Glenmore RSVP Toastmasters Celebrate 30th Anniversary! Oh, what a night!! Have you ever met a friend from the past …. suddenly you are back to those days of laughter and good times! Those connections were definitely made at Glenmore RSVP Toastmasters 30th Anniversary Celebration. It was a heartwarming evening as past, present, and new members and TM friends from other clubs united to celebrate with Glenmore RSVP. It was a special honor to have D42 Director, Daisy Wei and …
Celebrations
Celebration events such as Anniversaries and Award ceremonies
Celebrating 40 Years of Toastmasters: A Heartfelt Milestone On Saturday, September 7, I was deeply honoured to be recognized for my 40 years as a Toastmasters member. The celebration was attended by 29 members and guests, and I was truly humbled by the experience. I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Saya Sanyal for expertly organizing the event. It was incredibly moving to hear from so many who spoke about the influence I have had on their Toastmasters journeys. …
Making a Real-World Impact Through Volunteerism My Journey to a Second DTM I decided all of the projects for my second DTM would include a volunteer organization and have an impact in the real world. As the videographer/photographer for the Medicine Hat Cowboy Poetry Foundation, I had the opportunity to film and edit a historical documentary of Bud Van Cleave, a 93-year-old Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame inductee. Watch the documentary here. The next opportunity was to learn how …
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 …
This DTM journey is not unlike the first! I found looking at the requirements for the Pathways DTM, that I had achieved most of them! And that’s how it was the first time around. But that was a Legacy DTM, this is a Pathways DTM – hmmm! The same objective, but slightly different requirements. When I investigated what achieving the DTM means it “represents the highest educational achievement in Toastmasters, in both Communication and Leadership.” The bottom line is, I …
“Waves of Inspiration” Event District 42 support was out in force on Saturday 29th of July for the Molly Hamilton “Waves of Inspiration” event held in Calgary, Alberta. Molly is representing Region 4 in mid-August in Nassau, Bahamas, as a semi-finalist in the Toastmasters International World Champion of Public Speaking contest. She is pictured here with District 42 Director (2023-2024), Eugene Sicat, DTM and District 42 Program Quality Director (2023-2024), Daisy Wei, DTM, who were able to present Molly with …
The Big Rock Pioneers Toastmasters Club’s 20th Anniversary Celebration The Big Rock Pioneers Toastmasters Club’s 20th Anniversary Celebration in Okotoks on June 1, 2023, was a gala of grand proportions. The evening started with a meet and mingle, where current and former club members were able to renew their acquaintances. Then, the toastmaster for the event, Shelley Goldbeck, gave her opening remarks and reminded attendees of the items on the agenda. Certainly, one of the highlights of the celebration was …
My DTM Journey I started in Toastmasters in 2014 as a chartered member of Civil Speakers Toastmasters in Regina. I was having issues with my manager, and I wanted to build my communication and leadership skills. She was not sending me to courses to build these skills, so I decided to join the Toastmasters club that was being chartered at City Hall in Regina. Slow Start My toastmaster journey started off slow. It took me over a year to complete …
Toastmasters are Writers! Little did I know that my Toastmaster’s journey would take me to the Toastmasters World Championship of Public Speaking in Vancouver in 2017. Stories – Toastmasters tell beautiful stories for the International Speech Contest, don’t they? Well, then, that makes us writers. That’s what I thought as I went for an interview, two years after my World stage experience. It was for the 2019 Own Voices Alberta writing program held by the Alexandra Writers Centre and Writers …
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 …
Fluor Canada Ltd. (Fluor Canada) was awarded Toastmasters Corporate Recognition Award at Fluor’s Calgary offices on Friday, April 28. Claire Wyllie, Controller, accepted the award on behalf of Fluor Canada and the local Toastmasters chapter, Fluor Communicators. Richard Peck, DTM presented this prestigious award, while visiting District 42’s 2023 Conference. Also, Toastmasters from across southern Alberta and southern Saskatchewan who gathered in Calgary for the “Maximize Your Potential” hybrid conference. Fluor Recognizes Benefits to Employees “It is an honour to …
I first joined Toastmasters in 2002 as I had a problem with filler words! I used a lot of them and took a long time to get to my main points when speaking! Not a good thing as the first 30 seconds of a conversation or an interview is so important! Some people even make a decision about you in such a short period of time. During that first year, I completed 9 speeches in the Competent Toastmaster Manual and …
Journey to DTM Determined to Make a Difference I first joined Toastmasters to learn how to convince my Director to listen to my ideas. No matter how I shared ideas with her, she just wasn’t listening to me! I wanted to make a difference, to make improvements, to make impactful changes. I realized soon after joining Toastmasters, to have more influence, I needed a leadership position, but to get a leadership position, I quickly found out, I needed to have …
COVID, Global Mentoring, & My Virtual DTM Triumph The Distinguished Toastmasters Award (DTM) is the highest honor acquired by a Toastmaster. In 2020, COVID-19 restrictions were beginning; that is, everyone was required to wear face masks and to a social distance of at least 6 feet apart when meeting or passing another person. Toastmasters International Meetings were going online due to national, provincial, and municipal emergency regulations. After two months of social distancing, I attended my Home Club CREB Talkers …
Along the path to Distinguished Toastmaster, we learn the value of leadership and team building. When I began my Toastmaster journey 4 years ago, I was unaware of the DTM designation or its requirements. I do remember an announcement when fellow club member, Lisa Branch, my first mentor in Toastmasters, received hers. Quite frankly as a newbie, I was focused on getting through my Ice Breaker speech. Thus, the significance of her achievement was lost on me. Club Leadership – …
Build a Better You One Step at a Time! I am very proud that I earned the title of Distinguish Toastmasters-DTM. It is the result of my 5-year effort. I have accomplished not only many speeches, but also leadership commitments. My original plan with Toastmasters was 1 year and leave. 5 years later, I earned my DTM. I am still learning and enjoying it. It is a hundred miles long journey to build myself a better person today. 8 months …
WHAT DOES 2022 HAVE IN STORE FOR YOU? WHAT DOES 2022 HAVE IN STORE FOR YOU? WHAT DOES 2022 HAVE IN STORE FOR YOU? What does 2022 have in store for you? I can hardly believe it is January of a new year! It doesn’t seem like it was that long ago that it was January of 2021, and I was wondering what 2021 would hold for me. At that time, I was the D42 Club Growth Director, marvelling that …
The Calgary Pace Setters Toastmasters Club celebrated its 30th anniversary on May 1, 2021. In honor of the occasion, a special meeting was held virtually on Tuesday, May 4th, 2021. Numerous current and past members along with distinguished Area, Division, and District guests attended the virtual party. The year was 1991-a year filled with many historic moments. The USSR formally dissolved, the first-ever website (titled the World Wide Web) was launched, Silence of the Lambs won the Academy Award for best picture, becoming …
Alas, it is still a while before we are all vaccinated and establish herd immunity. But those who continue with life, rather than collapsing under its weight, will stand out from the herd and be better prepared for the post-pandemic revival. Perhaps the biggest lesson from 2020 is the value of human connection. No, we cannot visit yet. But we can still connect via technology – Zoom, a phone call, even a hand-written letter (a lost art which stands to …
Congratulations to District 42’s OTY (pronounced O-tee) Award recipients for the year July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019! 2018-2019 Of The Year Recipients Congratulations to the following Toastmasters on their accomplishments: Public Relations of the Year – Angela Detmold, DTM – Verbal Gainz Toastmasters | E19 Rookie of the Year – Marcy Field, VC5 – Fluor Communicators | D23 Toastmaster of the Year – Ken Humphreys, DTM – Twin Rivers Club | A15 President of the Year – Lorraine …
Wild Oats Toastmasters marks its 40th anniversary on March 1st. In honour of the occasion, a virtual celebration will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2021 through WebEx. We are honoured to announce Richard E. Peck, International President, Toastmasters International as our guest speaker. “Toastmasters provides a supportive and positive environment where members have the opportunity to overcome their fear of public speaking and sharpen presentation skills,” says Catherine Secundiak, Wild Oats Toastmasters Club President. “The club enjoyed an in person experience for 39 years. In the …