The Power of 1%: Small Steps, Big Speakers

*Inspired by James Clear's Atomic Habit, Book Review by TM Nuhamin Abate*

I remember the day I tried to teach my little sister how to tie her shoes.

I made the classic mistake: I sat her down and tried to show her everything at once. Fold, loop, wrap, pull, the whole sequence in a single sitting. She stared at me blankly. Then she got frustrated. Then she got up and walked away with frustration. And honestly? I couldn't blame her.

So we started over. This time, slower.

On day one, she mastered just the first fold. Day two, the loop. Day three, wrapping one lace around the other. By day five, she tied the knot herself, and looked up at me with the biggest grin I've ever seen. She didn't feel overwhelmed. If anything, She felt unstoppable.

She showed up the next day eager for more. And the day after that. Until, eventually, she was the only child in her class who didn't need help.

That's what 1% at a time looks like. And without either of us realizing it, she hadn't just learned to tie her shoes, she had learned consistency.

When it comes to growth, consistency is the engine. And consistency, in practical terms, means habits.

James Clear, in his bestselling book Atomic Habits, describes habits as “the compound interest of self-improvement.” Getting 1% better every day sounds almost laughably small. But that’s exactly the point.

The math, once you see it, is hard to unsee: improve by just 1% each day, and by the end of a year, you’re nearly 37 times better. That’s the magic of compounding. That’s why small actions matter more than big intentions.

Most of us tend to wait for the dramatic turning point, the big confidence surge, the perfect opportunity, the breakthrough moment. But real growth rarely announces itself. It sneaks up on you through small actions, repeated quietly and consistently, until one day you look back and barely recognize where you started.

Let’s be honest about what we’re all after here.

We want to become powerful, compelling speakers. We want to command a room, articulate our ideas with clarity, and be the kind of person others actually listen to. Some of us have our eyes on bigger prizes: leadership roles of clubs, areas, division and even districts, or we want to specialize our speaking and become a DTM. We’re all chasing something.

I know because I'm one of them.

As someone who often feels like I discovered Toastmasters six years later than I should have, I understand the urge to catch up. When I joined eight months ago, I wanted to do everything at once, take on every role, volunteer for every opportunity, and fix every weakness I could find.

Sound familiar?

But somewhere between watching my little sister learn to tie her shoes, reading James Clear, and my admittedly short yet incredibly impactful time in Toastmasters, I was reminded of something important:

Not by doing everything. But by doing one thing consistently and letting time do the rest.

Attendance is the most underrated Toastmasters habit. It sounds obvious, but many members wait until they feel “ready” before engaging fully. The trick is to reverse that logic: show up first, then get ready.

Start with once a month. Then twice. Then weekly. Before long, showing up isn’t a decision you negotiate with yourself anymore, it’s just what you do.

Every role in Toastmasters; Timer, Grammarian, Toastmaster of the Day, General Evaluator, is a micro-learning opportunity dressed in a volunteer’s badge. Don’t just fill a slot.

Ask yourself: What specific skill do I want to sharpen through this role today? Listening? Timing awareness? Confidence on your feet? Leadership presence? Name it. Then go in with intention.

After every speech, evaluations can feel like a shopping list of flaws. Resist the urge to fix all of them at once. That’s a fast track to paralysis.

Pick one. Your 1% for this speech might be:

One skill mastered well is worth ten skills attempted poorly. Trust the process.

It’s easy to spend your energy dreaming about becoming a DTM while half-heartedly serving as Ah-Counter. But growth is not a destination you reach by skipping the journey.

Think of it like drawing. If you’re sketching a cow, you don’t start by drawing the whole animal. You begin with the head. Then the eyes. Then the ears. Then, gradually, the full picture emerges, because you honored each small part first.

The role in front of you today is the head of the cow. Treat it that way.

Two minutes of speaking to yourself in the mirror every morning or just talking about your upcoming speech throughout the day, does more for your growth than waiting two months for your next assigned speech. Narrate your commute. Re-tell your weekend to your reflection. Describe a news story out loud.

Consistency of practice, not frequency of formal speeches, is what wires the skill into your brain. Even brief, daily reps count.

Yes, celebrate the ribbons and the trophies. But also celebrate:

These moments are the compound interest accruing in your speaker’s bank account. Notice them. Name them. They matter.

Every new role in Toastmasters humbles you a little. That’s not a sign you’re failing, it’s a sign you’re growing into new territory.

Evaluation feels uncomfortable the first time. So does contest speaking, running a full meeting, or leading a contest. But discomfort is just the feeling of capacity expanding. Normalize it. Wear it as a badge of courage, not shame.

Here’s a subtle but powerful shift: instead of saying “I want to become a great speaker,” try saying “I am someone who practices speaking consistently.”

Goals are outcomes. Identities are daily behaviors. And daily behaviors are what actually get you there.

When your identity is that of a consistent communicator, you don’t need willpower to show up, you’re just being yourself.

My sister didn’t become the class expert in shoe-tying because she had exceptional talent. She got there because she came back every day, a little more confident, a little more capable, one step further along than the day before.

That’s how speakers are built. That’s how leaders are made. Not in one grand transformation, but in the quiet accumulation of small, intentional choices, stacked day after day.

So, fellow Toastmaster: what’s your 1% this week?

Maybe it’s volunteering for a role that scares you. Maybe it’s practicing in the mirror tomorrow morning. Maybe it’s picking just one evaluation note and applying it relentlessly in your next speech.

Whatever it is, start there.

Not all at once. Just 1% every day.