Toasting a crowd pleaser

“I wouldn’t answer the phone because I couldn’t say my name,” Senior recounts. “I would pick up and be silent, and the other person would be like, hello, hello? Are you okay?”

And though his stutter still flares up on occasion – especially if he’s tired or after a glass of wine, he laughs – public speaking has helped him conquer a previously debilitating disorder.

“Instead of doing speech therapy, I went into the lion’s den and did it the hard way,” Senior adds with a smile.

The 45-year-old east-ender first got into the realm of public speaking – specifically Toastmasters, an international non-profit organization that helps people develop public speaking and leadership skills – on the recommendation of a colleague back in the mid-’90s. Soon after being bitten by the oratory bug, Senior says he began jumping at every chance to get in front of a crowd.

“I got into every opportunity to go speak, whether it was the Christmas party or the employee week fashion show where I would volunteer to be the master of ceremonies,” he recounts, adding that he now offers various seminars, workshops and coaching on the topic.

Another part of improving public speaking skills is entering speech contests, Senior continues, it’s one that’s proved to be fruitful for him. Last month, Senior won his fourth Toastmasters District 61 Table Topics Contest, held in Mont Tremblant, Qué.

The district covers Eastern Ontario, all of Québec and northern New York state, he explains, adding that in a table topics competition participants receive a question and must give an improvised speech on the subject for one to two minutes – the only preparation time comes from walking to the stage.

It felt “great” to win, Senior recounts.

“I’d been in a lull, because I’d been acting in leadership roles (for Toastmasters), and in leadership roles you’re not allowed to compete,” he explains. “So this was a bit of getting back in the saddle for me.”

Senior’s question – to offer a definition of ‘compulsive happiness’ – was one he says he found relatively easy.

“The basic premise of my answer was that life can have highs, and life can have lows, and in the middle of that is a flat line called contentment, so while my happiness is not compulsively grinning ear-to-ear, that contentment is what I call compulsive happiness,” Senior continues.

The overall benefits of public speaking are wide-ranging, he adds. For those who need to get a message out, want to get ahead at work or “if you’re a chatterbox and just need a venue,” Senior adds with a laugh, public speaking – and groups like Toastmasters – are ideal.

As for the greatest enjoyment he gets from the activity, Senior says seeing an audience react is well worth any sweaty palms or knocking knees.

“I really, really love being in front of an audience, and seeing them come alive and see their eyes light up, or they’re laughing or nodding,” he explains. “Making the magic happen, is what I call it. That feeling that you know you’ve having an impact on someone, whether it be they’re going to change something in their lives, or even for a moment they just laughed or felt good – it’s just really great to do that.”

For more information on Craig Senior, please visit www.craigsenior.wordpress.com