Former Hawaii Governor Touts Toastmasters
Linda Lingle speaks at Open House for new club in Honolulu.
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By Jason Garrett
If you scan the list of famous Toastmasters, you will see actors, former astronauts, CEOs and politicians. Among the latter group, you will see Linda Lingle, the former governor of Hawaii.
She joined Toastmasters in the early 1980s, when serving as a member of the Maui County Council in Hawaii. She also helped start a Toastmasters club at the Maui County government when she was elected mayor of that county. Governor Lingle has spoken often about the benefits of Toastmasters and credits the program for much of her success in politics.
The two-term Republican governor encourages local political candidates and party leaders to polish their speaking skills by joining a Toastmasters club. To answer her call, the Hawaii Republican Party (HRP) officially chartered the HRP Toastmasters in January 2010. As the Honolulu-based club became firmly established over the next six months, its members invited Governor Lingle to speak at the club’s first Open House – and were thrilled when she accepted their invitation.
More than 50 guests attended the meeting in downtown Honolulu. The audience included Toastmasters leaders in Hawaii, such as District 49 Governor Anne Myers, Toastmasters from local clubs, and Republican Party leaders and candidates in Hawaii.
Unabashed Toastmasters Supporter
Governor Lingle greeted the audience with a warm “Aloha!” and said, “It’s not a secret that when it comes to Toastmasters, I am an unabashed supporter and participant.”
The governor went on to outline the top three benefits she gained from the organization – benefits that not only helped her ascend to the highest political office in Hawaii but that anyone can acquire as a Toastmaster:
Benefit #1: Gaining Confidence in Your Skills
The governor explained that confidence comes from practicing, and ultimately mastering, the speaking skills learned in Toastmasters.
The first skill is to always consider your audience when giving a speech. “The speech is not about you, it is about them,” she said, noting that she has learned to adjust her speeches to accommodate her audiences. “I make adjustments because some people like to hear a fiery kind of speech, but some people are too overwhelmed by that – they would like something a little calmer. You’re not changing your message, but how you deliver it can change from group to group. It’s a respect for your audience that I think is so important.”
The other skill is to know when to stop talking. Speakers often have difficulty wrapping up their speeches if they fail to prepare their conclusions in advance of taking the stage. This doesn’t mean that the ending can’t be altered or adjusted for a particular situation. A speaker needs to be “a little bit flexible, but [he or she] still needs to know how to wrap up,” Lingle said.
Benefit #2: Interaction with Club Members
Toastmasters clubs offer a supportive environment for growth, and all members are trying to improve themselves and help each other in the process, the governor said. Giving speeches and being evaluated in this kind of environment helps you improve: “You don’t have to worry that people are going to laugh at you if you make a mistake. Instead, they’re going to help you to recognize how you can be better.”
Benefit #3 Learning to Think Clearly
Toastmasters teaches people how to think in a clear and logical manner so they can properly convey what they mean to their audiences. “You can’t get up in front of your fellow Toastmasters if you haven’t thought about your speech in advance,” she noted.
Concluding her speech, Governor Lingle reiterated just how important Toastmasters has been to her. “I have a deep and abiding love for this organization and I encourage everyone who is even thinking about running for office to join Toastmasters.”
Editor’s Note: Governor Linda Lingle, whose second term ends in December, was ineligible to run in Hawaii’s 2010 gubernatorial election because of term limits.
Jason Garrett is a member of the HRP Toastmasters club in Honolulu, Hawaii. He is a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy and flies the SH-60B Seahawk Helicopter. Reach Jason at jmgarretts.mailbox@gmail.com.
Condensed from “Hawaii Governor Touts Toastmasters” in the December 2010 issue of the Toastmaster magazine.