toastmaster with zero leadership experience. I had no idea how to lead a Toastmasters club and I had never served in a leadership capacity at any level. But all that changed in 2013 when I volunteered to be secretary for the Sundowners Toastmasters club in Spruce Grove Alberta.

Taking on this leadership role put me in a position where I had the opportunity to volunteer as an area governor for my Toastmasters district. You see, as secretary for my club I needed to attend club officer training. At this training event, the Division A Governor put out a call for volunteers to serve as area governors for his division. This is a leadership role where you support a group of Toastmasters clubs by visiting those clubs during the year as well as organizing area level speech contests.

At the time I knew nothing about areas, divisions, or any aspect of leading a Toastmasters club. I simply thought: “Area governor? That sounds important!”, so I spoke to the division governor and offered to be an area governor. He accepted my offer, and the district appointed me as Area A26 Governor for the July 2013 to June 2014 Toastmasters term.

This was a new role that was as far out of my comfort zone as I could possibly get. You see, I had no leadership experience and based on my experience I was probably the worst choice for area governor because I had no knowledge of how to lead an area, let alone a Toastmasters club.

Fortunately for me, I had other leaders in my club and district who supported me during the year, and I am a highly motivated and organized person, so I dedicated myself to doing a good job while serving as area governor. I attended all of the area governor training events that were provided by my district and I learned how to serve as area governor. I also worked with the leaders from the clubs in my area to organize area level speech contests and I supported my area clubs by visiting them during the year.

Before I served as area governor, I was not comfortable meeting new people. But serving as an area governor pushed me out of my comfort zone and forced me to meet new people on a regular basis. This included meeting people at the clubs in my area when going on official club visits as area governor. It also included meeting people at training events and conferences. I gained a lot of self-confidence by serving as area governor and I am now much more comfortable when meeting new people.

Serving as area governor also helped me to learn how to lead team meetings and how to use parliamentary procedure to run a business meeting. Both are new skills that I now possess but that I had no experience with before serving as area governor. Thanks to my year as area governor, I can now lead a team effectively and I have a good understanding of parliamentary procedure.

Conclusion

Stepping out of your comfort zone is a great way to build confidence and gain new skills. I did this back in 2013 when I stepped up to serve as an area governor for my Toastmasters district. Taking on this role required me to learn new skills and to lead and support a group of Toastmasters clubs.

It was something I had never done before, and I have gained a lot from having served in that role. I am now comfortable leading a team of people. I have also learned how to run business meetings and organize events. These are valuable skills that I can apply as a leader for my Toastmasters club and district, and they are also skills that I can apply outside of Toastmasters.

What about you? Will you step outside of your comfort zone and try something new? If you are a Toastmaster, you could step up to be a club or district officer. Outside of Toastmasters you could volunteer to take on a project at work that would stretch your skills and help you learn something new. Or you could tackle a new personal project or volunteer as a leader in your community.

I encourage you to commit to stepping outside your comfort zone on a regular basis. Not only will you build new skills, but you will also gain newfound confidence. You will become a stronger and more versatile person. You will also gain valuable experience and treasured memories.