I’ve been in Toastmasters since 2014. Over that decade, I’ve served as Vice President Education for Downtown Toastmasters and Thika TM in 2023, President of Downtown Toastmasters, Club Coach for Ruaraka TM, Club Sponsor for Eldoret Toastmasters, mentor for Dojo TM, sponsor of Word Crafters, Area Director, and I’m currently serving as Division B Director and Treasurer at Thika TM. I earned Distinguished Toastmaster in 2020 — the highest accolade in the program.
Toastmasters is a lab for leadership because it’s 100% volunteer. No one’s paid to follow you, so you learn fast what actually works.
1. Lead by serving, not commanding.
As VP Education, President, and now Treasurer at Thika TM, my job isn’t to be the loudest in the room. It’s to make sure every member has a speaking slot, gets evaluations, and feels seen. When you remove barriers for others, they step up.
2. Coaching beats telling
As Club Coach for Ruaraka TM, mentor for Dojo TM, and sponsor for Word Crafters and Eldoret TM, I learned that the fastest way to kill momentum is to do it yourself. Ask questions, let them try, give specific feedback, then get out of the way. People grow when they own the outcome.
"If it depends on you being in the room, it breaks when you’re not."
3. Systems scale, charisma doesn’t
As Area and Division Director, I couldn’t be in 5 clubs at once. What worked was building simple systems: consistent club visits, clear goals, public recognition, and regular check-ins with club officers. If it depends on you being in the room, it breaks when you’re not.
4. Conflict is data
Every tough conversation as President or Area Director taught me the same thing: conflict usually means someone’s values aren’t aligned with the club’s purpose. Address it early, focus on the mission, and give people a path forward.
Some moments stick because they’re emotional, not because they’re perfect.
Downtown Toastmasters turnaround: Walking into a club with barely 8 members and leaving with more than 25 active members and an award-winning executive team with systems that work.
Chartering Eldoret Toastmasters: Sitting in that first meeting with 20 nervous first-timers and watching them charter 6 months later. Club sponsorship is messy, but it’s worth it.
Mentoring Dojo TM and sponsoring Word Crafters: Watching new clubs find their rhythm and their voice reminded me why I joined in the first place.
Serving as VPE in Thika TM in 2023: Coming back to a program role after years of taking it easy grounded me again in what makes members stay.
Earning DTM in 2020: Not for the title, but because it forced me to complete projects I’d been avoiding for years. The legacy program had been quite a journey and because of the great mentors that I had I was able to do it after 6 years!
Serving as Area Director and Division Director: these roles have taught me strategic leadership, resilience and ownership as well as public facilitation and business skills.
Personal and Professional Growth: Toastmasters didn’t just make me a better speaker. It rewired how I work.
Professionally: The feedback loop in Toastmasters is brutal and fast. That made me comfortable with high-stakes presentations at work, managing stakeholders, and running meetings that actually start and end on time. Clients notice when you can think on your feet.
Personally: I used to avoid difficult conversations. Serving as President, Area Director, VPE, and Treasurer forced me to have them. Now I’d rather have a 10-minute awkward talk than 6 months of quiet resentment.
If you’re 6 months in or considering joining, here’s what I wish someone told me in 2014:
1. Show up consistently for 6 months before you judge it
One speech won’t change you. 20 speeches, 20 evaluations, and 6 roles will. Treat it like a gym membership.
2. Take on a leadership role early
You don’t need to be ready. VP Membership, SAA, Treasurer, or Club Secretary will teach you more in 6 months than 2 years of only speaking. Leadership is learned by doing.
3. Mentor someone within your first year
Teaching someone else forces you to understand the basics. That’s how you go from memorizing Pathways to actually living it.
4. Don’t chase awards, chase improvement
Contests and awards are nice. But the members I see grow the fastest are the ones obsessed with getting 1% better each week. The awards follow.
5. Build the club you want to belong to
If the energy is low, don’t leave. Be the person who brings energy. Clubs change when 3 committed people decide to change them.
In conclusion, Toastmasters gave me confidence, but more importantly, it gave me a framework for leading with authority. If you’re willing to do the work, put in the time, and serve others, it will return the favor.
To every member reading this in Eldoret, Downtown, Thika, Dojo, Word Crafters, and across Division B: your DTM isn’t the end goal. It’s proof that you can commit, lead, and grow. Now go help someone else do the same.
What’s one lesson Toastmasters taught you that you use outside the club?