Scott Gemmell had an exciting career in insurance but he dreamed of something more — being a stand-up comedian.

Unfortunately, he had one problem — he broke out in a sweat just at the thought of public speaking.

So while working in London shortly before moving to Bermuda, the Scotsman turned to a public speaking club, Toastmasters International (TI).

"When I first started my career I used to hate public speaking," said Mr. Gemmell, senior vice-president of Marsh Captive Solutions. "I actually used to hate introducing myself when we went around the table and I had to say what my job role was."

His fear of public speaking even touched his Karate, which he has been involved in for over 20 years, and in which he has a black belt.

"I used to teach, before I came to Bermuda," he said. "I used to get quite nervous when I needed to talk because my students were older than I was. I didn't like that, but because I was comfortable with my knowledge that got me through."

Mr. Gemmell is originally from Hamilton, a suburb of Glasgow, in Scotland. His only experience of public speaking, before joining Marsh, was at university.

"In university it was very limited and maybe once a year," he said. "It wasn't until I started working that I realised I couldn't hide from it any more."

While working at the Marsh office in London, he found that public speaking was very much a part of his job. He knew he had to get a hold of his fear, whether he liked it or not.

"I tried to develop my public speaking skills that way," he said. "There was no pressure worrying about client relationships. People gave you an evaluation on what you did well and what you could improve on."

One of the things he had to work on was the fact that he said "sort of" sort of a lot when giving a speech.

"It still slips in from time to time," he said. "I think it was just to stop myself saying 'ah' and 'um', but it didn't help because it was still an unnecessary pause."

TI also gave him an opportunity to try out different types of public speaking, including humorous speaking, and persuasive speaking.

The biggest thing he learned with TI was that even expert public speakers get nervous.

"It is just regular practice and regular speaking that enables you to manage your nervousness so the audience won't pick up on it," he said. "People who enjoy public speaking enjoy the challenge of it, but they still feel nervous."

He said the people most comfortable with public speaking are often the ones who prepare properly.

He now seeks out public service opportunities.

"Whenever there is an industry conference, I am always looking to get a speaking opportunity," said Mr. Gemmell. "It is a chance to showcase what we do as an organisation, and it also gives me a chance to build my public speaking skills. The opportunities are usually business related."

He said TI is self-paced and tailored to suit each individual, so there are no hard and fast rules, but they do have tips to help people improve their public speaking.

"Usually, we sign up for a speech one meeting before we are supposed to do it," said Mr. Gemmell. "We usually have about a month to prepare. The best thing to do is to start thinking about what you want to talk about at the next speech, and know what style of speech you will do.

"One of the great things about TI is there are always people who are willing to speak. Quite often a business commitment might stop someone from being attending TI, and even the day before you fill find people to take that role, because they feel comfortable even on short notice."

TI clubs, often organised within companies, offer programmes of communication and leadership projects designed to help men and women learn the arts of speaking, listening, and thinking.

There are about 250,000 members of TI in 106 countries. Marsh Captive Solutions in Bermuda started its own TI club six months ago to sharpen employees communication and leadership skills. They have 22 members, and jokingly call it Toast Marshsters.

Marsh pays the chartering Marsh pays the chartering fee and expenses relating to the club, and also provides the meeting venue.

There are other TI clubs in Bermuda including one at Ernst and Young, and a general Bermuda Toastmasters Club.

"I still get sweaty before a speech, but it is about controlling the nervousness now," he said. "Before, if I am on a panel discussion and it is my turn to speak I get nervous.

"The rush comes when your audience listens to what you say, and they respond to it. It is like running a race. Nobody enjoys running a marathon; the excitement comes from finishing."

Shortly before coming to Bermuda, Mr. Gemmell realised his dream of being a funny man. During an open-mic night in a London bar, he walked up to a mic and started cracking jokes (jokes that he wouldn't repeat to the tender ears of The Royal Gazette).

"After being a part of TI I wanted to see if it worked," said Mr. Gemmell. "I went along to this special evening where anyone could go up and do five to ten minutes. I was less nervous because I felt everyone else had been so terrible I couldn't fail.

"At the end of the evening I was asked to go back and close the show. I had to quickly think of new material, because I had exhausted all of my earlier material.

"I would never do it again. I tried it, I enjoyed it, but I think a career in business is better than a career in comedy."

Mr. Gemmell said if it wasn't for TI, not only would he not have ever had the courage to do a stand-up comedy routine, he probably wouldn't be in his current job position.

"If I hadn't developed my public speaking skills, I don't think I would be doing what I am doing now," said Mr. Gemmell. "My job very much involves public speaking. I probably wouldn't be living in Bermuda without TI."