Mr Toastmaster of the Day, Fellow Toastmasters, and Distinguished Guests. Today, as a new member, I would like to introduce myself and tell you the reason why I wanted to join the toastmaster club.   

I am from mainland China and grew up in a small village at Hunan province which is the central part of my country. When I was a child, I was very curious about the outside world.  I liked reading books and watching movies,  and enjoyed going to school.  Since I spent a lot of time in studying,   I did very well in schools in terms of grades. However, the school education I got, no matter in middle school or in college, only trained me   in technical skills.  I was not trained at all on the soft skills including how to c ommunicate and collaborate with others, and  how to formulate and express ideas efficiently and effectively.

I have been   a   shy person.   I do not feel comfortable to speak in front of a group of people, even if the group is a group of people I am familiar with and I can talk to each of them individually.  For example, when the toastmaster of the day pronounced my name today, I felt some phisiological change in my body.   I always admired some of my classmates who can speak to the class fluently, but I had no confidence in reaching that level. When I was in college,    there were several occasions which required me to  speak to a group of people. Every time, I felt very anxious even several days before   my speech. Therefore, I felt very tired every time I finished my speech because of the stress and anxiety.   Speaking in public was a burden to me and I tried my best to avoid any chance to speak in public.

     Several years ago, I came to the united states for my graduate study.  One day, at a party I was asked to make a toast.  I did not expect that and did not know how to start it. That was one of the most embarrassing moments in my life.   I do not remember how that ended, because my brain went blank at that time. 

I realized that I had to   improve myself,  because speaking skills are very important not only in personal life, but also in professional life.

I graduated last month from the University in engineering school.   One of the first things I did after my thesis defense was to find a toastmaster club.  I am very glad to find this club, not only because it is close to my office, but also because it has a group of friendly people.   I hope, through my practicing,  I can overcome my nature of being shy, and  can improve myself in  speaking  in public.   I am looking forward to learning from all of you in future. Thanks,

Mr Toastmaster,