Karen Mefflin has been a member of Bromley Speakers for over six years after joining in order to conquer her fear of public speaking.
Toastmasters always encourages its members to visit other clubs and as well as attending regular meetings in Bromley, Karen has taken advantage of this benefit and has also visited other clubs in the south east in order to see how they are run, to join in the meeting and to meet other Toastmasters.
Years ago Karen suffered from a viral infection which resulted in her having a hearing impairment in her left ear it, which means that she occasionally mumbles when speaking. It also means that she can’t always define how loud she needs to speak and it can be hard for her to hear in a noisy place, with just one hearing ear.
“I can’t define where the sound is coming from, for example if my mobile phone rings. I find it difficult to hear conversation in a noisy place like a pub or somewhere with music.”
Karen says, “The club has been good for me as it has encouraged me to speak regularly which I need to do with my hearing impairment. It has also helped me to improve my speaking skills and be more articulate.”
Karen, who works for a well-known insurance company, uses what she learns at Toastmasters to help her in her career.
“I have spoken occasionally on training days at work. I work in the marketing department, which is responsible for all the advertising on TV, radio and social media.
“My team manages the letters and policy documents to ensure it meets FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) regulations along with any other requirements like re-branding.
“I haven’t done any prepared speeches for a while at the club and I would like to do more. However, I have been working on my evaluating skills which means that I have to listen very carefully to the prepared speeches and I have learned a lot from doing this.”
Outside of work and Toastmasters Karen’s passion is travelling and she has travelled all around Europe including Scandinavia and Eastern Europe.
We are very pleased that she finds the time to travel to Bromley Speakers Club and we are looking forward to hearing some more prepared speeches in the near future.