Taking Full Advantage

by Stepan Babanin, ACB

Note: Stepan is from Russia. He earned his CC within a matter of months, and for the last two years has served as VP-Membership. As you’ll see below, Toastmasters has played a significant role in building not only his communication and leadership skills, but also the confidence that comes with such growth.

Stepan Babanin

I joined Toastmasters to improve my communication skills, but very soon I realized the potential is endless and my life hasn't been the same ever since. Being a member of OMNI Toastmasters gave me such a boost that after completing 10th CC speech I ran a marathon. After running a marathon, I said to myself: "Look, you can now speak in front of an audience, you can run a marathon; there is no doubt you can speak Spanish". Yes, now I speak three languages.

It's interesting I learned Spanish in Toastmasters. I joined Dr. Manuel Toro Toastmasters a little over a year ago without speaking a word in Spanish. Membership in the club dramatically improved my Spanish. Job interviewers said my Spanish was so good that I could work in bi-lingual department as a customer service representative.

You may think ‘wow!’ But it doesn't stop there. After continuous improvement in Dr. Manuel Toro Toastmasters, I said to myself: "You can play guitar". Yes, I can play guitar and write music. Then "You can dance". Yes, I can. Then "You can write poetry". Yes, I can, in three languages. Then "You can learn Chinese". Oh yes, you better believe it. Then "You can paint pictures" and I painted one.

Toastmasters generated a chain explosion of self-confidence in my life. While I give all credit to God, Toastmasters played a detonating role in it. My journey in Toastmasters is far from over and I am looking forward to climbing new heights, delivering more speeches and more growth in and out of Toastmasters.

Stepan Babanin, ACB, CL
OMNI Toastmasters
Dr. Manuel Toro Toastmasters