Speaking of Karen… Communicating with a mission

GLOSSOPHOBIA is a big word for one of the most common forms of anxiety, and in surveys, many people say they fear public speaking more than they do death.

Karen Oliver knew she had a problem. A competent writer, she saw a major roadblock in her professional life.

“I would often rush through what I had to say in order to get over the torture quickly,” Karen said. This despite the fact that she was fiercely passionate about the English language.

That was before she heard of Toastmasters. With Toastmasters International clubs in 122 countries and 24 such clubs in Jamaica, the organisation helps members improve their communication, public speaking, and leadership skills.

When the corporate communications officer heard that her organisation, Jamaica National Building Society, was starting a Toastmasters Club three years ago, it was a dream come true for her.

“As a communicator, I want to motivate people to do better,” she said. “If you are encouraged to live out your dreams, you will do more to fulfil them.”

A founding member of the JN Toastmasters Club, Oliver says that starting out as a speaker was not easy. Her first challenge was simply to overcome her nervousness before an audience, and she said Toastmasters helps overcome this by giving members the opportunity to speak regularly before club audiences and be assessed on the substance and quality of their presentations.

She took full advantage of the speaking opportunities, and recalls one particular occasion when an experienced evaluator recommended that she redo an inspirational speech and make some adjustments in her presentation.

“I thought I had done a good speech; however, I decided to adopt her suggestions,” she stated. “When I redid the speech, I realised just how much the first presentation lacked.”

In another instance, she went beyond the allotted time for her speech. She explained, “That was a valuable learning experience. I have never exceeded the time limit since then, and it will never happen again.”

Her three-year membership in the Toastmasters Club has transformed her.

“My oral communication skills have developed a great deal, which has boosted my confidence to speak in public.”

Her proudest achievement was her recent address to the Jamaica National’s board of directors, as the organisation celebrated its 140th anniversary on August 13. “That was a wonderful experience,” she declared.

An additional high point also occurred recently in another arena.

“I was invited to a church to be a motivational speaker. Can you believe it?”

She has gained several plaudits since her start three years ago, including receiving the first JN Toastmaster of the Year award, after being the first in her club to achieve the designation of competent communicator; as well as advanced leader. And on July 1, she fulfilled another ambition when she was appointed one of the area governors for Toastmasters Jamaica.

Karen pointed out that the JN Toastmasters Club, of which she is the immediate past president, was one of the forerunners of a trend in corporate Jamaica to establish such clubs for the training opportunities they offer staff members. Most Toastmasters Clubs are open to the public, but many organisations choose to establish such clubs specifically to serve the requirements of their employees.

That is part of a broader global trend towards corporate Toastmasters Clubs, of which Oliver is a proud beneficiary.

“I am now a more balanced communicator,” she said. “I can deliver a better speech, and I can also write a better one.”

Karen worships at the Spanish Town Seventh-Day Adventist Church where she and her husband, Milton, became the family life directors at the start of the year. And she subsequently joined the Children’s Ministries Department where she tells a children’s mission story every Sabbath.

This speaking role in her church is helping her to fulfil another ambition.

“I want to deal specifically with children; to inspire them to maximise their full potential,” said the mother of two young girls.

“I feel as if there is a great burden on me when I see children who are exposed to and embrace inappropriate behaviour. Through my role in the church, I want to make a difference.”

Karen Oliver with grade two students at Maxfield Primary School where she facilitates a one-hour reading session every month to encourage children to develop the habit of reading.

Oliver addresses the Jamaica National Building Society board of directors in August.