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| Dinner will be served |
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| good conversation at the dinner table |
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| around our dinner table Friday evening |
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| Jocelyne Vezina received the Toastmaster of the Year award for District 86 |
At the end of Day One of the District 86 Toastmasters
Fall conference, some attendees were still on the dance floor. From my hotel
room I could hear the beat of the drums. I like to dance but the strobe lights
that rotate as the music plays are not kind to my senses and eyes. They
can cause a migraine and that’s not what I need in the middle of a jam-packed
conference. And so I retired for the night, but not to go to sleep right away.
I had a blog post to write for Saturday the 11th.
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| Albert at the Toastmasters table |
We’d eaten a good meal, served by the hotel staff, watched
the banner parade directed by Area 61
Director, Chris O’Brien, in a lively and engaging style. We’d also celebrated ‘Of the Year’ awards as well as visiting with other Toastmasters. Three members from our club, the Energetics Toastmasters were to receive their medal for the Distinguished Toastmaster designation, and I wanted to be there to help them celebrate that achievement.
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| Chris, Doris and Cliff have earned their Distinguished Toastmasters designation after plenty of speeches and leadership roles |
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| Of the Year award recipients |
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Toastmasters,
for those who don’t know the name, is the title of an organization founded by
American Ralph Smedley in
1924 in Santa Ana, California. With hundreds of clubs world wide, it’s a
program for adults 18 years and older to learn speaking skills and
work on leadership as well. Practising in a safe club environment, members take
roles in weekly meetings and accept opportunities outside the club to learn and
grow. The skills transfer to work experiences and life outside of Toastmasters.
It’s hard to say who benefits more, the member or the people who work with the
Toastmasters in work and social situations.
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| Me in Author's Corner with my books |
Friday we got to hear the contestants who came through club, area and division contests for the Table Topics Contest (impromptu) and today (Saturday) we had the Humorous Speech contest. We hear some amazing speeches at this level and were treated also to a Humorous Speech workshop.
Members gain competence in a variety of ways,
depending on the path they choose. With the new program, Pathways, they stand
to learn even more in a wider selection of learning paths whose content is
delivered online. Manuals will be available and are being translated into more
languages.
At a district conference such as this, people
connect with members within the division and district and it’s good to attend
and learn, participate in contests.
Each conference hosts at least one keynote speaker who often travels a distance to bring their
message or different insights. This year it was Forrest Willett, speaker and
author, who inspired us with stories about how he overcame incredible obstacles to be where he is today. And Vera Johnson, DTM (Distinguished
Toastmaster), International Director of Toastmasters International told us of her 9/11 experience. Both
Willett and Johnson challenged us to lead well, even in the midst of challenging situations.
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| Forrest with his books | | | | |
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| Vera Johnson, International Director of Toastmasters International |
Conference co-chairs, Shawn Salokannel and Kelley
McIntyre, and their team of volunteers worked hard to put this conference
together. By now, I hope they’ll be sitting back and relaxing some while assessing how things went and
resting weary feet after all their hard work. And district leadership teams
will also be ready to put their feet up as well.
If you speak as
part of ministry or in your professional work life, I recommend Toastmasters as a
place to learn and grow. And to move beyond your comfort zone. Ask for prayer, by all means, when you need to travel and speak, but also consider Toastmasters to help you hone your skills and look as professional as you can be.
3 comments:
Sounds (and looks) like you had a busy weekend. You certainly are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to the positive aspects of Toastmasters. What a great organization and good for you for being such a faithful member, Carolyn.
You make Toastmasters sound like fun and their events enjoyable social times, as well as times of growth and learning. You are a good advertisement for the organization, too, Carolyn! ~~+~~
Thank you, Glynis and Peter, for your kind comments. We have fun too. Not all speeches and impromptu speaking is of a serious nature.
When I look at what my time with Toastmasters has helped me to do, I know it was essential to be where I am today. Some of those speaking nerves never really go away; I just manage them better. It means I'm aware of my audience and what's in it for them when I speak or do storytelling or present a workshop. Or when I talk with prospective readers at a book signing, as Glynis has noticed. And I want to be professional when I do those things.
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