Kane Lam joined Toastmasters in April 2019 and has already seen a profound impact professionally. First he was asked to work on a special project, then he was promoted!
Kane joined the Bay Street Breakfast Club this year and has only experienced the Pathways methodology. Although he appreciates the personality test and various speech and club role projects, the part he got the most out of was the feedback module. There, three styles of providing feedback were discussed, two (one involving all complimentary responses and the other involving ‘you should…’ statements) were discouraged and one (which utilized statements such as ‘I felt….’) was encouraged.

Shortly after joining, Kane spoke in an impromptu manner at a large work meeting – which prompted his being asked to participate in a huge client focussed conference requiring he present to 2000 people. Kane accepted and prepared by practicing his material at Toastmasters – twice.
Soon, Kane was promoted to Team Leader, where he assists in the leadership of a team of 12, providing informal feedback, running localized team meetings (of 12) and participating in larger team meetings (of 200).
Kane has activated his Team Collaboration path and is well on his way to earning his next Pathways recognition. His Toastmasters experience has given him the tools and confidence to take advantage of workplace opportunities. Although he still experiences nervousness and anxiety when facing an audience, he now has the tools to manage it and present well. Unexpectedly, Kane also picked up valuable tools for coaching his team. Kane credits the feedback skills he learned in Toastmasters to helping him preserve relationships with colleagues and build bridges outside his immediate team. Being able to provide feedback in a manner that his colleagues are open to hearing is as invaluable a skill as speaking with confidence and dynamism to a room of 2000.
Congratulations Kane.