Vol. 5 Busy Professionals TMC

Paris is a wonderland!
Historical places, monuments, museums, shops and restaurants abound!
As a toastmaster member, I would say that the “Busy Professionals Toastmasters Club “is the one for you! Busy professionals?! Why? It is a toastmasters club for busy professionals (e.g. consultants, professors, lawyers and executives). Most of them are highly qualified professional native English speakers. They get together and try to improve their communication skills.
The meetings always have four prepared speakers, four evaluators, five table topics speakers, plus a general evaluator. And yet, they end meeting within 90 minutes without fail!
Why?
Because they are “busy professional “people.
“Time is essential!” is their slogan.
They are strict about time management, as well as about the speech content.
“Be prepared, or refrain from attending!” , they say.
Ergo, their evaluations are to the point and direct.
Why? Because they are busy professionals.
To be a member, you will have to “sell” yourself to the club members.
You need to show high English proficiency.
Plus, you must have “something” which you can “contribute” to the club.
I applied for a membership. They interviewed me.
“Marc, how can you contribute to us as a member? What kind of benefit can we have if we welcome you as a new member?”,
It was like a job interview. I was a bit taken aback.
“Quid Pro Quo, Marc! You give us something, we give you something back in return.
What do you excel at? ,,,Say,,,
You are from Japan, so could you please enlighten us as a seasoned speaker from the country? Why don’t you tell us some secrets about Japanese culture?”
” I’m afraid I’m not a seasoned speaker yet”, I replied.
They said, “Okay,,,then we’ll help you become a seasoned speaker, so could you help us learn more about your country such as the people, economy and culture (Bushido) ? Especially, we are interested in learning how to communicate with Japanese citizen because they are pleasantly polite but unapproachable in some ways. The Japanese self-discipline, demeanor, politeness and so forth, are things we crave to learn from you.
Have professionalism in mind. Do you promise to make some contributions to the club?”
“Yes, I’d be honored to .”,I promised.
“Welcome aboard!, You’ll embark on a journey to be a professional speaker with us!”, they said and smiled. Then we shook hands.
I really have enjoyed the fastidious atmosphere of the busy professionals’ TMC.
“Contribution to the club members”
Having that in mind, I altered my speaking style. I came to speak moderately and modestly.
“The Japanese self-discipline, demeanor, politeness and so forth” I realized how little I knew about Japan.
I could still learn so many things about my country anew at this age, thank goodness!
How old am I?
Please take a wild guess!
“Professionalism”…. by always keeping that in mind, I willed myself to maintain integrity.
The club has members from all over the world. They are not only from English speaking countries, but also from Japan (me!), India, Saudi Arabia, Bosnia, Romania, Russia, and China.
What they have in common is an iron-hard will to succeed in life through public speaking.
“Get paid to speak” is their common goal.
I respect their relentless pursuit for becoming first-rate professionals!
TM manuals sometimes tell us to “act in a professional manner.”
Now, you all know that Paris is not only about shopping and sightseeing.
In addition to Paris Speech Masters and Toastmasters of Paris, Busy Professionals” is another unique club in the fine city.
Why don’t you attend busy professionals’ meeting?
I’m sure that you will not only enjoy and feel energized but also bring back the emotions of the members to your club plus, learn the values of “Professionalism.
Why? Because they are “busy professionals”!

past TMC on the Spot!!