Go After Your Goals!

 

This weeks, Toastmasters meeting with Yvonne as the Toastmaster took inspiration from Martin Luther King Jr., focusing on service, leadership, and how we each make our own world better. We were delighted to be joined with a return guest who shared his stories.

Igniters shared how they volunteer and give back, proving that changing the world often starts with small actions… and occasionally good coffee.

Nandini on a roll, inspired by Emma, Darlene, Diane, Trevor, Yvonne, and Ali is a Level 4 Engaging Humor Path speaker who tackled the Distinguished Club Program (DCP) and made it fun. With interactive questions and a few laughs, members shared their goals and realized they weren’t alone in restarting some of their goals.

The big takeaway? Inspired by Dr. King’s message of hope: it’s always okay to begin again. Missed goals, paused plans, or abandoned resolutions - yes you can just begin. Igniters is a place of support and encouragement. Ksenija a stellar evaluator gave helpful feedback to all the Table Topic participants.

We left reminded that Toastmasters isn’t just about better speeches. It’s about better leaders, better humans, and occasionally finding our way back on track. What goals and skills would you like work on?

Igniters Power Play!

Our meeting, on Tuesday scored with Secretary Emma as Toastmaster with a high-energy, hockey-themed night. Everyone really embraced the theme, from the jerseys to the hockey puck President Marvin brought. Ali, the Vice President of Education, joined in the spirit wearing a Calgary Flames jersey. Word of the day was enthusiasm and the challenge word was participation and the game was to use it the most!

E6 Area Director Diane gave an ice breaker speech her year around the sun and acronymn SPECS (social, physical, emotional, cognitve, and spiritual) Trevor shared his passion for photos, travel, and editing.  Ah counter Tracey, Timer Chamila, gave us replays and Quiz Master Trish helped take our listening skills in the game to the next level. 

Guest comments and announcements took us through the final period, with energy staying strong until the gavel was banged. It was a memorable session that perfectly combined learning, laughter, and the love of hockey. All in all, it was a winning combination! 

Every Drop Counts!

This Toastmasters meeting on Zoom focused on water conservation, by the recent Calgary water main break. Diane the Toastmaster chose the theme of Water Supply and the words of the day were Conserve and Detour. 

Members shared practical water-saving tips, from shorter showers to running only full loads of laundry and dishes. Some admitted to fixing leaks faster and letting water “rest” between flushes, while those in boil-water areas joked they were visiting family more often. The laughter highlighted an important point: small habit changes really do add up. It was encouraging to see everyone pitching in because right now, every drop counts.

Nora, a newer member, working on Level 1 Pathways, fueled the room by sharing why protein matters and sealed the deal by demonstrating a delicious recipe. By the time the Chocolate Monkey made its appearance, we were hungry!

Nandini working on her Level 4 Pathways, shared from the Better Speakers Series and tackled Table Topics using a LEGO analogy with color-coded steps: Red answer the question, Green why, Yellow story, Blue close. Members practiced and evaluators colored their feedback, and just like LEGO bricks. Everything snapped together, making impromptu speaking fun, simple, and doable. 

Lenore The Table Topics evaluator used the LEGO color system to give clear, helpful feedback. Each color highlighted a specific tip, making it easy for members to see how to improve. Mona our Mentoring Coordinator was the ah counter Our Ah-Counter was busy tallying every “ah,” “um,” and “you know”proving that pauses make a difference!