How can I inspire you? Dear District 42 Members How can I inspire you? What do you need to take your Toastmaster membership to the next level? Let’s recap a bit & then look forward. This has been quite the year. We held the first Tall Tales Contest in many years. To say the least, it was fun. Our International Speech Contest winner, Joanne Smith, went to Regional Finals. We had star-studded training, organized by the divisions & the district. …
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 …
Lessons Learned Leadership Training I know you go to online meetings all the time and it goes like clockwork! Hah! Nothing goes like clockwork! The difference is whether or not that is obvious! On June 15, the part that did not work was pretty obvious, right off the start! Fortunately, or not, that first big presentation was about leadership, and how we all drop the balls at some point; it is a question of picking them up and getting back …
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 …
OTY – Recognizing the Best of the Best District 42 is where Distinguished leaders are made and where we recognize the phenomenal leaders who make our district as successful as it is. We celebrated excellence in leadership at the spring conference with DARE awards for Area Directors and with the District of the Year awards for the leaders who contributed most across our district from 2020 to 2021. The Of the Year awards recognize the best of the best and …
Two Reasons to Get Excited It is June and it is the FINAL month of the 2021/22 Toastmasters year. This is a time when this year is winding down and we are starting to prepare for the 2022/23 year. This is the perfect time to get excited about two things – finishing strong this year and setting ourselves up for success next year. Strong Finish How do we finish strong? We finish the last speech or two we need to …
Striking the Right Note CONFERENCE FEEDBACK SURVEY When the last note ends, the band members are all packed up and the audience members have gone home, what remains? The feelings and the memories of experiencing a musical journey that for a short while removes you from your everyday life and transports you to another place. This year’s conference certainly struck the right note on so many levels, and hopefully inspired and impacted not only our Toastmaster members but also our …
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 – …
You can say YES! We are two short months away from the end of the Toastmaster year for 2021-2022 and it is hard to believe how quickly this year has gone by. I am feeling particularly inspired after our annual conference, and feel energized and ready to support our clubs and leaders to make this year a great success! In addition to celebrating success at our conference, we elected a new District trio and Division Directors who will begin their …
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. …
What does success look like? It’s hard to believe we have only three months left to the Toastmaster year! But what a significant three months ahead of us! We have an exciting annual conference to look forward to – Strike the Right Note, the Power of Pathways – from April 28 to 30. We will have a chance to connect online to see the best speakers in the District enthrall us with their evaluations and International speeches, select and elect …
Strike the Right Note: The Power of Pathways This year’s conference theme is all about striking the right note by using the power of Pathways. Strike the Right Note: Choosing the Right Partner When Bev LeBlanc asked me to chair the D42 virtual conference and told me to choose who I wanted to work with, it was a no-brainer. I immediately contacted Keith Lee to work with me as co-chair. Keith is a past District Director and educator, who works …
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 …
Strive for Progress, Not Perfection I can’t recall where I first heard this quote, but I’ve adopted it as my mantra. It’s been written on my whiteboard at work since the time before COVID. The quote speaks to me; it applies to all areas of my life, including Toastmasters. My DTM project was to chair Division B-Day on Nov 25, 2021. Guess what my theme was? Strive for Progress, Not Perfection. My name is Dawn Thomas-Cameron. I have been a …
D42 Spring 2022 Speech Contest District 42 Toastmasters continues the time-honoured tradition of hosting Speech Contests. Spring Speech Contests complete the annual speech contest cycle for Toastmasters. Please join us for the Division Evaluation and International Speech Contests. Here are the dates for the Division Contests: Come out and cheer on your area Toastmasters as they compete in the Toastmasters’ Spring Contest for Evaluations and International speech competition. Best of luck contestants. Dates for the Area Contest:
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 …
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 …
The Best Practice Leadership Training January 19, 2022 January 19th was the District 42 training planned by Division C Director, Daisy Wei, and myself. This training was enormously successful, with 250+ in attendance. Why? The key for success was planning; this included getting the date fixed early, fixing on a relevant vision, and letting that vision drive every step! Our vision was guided by the reality that clubs across D42 are really hurting for members. In fact, 87% of clubs …
DID YOU KNOW District 42 Website February 17, 2022 Visit the District 42 website to begin exploring. It is a treasure trove of information. To help with navigation on the District website, there are several tabs to click on: Home, About, Events, Members, Clubs, Districts, Opportunities, Blog, Find a Club and Search. These tabs are located at the top of the home page. If you click on home, you will return to the main page of https://d42tm.org If you’re planning …
RE-INVENTING OURSELVES Through Dreaming, Planning & Changing Perhaps you find it interesting, as I do, how quickly time seems to pass when we are adults as opposed to how slowly it seems to go by when we are younger. Remember how Christmas always seemed so far off no matter what month it was. Now in the blink of an eye we are already more than 6 months into our year. Christmas & New Year’s celebrations are behind us. January tends …
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 …
WE ARE ACHIEVERS. WE ARE LEADERS. WE CAN CREATE A SYMPHONY. Whew! What a year we’ve had. It seems to have gone by in a blip of time, but we (the members of District 42) have accomplished some stellar achievements. Training, contests, & various special events such as our Speaker Showcase in the fall were examples of learning, fun, & friendships taking place. Many of us have met members from around the world (Scotland, Europe, Australia, Mexico, & many other …
DCP Go-Getter Award The mission of a Toastmasters Club is to provide a supportive and positive learning experience in which members are empowered to develop communication and leadership skills, resulting in greater self-confidence and personal growth. What are the goals of your Club? An updated Club Success Plan will list the goals your Club hopes to achieve. Where are you starting from? A Moments of Truth with input from all members, will give a snapshot of where you are. How …
Dynamically Speaking Toastmasters Like a beacon of light during this challenging time Dynamically Speaking Toastmasters has fostered communication, connection, and collaboration to its club members. Our diverse membership, of fifty-three participants, range in age from their 20’s to their 70’s andjoin us from five countries and three continents. Currently, we are the second-largest Toastmasters Club in Canada. While we do love the “bragging rights” associated with a large club, this is secondary to the relationships we develop with each of …
Igniters Toastmasters Another year of Igniting Spirits! Igniters Toastmasters like many other clubs had a challenging year. We were able find solutions and energize the members to keep Igniting Spirits! We are proud of being a President’s Distinguished Club for the past 7 years in a row and a place where laughter, learning, and friendship flourished. Mentoring is a cornerstone at our club to help members grow. Our President embraced using Zoom for our meetings. Having technical expertise and being …
“Finding the right coach/mentor to help us succeed is crucial,” explains Russ Dantu, long time Toastmaster and Employee and Customer Retention Specialist. Someone with years of business experience in our specific industry and has gone through the good times and bad times can guide us. Mentors help us avoid unpleasant situations and help us to be our absolute best. When we succeed, they also succeed and share in the big wins we have because they have played such an important …
Speech is the primary form of human communication. We are uniquely evolved or created to talk. Most people can talk; few people can speak effectively. Most people can talk about their basic wants and needs or make demands. Few people can express complex ideas and convince or motivate others to take action. Effective speaking This ability to speak has little to do with talent or “a gift of gab.” Effective speech is a complex skill. It involves using techniques to …
The fall contest season has begun in District 42. This is happening around the world as thousands of Toastmasters begin by competing in the home club. Winners move on to Area, Division and District contests. Organizing, delivering and judging each contest is done by a team of their peers volunteering their time and expertise to continue this valued Toastmaster tradition. Together we challenge each other to #mastertheskill and become better communicators. Below is a listing of all the Area contests …
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 …
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 …
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 …
It’s that time of year again – February! Time to Talk Up Toastmasters! Let’s ramp up our membership recruitment efforts for our clubs! Talk Up Open Houses We invited guests to January Open Houses. Or we are going to invite them to our February Open House. Guess what – your club can win a membership recruitment award! That’s right, sign up your guests. Then get them involved as new members in your club from February 1 to …
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 …
One of the pre-requisites to obtain a DTM, is to be a Club Coach. Surely there had to be other reasons why we would sign up as Club Coaches? Your Mindset will change When I spoke with Katrina Aburrow, District 42 Club Growth Director, I realized she agreed with my views. Katrina was an unofficial Club Coach long before she formally took the role. She believes we should never give up on a Club. Even long-standing Clubs aren’t always perfect …
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 …
The fall contest season has begun in District 42. This is happening around the world as thousands of Toastmasters begin by competing in the home club. Winners move on to Area, Division and District contests. Organizing, delivering and judging each contest is done by a team of their peers volunteering their time and expertise to continue this valued Toastmaster tradition. Together we challenge each other to #mastertheskill and become better communicators. Below is a listing of all the Area contests …
