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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Long time member survey My club, Literally Speaking, has several members that have been here for many years, ten years or more. Also, the seven club members who have earned the Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) award. Without a doubt, I realized the participation of these members has been fundamental to my growth. Moreover, they are vital to the success of my club. Therefore, why is it important that these members stay? Obviously, all of these members are unique. Consequently, they all …