toastmasters

What is Toastmasters?That’s what I thought, when I saw a Facebook post where somebody said that she had given a speech at a Toastmasters meeting.I got curious, Googled, and found that Toastmasters was a US headquartered nonprofit educational organization promoting public speaking and leadership skills, with clubs worldwide. Ok, this is interesting! I looked for clubsContinue reading “Toastmasters”

There is No Such Thing As an “R” in Japanese

I had been perfectly ok with my Japanese accent. I’ve been in a management position for over 14 years, and communication has been the biggest part of my job. I communicate with people at different levels, from my staff to C-Suite officers. I negotiate with vendors. I host meetings. I attend conferences. I’d never feltContinue reading “There is No Such Thing As an “R” in Japanese”

Speak Authentically, With a Foreign Accent

I joined Toastmasters this summer. Toastmasters is a non-profit organization with many “clubs” all over the world, and provides a platform for people to improve their public speaking and leadership skills. I came across a post about Toastmasters on Facebook, and wanting to know more about it, visited one of their clubs in Manhattan. IContinue reading “Speak Authentically, With a Foreign Accent”

Find Your Voice

About three weeks ago, after a yoga class, I was going up a staircase when, halfway up, I heard a nice, deep sound coming from above. I looked up and found a slender lady tapping the stairs with her foot on the top of the staircase. I recognized her – she was in the sameContinue reading “Find Your Voice”