• Karen SeemanNeighbor

  • Wayne, NJ

Karen Seeman has been an award-winning Toastmaster since May 2002.  In that time, she has gone from an anxious, nervous, speaker both personally and professionally to one who can confidently (although sometimes nervous) stand her ground and know how to use the communication and leadership tools to help her with her personal life as well as fellow Toastmasters, her real estate and venture capitalist clients.

She has held every club leadership role except for officially Sergeant-At-Arms and has acted at the district level as Area Governor, Public Relations Officer and Lieutenant Marketing.  She has competed and won in every contest.  She knows that the main competition is with herself, but it is also rewarding to watch the improvements in her fellow members.  She has learned that every role in Toastmasters has something very valuable to offer.  Each role at the Club level and beyond holds special meaning and hard-fought lessons that have helped her get through her nerves at networking events and face-to-face meetings with prospects. 

The most important thing is to relax, have fun and be yourself.  When you realize what your strengths are, you can capitalize on them and diminish your weaknesses by developing your strengths.  Everybody does not have to be great at every type of communication, but it is good to practice.  Sometimes, you may find the very thing that you have been the most fearful of, can be your greatest ally when it is first tackled.  The fear was worse than the delivery.

Toastmasters is a servant-leader model.  Servant leaders accomplish the most because they are audience (client) dedicated.  The first question I present myself, "Is this serving my audience?".  Secondarily, "How does this action serve myself?". 

My greatest strength is my ability to clearly see the strengths of my fellow members and help them to quickly change their point of view about their fears so that they may get to the level that has always eluded them in the past. 

Karen Seeman, DTM (Distinguished Toastmaster) is the President of Hudson River Toastmasters, a public speaking support group, located at Sister Maryknoll 10 Pinesbridge Rd., Ossining NY.  The meetings are held the second and fourth Tuesday at 7:00pm.  For more information please check the website http://hudsonriver.toastmastersclubs.org               

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