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 …
Getting Creative With Public Relations Brave Branding Be familiar with the Toastmasters brand and the core pillars of the organization. In Toastmasters, all members are guided by integrity, respect, service, and excellence. Start thinking outside of the box and be bold with your messaging. Each club is different and unique, don’t be afraid to advertise these quirks! Stats Knowing more about your membership is a great way to research what means most to your members which will help you create a …
Promoting Your Club Event Do you know how to promote your club event? District 42 Event calendar is used mainly for District, Division and Area advertising. Special events such as Club Anniversaries or special guest speaker events might also find their way to our Event Calendar. So where does that leave our clubs? Social media is the answer. Does your club have a Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn page or any other Social Media Platform? This is where you can promote your …
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). …
Holiday Greetings Dear fellow Toastmasters, As we approach the end of another year, it is a time to reflect on all that we have achieved and to look forward to the new opportunities that lie ahead. I am grateful for this opportunity to extend warm holiday greetings to all of you, and to express my deep appreciation for your dedication and commitment to our shared mission. Toastmasters is a wonderful organization that brings people together from all walks of life, …
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 …
It’s That Time of Year Again Hello & Greetings My Friends of District 42, Music, decorations, hustle & bustle, excitement, lights, good spirits, family, & friends all are part of the upcoming season. No matter where you are, the Christmas season is filled with myriad activities. In the greater scheme of things, family & friends, are the icing on the cake. The cake, the base for all the above trimmings, is the feeling we have of being blessed; for living …
We have recently completed another season of “Of the Year Awards”. What a beautiful moment to pause and appreciate all the hard work that has gone on both in front of the screen and behind the scenes! Congratulations to all our winners; and a huge shout out to the many volunteers who dedicated hours of work to make the contests run smoothly. If all this is new to you, or if you have ever wondered how to participate in the …
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. …
A Success Plan for Life Looking at the calendar on my wall, instead of just seeing the days filled with things to do, if I step back a bit, I see we have already ended our first quarter of the year. Who snapped their fingers & made it so? 39 or 39ish. How many of you can guess what this number means? It is the number of days until CHRISTMAS (depending on when you read this article). Again, someone snapped …
District 42 Toastmasters continues the time honoured tradition of hosting Speech Contests. Area winners are advancing to Division Contests.
Where do We Go From Here? As District Director, I have a vision: It seems I’m asking myself this question almost every week. The District (as in all of us) finishes one round of activities, only to start another. Let’s consider where we are at this moment. As of July 1, we had 101 active clubs. We now have 108 paid clubs. Yahoo! I have no doubt we will soar even more. This is a year of rebuilding as our …
Sponsoring a New Club What is a Club Sponsor? A club sponsor is assigned to each new club attempting to charter and plays a fundamental role in successfully creating a new Toastmasters club. The Club Extension Committee assigns club sponsors based on inquiries or applications from members progressing towards the Distinguished Toastmaster accreditation. A club sponsor is an experienced Toastmaster with leadership skills, a passion for Toastmasters, and a strong dedication to helping charter a new club. Each new club …
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 …
Adding value to your Toastmaster club After thirty months of the global pandemic, businesses, government bodies, and volunteer organizations all realize they must deliver more value to their customers and members than they have been able to recently muster. But can a battered Toastmaster club add value? The best way for a club to approach this situation is to do a thorough review of their current strengths as they complete their annual Club Success Plan. Do a SWOT or SOAR …
Message From D42 District Director We have been blessed with a fabulous summer. A little bit of rain, a little bit of thunder & lightning, a little bit of Toastmasters. District 42 has always had clubs which like to take a respite from their weekly meetings. Other clubs continue without a break. Whichever type your club is, these next few weeks will get all of us back on track to improving our meetings, attracting new members, but not forgetting those …
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 …
DTM What? DTM Path Review Joining Toastmasters in June 2020 was merely to improve my confidence and skills in public speaking. Initially, Pathways seemed like a chore: I wanted nothing to do with it. And, a DTM was furthest from my mind, when it was explained to me in light detail. What catapulted me to embrace Pathways, and ultimately accomplish a DTM? A bit was from feeling incomplete without going through a road of requirements to somewhere that is acknowledged by a long recognized …
What is a Club Mentor? A Club Mentor is an appointed advisor for a newly formed club. Club Mentors have a great effect on the degree to which a new club succeeds. Who can be a Club Mentor? An experienced Toastmaster in good standing who has completed or is close to completing their first pathway and has been a club officer. What is the Time Commitment for Club Mentor? The assignment term is no less than 6 months to a …
For every imagined goal, a Toastmaster role will lead you to success. Follow the three Leadership Keys and step by step attain your goals. See the attached checklist to get started. Ready Resources Set Team Go! Next Step LEADERSHIP KEYS IN DEMAND Corporations, organizations and communities are hungry for leaders that will propel them into the future successfully. Consider this short list of required qualities and imagine what other skills you can develop through Toastmasters. Relate to others Active listening …
DTM Master Mind The DTM Master Mind Project is up and running! We have many District 42 ADs, DDs and hard-working Toastmasters as part of these groups. Obtaining a DTM award is not everyone’s goal, and is not the reason people usually join Toastmasters, but if it is your goal, or if you just like to take advantage of opportunities that come your way, this is a group we hope you will explore. We heard a presentation from the new …
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 …
Sunshine Clubs 2022 Are you looking for a Toastmasters meeting to attend over the summer? Look no further. To register your club as a Sunshine Club, please submit New Event Request with your Club name, meeting days/times, and contact info. To qualify for the Sunshine Virtual Badge, submissions must be received by June 30, 2022. Any submission received after that date will be listed; however, the club will not receive the Sunshine Club Badge. If you’re interested in attending a …
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 …
Planting A Toastmasters Garden Dare we breathe & believe spring has finally sprung? My Mom used to say “Never plant the garden until after the long weekend in May.” Planting a garden takes planning, organization, & follow-through. The type of garden you plant (flowers/vegetables/rocks) is key; size is another important component as is location. Then, you need to decide what plants go beside others (potatoes, beans, beets, carrots, etc.) Ensuring sturdy plant growth means you must continually take out the …
SIDE BY SIDE VIEW Is side-by-side view something you use in your Zoom sessions? The view the viewer sees in Zoom is something the viewer can control. You can manage this by using the VIEW icon (upper right corner on my screen) to change from Gallery to Speaker view. The side-by-side view is another option and is very useful when the presenter is using slides. This view allows me to see the slide and the gallery beside it on the …
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. …
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 …
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 …
Streaming Live to the District YouTube Account For Division Contests Have you ever wondered how to live stream from Zoom to YouTube? Here are the instructions: Print these instructions, have them nearby (i.e. one less screen/tab to have open). Login to the District Zoom Account Join the meeting with the above credentials (you should automatically get Host if not, claim it) Remember the view you are in, is the view that will be live, choose “Speaker View” as soon as …
BENEFITS OF THE AREA DIRECTOR EXPERIENCE Build verbal and non-verbal communications skills. Being able to share information in a clear and efficient way. Learn to keep the lines of communication open with the clubs, either through club visits, Area Council meetings, phone and/or email communications. Area Directors connect with club executives who share all information with club members. Strengthen interpersonal and team-building skills. Ensuring a club remains healthy requires a team effort. Form good relationships with the club executives and …
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:
DCP Go-Getter Award Winners The DCP Go-Getter Award was designed to highlight the importance of Membership growth and retention. Striving to attain the 10 prescribed DCP goals in a Toastmaster year, helps create a dynamic club environment and a quality member experience. Just as members are at the heart of a Club, a quality member experience is at the heart of that Club’s Mission statement. Everyone will want to belong to a club that delivers on that mission of a …
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 inspires you? One thing that I love about Toastmasters is that it is so flexible that it meets a wide variety of needs with the same program. I like to think it stretches to meet you where you are. If you need help with your career or need to prepare for an interview, we have the Dynamic Leadership path or table topics. If you are feeling a little isolated or lonely and want to meet some new people, come …
Let’s roar together WOW! Did you see January and February fly by with lightning speed? Where did the time go? Let me give you a brief recap of the past couple of months: 3 Division training sessions with more than 300 officers and members attending At least 12 educational sessions Area & Division Council Meetings Open House Celebrations Planning for Contest Season We have four months left of this Toastmaster year. How are you going to go out—like a lamb …
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 …
Speeches on Zoom It’s March 2022, almost two years of Zoom Toastmaster meetings. And right now it’s contest season. Whether you are doing a speech just because or entering a contest, here are a couple of tips. Update your Zoom software (it’s free)https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362233-Upgrading-Zoom-to-the-latest-version One reason for updating is if the Zoom Host asks you to use a new Zoom function, you will be able to do it. Make sure you are not backlit; which is having a window or bright …
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 …
ONE NOTE AT A TIME Leadership Training – January 29, 2022 ONE NOTE AT A TIME D42 Leadership Training performed at the Zoom auditorium on Saturday, January 29 to a packed house of over 150 eager and enthusiastic fans! Making a Difference, ONE BOX AT A TIME with Shelter Box was directed by Stephanie Christensen. Please find out how you can help disaster relief assistance in one simple step HERE. Finish the Race ONE KM AT A TIME with Super …
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 …
Are you a Go Getter? I bet you are! I love February, don’t you? The days are getting longer, and the cold snap over Christmas seems like a distant memory. I’ve attended District and Club Leadership training and I feel renewed and re-energized by better weather, fantastic keynotes and what I know our District will accomplish in the last few months of our year. We had many clubs earn a Go Getter award-a District incentive offered to clubs who achieve …
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 …
Visit An Open House 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 Katrina Aburrow, District 42 Director. After hearing from special speakers, members and guests will enjoy a regular Toastmasters meeting that will include prepared speeches, Table …
Then & Now: Communications Evolution Technology has been evolving for a long time, along with different forms of communication. The most primitive means of communication are cave paintings, which would then lead to hieroglyphics, all the way down to our modern-day equivalents, emojis. The innovations and imagination of humanity are astounding, as it is terrifying. However, one of the innovations that we are continually progressing in, is how we stay in contact with each other, even through the vastness of …
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 …
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 …
Congratulations! Your Club has its own Zoom Account. Now what? You will need to “sign in” with an ID and PW by creating an email address that can be used in the future by the club. A suggestion would be clubnamezoom@gmail.com. This means that this can be transferred at anytime to the member(s) who will be learning the settings and opening meetings. I would highly recommend this info be given to the executives who will open the meeting. Perhaps the …
Club Fitness Award Winners The Club Fitness Award was designed to highlight the importance of: Maintaining an accurate Club roster Developing a Club Success Plan Conducting a Moments of Truth workshop Club Roster Every organisation has administrative tasks to take care of, in order to be effective. A Toastmaster Club is expected to remit member payments to Toastmasters International, twice per year. A Club holds elections and submits an Officer List once per year. What happens if an Officer leaves …
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 …
Being the captain of a ship, a leader, is not easy. We all have made our fair share of mistakes. I am sure that we have learned quite a bit both, from our successes and failures. Today I would like to share 5 ways of leading your ship in your Toastmaster life. Captain a Vision As the captain of your ship, it is a requisite that you have a vision. After all, you are that one that will lead yourself …
CREATING A SYMPHONY TOGETHER Wow! What a couple of weeks it’s been. Six Division contests & 27 Area contests. Just WOW! Congratulations to all contestants but especially to the winners. In competitions a judging team selects winners, those who received top honours. We celebrate their giving their best, creating a beautiful rhythm to their words. I believe, however & as trite as it seems, there are no losers. Each person who stood before an audience, presented their speech, & learned …
You can be a Zoom Master too! Does your club have a Zoom Master for club meetings? Welcome to the new norm-Virtual Toastmaster Club meetings. Over the past year, many of us have been zooming in virtually for club meetings, contests, educational and other Toastmaster events. In the real world, no meeting could run without a Toastmaster. I suggest that all Toastmaster clubs where virtual meetings are held should have a Zoom Master of the Day (ZMOD). In the last …
KEEPING OUR TOASTMASTERS FAMILY TOGETHER Is it me, or is it hard to believe that it is December and that we are almost half way through our Toastmaster year?! I love December because it’s when we take a bit of a breather and gather for the holidays with friends and family. I also love what the holiday season is about – hope and faith. There is a lot of reason for faith in District 42. We have not let the …
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 …
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 …
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 …
District 42 Toastmasters continues the time honoured tradition of hosting Speech Contests. Area winners are advancing to Division Contests.
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. …
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 …
District Zoom account for club meetings Is your club using a District Zoom account for club meetings? If so, I can relate! We celebrated the support of District 42 when this online world was suddenly our club’s reality. Knowing that the account cost the District and was provided to us free, made the support very real. But we experienced some unexpected issues with meeting on Zoom. Discovering that our meeting was on a shared account helped our understanding tremendously. Recently, …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
HYBRID MEETINGS – A WAY FORWARD As our world keeps changing, so too do our Toastmaster meetings. Where we once didn’t think it possible to be 100% virtual, here we are – and many clubs are thriving in this medium! Now we are faced with the opportunity to pivot once again. Do we revert back to strictly in-person meetings? Do we stay online and carry on virtually for the foreseeable future? Or, perhaps, do we consider melding those two worlds …
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 …
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, …
ZOOM TIDBITS Most, if not every Toastmaster in District 42 (Southern AB & SK) has experienced Zoom. And you can obtain your own account from Zoom, for free. In fact, many people use Zoom this way. Sure it has limitations compared to a paid account, but what you get for free, is an outstanding deal. And it allows you to play around with Zoom, and not break anything You can join someone’s Zoom meeting easily, especially if they send you …
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 …
Are you looking for a Toastmasters meeting to attend over the summer? Look no further. To register your club as a Sunshine Club, please please submit Club name, meeting days/times, and contact info to D42 PRM. To qualify for the Sunshine Virtual Badge, submissions must be received by June 30, 2021. Any submission received after that date will be listed; however, the club will not receive the Sunshine Club Badge. If you’re interested in attending a meeting during July or …
District 42 Toastmasters continues the time honoured tradition of hosting Speech Contests. Area winners are advancing to Division Contests.
The Distinguished Club Program is a road map to club success. Striving to attain the 10 prescribed goals helps create a dynamic club environment. Additionally, it provides a quality member experience. District 42 provides the Go-Getter Award to clubs who achieve 5 Distinguished Club Program (DCP) points by January 31. Achieving at least 5 DCP points by January 31 gives clubs a great head-start on achieving Toastmasters International distinguished status. Now having already achieved the necessary points, focus can be …
A year ago, Dynamically Speaking Toastmasters was a Lethbridge based club, with a long record of President’s Distinguished status. In place was a 4-person mentoring team, and 25 members. On average, 17 members and guests graced our meetings. Today Dynamically Speaking is an Alberta based club with international connections. The difference is there is now a 13-person mentoring team and 37 members. Additionally, approximately 32 members and guests magically materialize, Thursdays at 6:45 a.m. (MST) What happened? Nothing more …
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 …
High Performance Leadership inspires and guides. Good leaders build an environment where visions are developed. They support a team while goals are achieved. In other words, a leader who motivates others to join them and contribute, is a high performance leader. Practise and grow your skills in real-world situations by doing a High Perfomance Leadership Project. High Performance Leadership (HPL) Projects in District 42 create leaders. These leaders cultivate something new while enhancing valuable leadership wisdom for the future. Effective …
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 …
If you feel you are ready for a new challenge, don’t step forward in Toastmasters – jump forward! The scariest speech for a Toastmaster to give is their very first ice breaker speech. Subsequently, it may tie your stomach in knots and cause you to perspire more than usual. That fear is a great indicator that you are doing something new and expanding your learning and abilities. As we become experienced Toastmasters and begin to master the 5-7 minute speech. There is …
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 …
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 …
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 …
It was time to move the Toastmasters Youth Leadership Program online. Learn what it took to create a pilot program for global implementation.