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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We are working on the list of winners of the Club Fitness club incentive so look forward to hearing more about those incentive winners in the January Dispatch.   Now that clubs have finished working on the Club Fitness incentive, it is exciting to announce the next opportunity for clubs to work together to achieve a District award – the Go Getter Award.  The Go Getter Award is given to any club that achieves a minimum of 5 Distinguished Club Program …

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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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WHERE IS YOUR FOCUS? Message from the District 42 District Director Katrina Aburrow, DTM I heard a quote recently that says, where your focus goes, your energy flows.   It really got me thinking about where our focus is now and where our energy is going.   We are one of the only Districts in Region 4 to hold fall contests, so I hope your focus has been on Tall Tales and Table Topics contests, whether as a competitor, official or an …

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What is your goal?

WHAT IS YOUR GOAL? Message from the District 42 District Director Katrina Aburrow, DTM He who fails to plan is planning to fail.  Sir Winston Churchill Most of us are familiar with this quote from Sir Winston Churchill.   It means a lot to me because of my experience in planning through Toastmasters.   I used to think that I had zero experience in planning and my lack of confidence in strategic planning made job interviews particularly scary.   I didn’t realize that …

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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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IT’S ALL ABOUT OUR ATTITUDE Making Music Together Message from the D42 Program Quality Director Bev LeBlanc, DTM I was watching a baseball game a couple of days ago. The score was 16 to 4 in the third inning. 16 to 4 in the THIRD inning. That’s a football score! As I was shaking my head, feeling sorry for the underdog, I remembered something I once heard Wayne Gretzky say in an interview: “When you are winning, the game is …

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Trust—A Key Ingredient of Leadership Message from the D42 Program Quality Director Bev LeBlanc, DTM Most people who join Toastmasters do so to improve their communication skills. Something wonderful happens in the process. As their communication skills improve, other people start listening to their opinions & ideas. Leadership skills develop as members improve in communicating with others. The Toastmaster tagline of ‘Where Leaders Are Made’ is truly fitting. When I became Program Quality Director, I said ‘Leadership is not a …

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Could You Be Getting More Out Of Toastmasters? Message from the District 42 District Director Katrina Aburrow, DTM When I began my Toastmasters journey in 1998 at Bedstone Olympics Toastmasters I had no idea I would ever become a future District Director, but like many of you we started Toastmasters for one reason and our journey takes us somewhere far better than we could have ever imagined at the outset.   I was an education volunteer at the Calgary Zoo and …

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Toastmasters District 42 Youth Leadership Program Toastmasters International has been invested in the Youth for many years. They’ve put together a training that was implemented successfully over time. However, Christina Kruis, Direct Past District Director for District 42, felt that to connect with younger kids, we had to adapt the program in such a way that we could engage with them. We had a pilot program at the Seton Library Calgary in 2019 run by the current Region 4 PRM, …

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Leadership is not a right. It is a privilege. I truly feel privileged to be your Toastmaster Program Quality Director for the next few months. Further, I’m also truly blessed to have so many of you express your encouragement and support.  Rise to the Toastmasters Challenge I’ve been fortunate to meet some exceptional leaders throughout my 20 plus years in Toastmasters. People like Mr. Toastmaster Peter Kossowan, Neil Wilkinson and Jana Barnhill, past presidents of Toastmasters International. Jana unknowingly instigated …

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Explanation of DARE Journey

Ten area directors began their DARE journey not only to discover and enhance their leadership skills but also to be recognized for their journey. The recognition is the DARE award based on the four aspects of an Area Director journey. Develop (leadership style) Achieve (success plan) Relate (to clubs and members) Encourage (quality clubs)  The Journey Continues Although it has been a challenging year, they have journeyed well. The DARE award will recognize the effort which they have made and …

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A computer monitor with a Zoom meeting screen. A coffee cup set beside it.

Toastmasters District 42 invites you to the following Toastmaster Club open houses to meet members and watch special guest speakers talk about the importance of communication skills for today’s professionals. Toastmasters clubs provide a supportive and positive environment where members have the opportunity to develop their communication and leadership skills,” says Christina Kruis, District 42 Director. After hearing from special speakers, members and guests will enjoy a regular Toastmasters meeting that will include prepared speeches, Table Topics™ (impromptu speeches) and …

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Leaders Preparing to Summit

Leadership when you serve at district level provides increased opportunity to hone your skills. On January 30th, 2021 Toastmasters District 42 Area and Division Directors will have the opportunity to attend their second District Leader training of their 2020/2021 term. Much like Club Officers, District leaders attend training that is designed for them to learn how to better serve their clubs. Among the quality interactive session of great presenters, Lance Miller will be delivering the featured keynote “Toastmasters – An …

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Step Up To Leadership

Randy Maus is the Clarity Coach at Front of the Room Leadership. Stepping up to lead, his company provides leadership training. When he started his business, he already had fifteen years of experience. But he only spoke to larger audiences a few times a year. He wanted feedback to improve consistency in his speaking and presentation performance. Randy joins Toastmasters  Randy knew about Toastmasters from friends who were long time members. Consequently, he was aware that it was a place …

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DARE

Toastmasters District 42 has a new award. It recognizes the one-year journey of an Area Director. The DARE award augments the traditional scoreboard performance approach. DARE considers the four elements which yield success as a director.  Developing a leadership style reinforces the ‘where leaders are made’ Toastmasters International hashtag. Achieving tasks reinforces the district mission of supporting the clubs. Relating to the executive and members reinforces that areas work as a team. Encouraging clubs to be recognized reinforces the concept …

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Recognition Incentives

Recognition makes members feel happy, valued, and that they are achieving their goals.  It is motivating, it is collaborative, it helps build a team.  Additionally, it builds confidence and self-esteem.  I like to think of Toastmasters District 42’s Recognition and Incentive program as the “Ultimate Membership Retention Tool”.  Consequently, members who are noticed and have their successes acknowledged, stay.  Finally, this program is offered for free to every Club and Member. District 42 recognizes the work, as well as the …

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New Member Boot Camp

Alisen Dopf experienced information overload when she joined Toastmasters. As a new member she relied on in-person meetings to learn about Toastmasters. However, when the pandemic hit, it became a challenge to transition from in-person to online meetings. Alisen realized her situation was not unique. As a result she decided to create the New Member Boot Camp. When new members don’t know how to access information they get frustrated. They don’t understand the roles during a club meeting. They don’t …

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Two People Working On Website

The website is the visage of District 42 Toastmasters. Coincidentally, it’s also the place we as members go to for information. All events, including contests, conferences, and training appear there. As a plus we also get to know our leaders via their profiles. In other words, the website is a gold mine of information. Website A Primary Priority When D42’s Public Relations Manager, Marcy Field, joined the Executive Team in July 2019, she quickly recognized the website needed modernization to …

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Circle of Gold

On June 30, 2020, Darlene Davies, DTM, stepped down as the D42 Circle of Gold Core Team Leader and announced a new COG leader for District 42. Darlene was honoured to announce Laura Chambers is taking on the role of D42 Circle of Gold Core Team Leader for 2020-2021. Please give a warm welcome to Laura. She is raring to go, enthusiastic and full of ideas about how Circle of Gold can continue to grow in our District and beyond …

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Voting is finalized. We are happy to congratulate the new 2020-21 team, whose term officially begins in July 2020. Meanwhile, they are leaning in to finish the current term with renewed vigor. District Director (Elect) – Christina Kruis Program Quality Director (Elect) – Ryan Rupchan Club Growth Director (Elect) – Katrina Aburrow Division B Director (Elect) – Arunima Bhattacharya Division C Director (Elect) – Randy Maus Division D Director (Elect) – Tammy Frenette Division E Director (Elect) – Vincenzo Aliberti …

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Speech Contests Winners

The winners of District 42’s Humorous Contest are: On Saturday, April 18, District 42 took Speech Contests online. Not only is It incredibly impressive to see how it all came together, the preparation and expertise of the contestants as they adapt to this new venue, is truly inspiring.   INTERNATIONAL CONTEST Congratulations to the winners of District 42’s International Contest are: First Place: Kanak Khare from LIV AD-Libs Second Place: Valerie Erikson from Literally Speaking Third Place: Kelly Kaur from …

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Superhero Tech Team

By Irma Goosen | VP Membership, Fluor Communicators D23 The magnitude of COVID-19 shocked the world early in March 2020. Day-to-day routines changed. Following an announcement from Toastmasters International cancelling in-person club meetings, solutions were needed. “How would we connect with our Toastmaster peeps?” “Will the contests go ahead?” “What about my Pathways, my DTM, my CC?” Determined to optimize this new opportunity to learn, grow and expand, leaders and members alike stepped forward. As a result, the idea for …

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If so, Toastmasters Leadership Training is available this winter for every Toastmaster in District 42. We are happy to report over 900 people participated in the four training sessions in November and January. In addition, to learning how to level up their club experience, they laughed, danced and had fun together. Never the less, instead of experiencing FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), be sure to register for one of the three remaining training dates in January and February 2021. Each …

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