Distinguished Leaders of 2023/2024 We are beyond delighted to extend our heartfelt congratulations to several of our past Area Directors and Division Directors who have achieved distinguished status. This prestigious recognition is a testament to their unwavering dedication and remarkable leadership during their time in office. However, we know that such accomplishments are never the result of one person’s efforts alone. It truly takes a village to reach this level of success. These leaders, through their tireless hard work, perseverance, …

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District 42 Of the Year Recipients 2023/2024 We are excited to announce the recipients of our “Of the Year“ awards at the district level. The selection process was no easy task, as each of our nominees brought something exceptional to the table. A dedicated committee worked diligently, recognizing the incredible contributions from every candidate. Each member we considered exemplified excellence, making it nearly impossible to choose just a few. To us, every one of them is a winner, and we were honored …

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Recognition and appreciation of our members’ contributions Recognition Recognition of people’s efforts and accomplishments is crucial and should never be overlooked or underestimated. Many individuals go to great lengths to support others, often making significant sacrifices in their personal, professional, and family lives to help others reach their goals. Their dedication involves spending countless hours caring, planning, and thinking, efforts that deeply impact our Toastmasters community. We must remember and appreciate these contributions. Recognizing such dedication is not only fair …

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Attending our Conference By investing in yourself and attending our District 42 Toastmasters Conference, you embark on a commendable journey. It’s not just about acquiring knowledge; it’s about opening yourself up to unexpected discoveries and opportunities. Throughout my experiences attending numerous conferences, I’ve consistently found valuable insights and practical takeaways that have enriched my personal and professional life.  Educational sessions and keynote speakers Step into the captivating realm of our educational sessions, where insightful speakers will take you on a …

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Encouraging members to take on leadership roles Leadership is a multifaceted responsibility that extends beyond simply directing a team’s actions; it involves nurturing and developing the potential leaders within that team. Identifying individuals with leadership capacity can be challenging, but by implementing a comprehensive orientation program, organizations can equip prospective leaders with the essential skills and knowledge needed for effective leadership. The orientation process can take different forms. It could involve a straightforward speech outlining the responsibilities associated with each …

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Strengthening Character Muscles

Strengthening Character Muscles Through the Forest of Core Values In the hustle and bustle of modern life, where distractions abound, and priorities shift like sand in the wind, it’s easy to lose sight of what truly matters. Our character, the essence of who we are, often takes a backseat to the demands of the external world. Yet, amidst the chaos, there lies a sanctuary – a metaphorical forest where the trees whisper timeless truths and the air hums with the …

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Legacy and Longevity I recently attended the 10th-anniversary celebration of one of our clubs, the Healthy Living Toastmasters Club, where I had the pleasure of meeting numerous enthusiastic, fun, and dedicated members. During the event, participants were asked to share three words that encapsulated their feelings about the anniversary, and it was quite enjoyable to hear the diverse responses. Some of the words thrown around included “party,” “feast,” “food,” “booze,” “camaraderie,” and “having fun,” reflecting the vibrant and celebratory atmosphere. …

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Nurturing Growth and Success In the Next Six Months As we embark on our journey of the next six months, it’s crucial to define our aspirations and set clear objectives for the betterment of our Toastmasters clubs. Here are some key focus areas that could potentially shape the path forward: 1. Grow Membership: Initiating targeted outreach programs to attract new members. Implementing retention strategies to ensure a sustainable increase in our club’s size. 2. Help Members Achieve Personal Goals: Conducting …

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Nurturing Leadership A Toastmasters Journey In this article, we delve into the heart of the Toastmasters mission and explore practical strategies for fostering leadership and personal growth within the club. The mission statement encapsulates the essence of Toastmasters, emphasizing creating a supportive learning environment for developing oral communication and leadership skills. However, the challenge lies in consistently putting “people first” as we navigate the leadership landscape. Making Personal Connections to Inspire To inspire individuals rather than merely motivating them to …

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District Director’s address NOVEMBER 2023 In last month’s article, we emphasized the importance of planning and using the plan. This time, we want to address how we execute it. There are so many approaches; I will summarize them into these categories: quickest, easiest, or the soundest. Throughout my career, I have applied them all. The question is, what do you think is best to use?  Different types of approach: I fell into the “quickest” approach when my focus was only on the end …

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District Director’s Address This quote from Benjamin Franklin: “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!” is very timely when we start our year. For that matter, it is invaluable in anything that we seek in life. I heard our Program Quality Director, Daisy Wei, use this quote when addressing our new leaders last year, and it was well received. It was an excellent reminder to all of us. Other district leaders referred to this passage in our …

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Acknowledge and Add There are so many useful and excellent articles on the TI website. Here is one that I read recently on “How to Disagree Diplomatically“: It gave three tips: Depersonalize; Acknowledge and Add, and Use “I agree” cautiously. The one that resonated with me more is “Acknowledge and Add.” It refers to first listening and not shutting the other person down. You don’t necessarily agree but acknowledge the other person, then add your points. It happens all the …

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Call for District Leaders Call for Area Director We are still looking for Area Directors to lead some areas in Divisions C, E & F.  As Area Director, you serve a vital role in Toastmasters. Of all District leaders, you are the closest to clubs and members and are a direct link between them and the Division and District. It’s a rewarding role with many responsibilities. During your term you will do the following: Visit every club in your area …

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New Beginning Kudos to all our leaders who have taken a new role or are continuing similar positions in our district. We cannot thank you enough for doing this. Some of us could still be wondering, “How can we live up to the expectation?”, or even “Where do we start?” or “How can we keep to this?”.I can share this excerpt below from one of my favourite movies “Forrest Gump” as this has helped me in many of the journeys …

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Reflecting On The Conference Our conference this past weekend was a success. All the attendees had fun and learned a lot. Starting with our keynote speaker on Friday night – Past International Director (PID) Sharon Hill, on her “Just Say Yes.” It was fascinating, entertaining, and very familiar. I can relate to her journey, especially how I always welcome the challenge of moving forward. It reminds me of the quote from Mark Twain that I always apply, “The secret of getting …

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Your Town Hall It is challenging to navigate through contentious topics, and we tend to shy away from them to avoid any headaches or woes; however, as leaders, we owe it to our members to face it and bring it out in the open. Discussions can quickly become arguments, with people choosing sides. However, asking questions will create a bridge of understanding and respect. Sometimes, another person will recognize your sincerity and want to understand their perspectives and sentiments. This …

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Upcoming Motion Regarding Contests Focus efforts on strengthening existing clubs and building new clubs supporting club leaders For some years now, we have been continuing to hold our Fall Contest even though TI advised, on July 1, 2018, the cancellation of the Fall Conference.  The Board approved the directors’ decision in August 2017 with the primary objective of focusing on opportunities that better support club leaders through consistent, high-quality training. This encompasses the contests that we are required to hold, which is the International Speech Contest during the Spring Conference.  Please see this snippet below from TI’s August 20-22, 2017 meeting …

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Status of Club Officer Training Highlights: 46.28% of officers trained See detailed status here.     7 out of 7 incentive We have 6 clubs that have achieved 7 officers trained during the 1st and the 2nd round of training. Congratulations to the exceptional, extraordinary, and excellent work from the following clubs: We are truly proud of you. You set an outstanding example for our district. Worth to mention other clubs that were close to achieving it where they have achieved 7 of 7 during …

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Time Management Tips That Work There are so many valuable and excellent articles in TI.  Here is another one that I read recently on “Tips for Time Management“.  It talked about several techniques, from: Creating a Time Audit, Having a Power Hour, Batching similar tasks together, Rating tasks based on importance or difficulty and organizing your day accordingly; Creating routines, Setting time limits to get things done, and Challenging to put a time limit on tasks. I particularly like 3 of …

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Leadership Is About Behavior, Not Titles I read this article – Leadership Is About Behavior, Not Titles – last year and have been thinking about it and applying it since then. I wanted to know if I ever fall into the category of being a leader for the title. I never really understood the difference during my early years in leadership at work, but I think I fell more into that category during those years (not easy for me to admit). …

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Upcoming events and initiatives We made the first half of our Toastmasters period with all our members’ participation and perseverance.   We are grateful for doing what you do to make our district outstanding. Upcoming events and initiatives: Leadership Training:  We have the Leadership training scheduled in our district, and you can check our Events Calendar (link) for the details and registration.  The training dates are: Jan 20, Feb 4, and Feb 22 Alternatively, suppose none of those schedules fits, you can …

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Club Fitness Award Recipients At the time we are writing this article, we have identified some of the clubs in our district that have achieved the Club Fitness Award.   With the help of our Area Directors, we confirmed that they have completed: Renewing and updating their Club Success Plan Verifying Club Roster Conducting a Moments of Truth Club Roster Administrative tasks aren’t sexy, and there really isn’t anything to show for the effort! But these are the invisible jobs that make a Club run smoothly. …

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The Platinum Rule An article on the Platinum Rule caught my attention recently as it relates to how we serve our members.  We are accustomed to the traditional Golden Rule where “we treat other people the way we like to be treated.”   This article pointed out that such a golden rule may not be the best way. To serve others in a more efficient, effective, and everlasting way is by applying this – “Treat other people how they want to …

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Beat the Clock Membership Building Drive We always aim to run meetings on time, finish speeches on time and reach membership goals on time. In essence, we always try to “Beat the Clock”, hence the name given to this period’s incentives. It is indeed an excellent motivator for finishing the year on time and with impressive numbers. The incentive requires adding five new, dual, or reinstated members with a join date between May 1 and June 30.   Applications and payments must be …

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Plan for the Upcoming Year “Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now.”  -Alan Lakein Reflecting on that quote, we realize that we always get ahead when we plan early. We will likely achieve our goals when we prepare beforehand.   We will probably get further ahead when we get started earlier. Here is what our year will look like: We have another exciting year coming. We are keen to have …

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We know it’s possible and we have the clubs to prove it! Congratulations to the clubs who attained the Talk Up Toastmasters award, having signed at least five members in February and March: Igniters Club (Div E)  The Eyeopener Club (Div D) We could not be prouder of your accomplishment. Once again we commend you for your continuous effort, and unwavering strive to strengthen your club. Noteworthy to mention other clubs who have gained close to five members in the same period. …

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JOIN OUR TEAM BY BEING A CLUB COACH JOIN OUR TEAM BY BEING A CLUB COACH JOIN OUR TEAM BY BEING A CLUB COACH Join our team by being a Club Coach We are always looking for experienced Toastmasters who can coach a club to rebuild membership and restore quality to the club environment. A few months ago, we launched the HPL callout headed by our past International director, Jacquie Schnider, and current Area Director, Mark Ward. We received some …

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Membership Building and Retention We have shared several articles on membership building and retention. We think we can talk more about it. With all the tips that you have seen and read, there is one thing in common. It is the focus on WIIFM – What’s in it for them (or me in the guests’ viewpoint)? Let us take a few of those tips starting with these below: Welcome guests warmly Schedule educational speeches Welcome guests warmly We know we …

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Building Membership We have been campaigning for the “Talk Up Toastmasters” award recently. It covers the increase in membership during February and March primarily through spreading the word and bringing guests to your club meeting. We already have one club in our district that has gained five members in February – “Igniters Club.”  Here are the tips from Igniters Club.    We have two more clubs that are getting there, with three new members in February: “Twin Towers Toastmasters Club” and “Calgary Talking …

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Membership Building Fellow Toastmasters, we have come a long way. We have had a challenging year, especially with the pandemic and the membership of our clubs is just one of those things that were affected by it. In any case, we have another six months to go in our Toastmasters calendar year. It has been proven that word of mouth is one of the best ways to grow our clubs, which is the basis of the “Talk Up Toastmasters” membership-building …

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Marketing and growing membership of your club. We can all learn from successful clubs in our district and other districts. We heard many talks on these areas, and we could need some more tweaking or adjustments on how we do things. So here are some of those valuable tips we have seen achieved success: Doing more referrals. 80% of the guests who join Toastmasters meetings are through referrals. This is how we use the good old-fashioned word of mouth for …

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SMEDLEY AWARD WINNERS Congratulations to the two clubs in our district: Dynamically Speaking Club CanOrators Toastmasters Club We could not be more thrilled and proud of their accomplishments including this Smedley Award where we have seen they successfully gained 5 new members just in the months of August and September. What is their secret?  Better to hear it from them, as Ron MacTavish of Dynamically Speaking has shared: “… our philosophy about attracting new members.  We run stellar meetings, which are renowned for their high energy.  …

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SMEDLEY CLUB AWARD Message from Eugene Sicat, District 42 Club Growth Director Big salutes and congratulations to the two clubs in our district, Wascana Club and Dynamically Speaking, who have already added five new members as of September 15, and we are still 15 days before the deadline for the prestigious Smedley Club Award.  As of September 15, we have 3 other clubs who are very close to reaching 5 new members.  By September 30, we sure hope more clubs …

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