Lessons in Leadership

Leadership Workshop

What kind of leader are you? 

Stephen led a leadership workshop on June 9 to complete his Advanced Communicator Gold. It was well attended with 27 members and guests from other clubs. He made 3 videos that could be viewed prior to review key aspects of leadership and to help determine your leadership style. The 4 key styles of leadership were Reflection, Influence, Action, and Structure. 


Jey moderated a Panel with Ksenija (current President) and Marvin (incoming President) sharing advice about stepping out of your comfort zone, asking for help, and being a flexible leader.  Mona shared an important lesson "leadership touches everything you do!" and assisted in a round table asking various members about lessons on leadership.
Lessons from the workshop: Be aware of your leadership style, assess leadership style of your team, and find ways to resolve the gap between them. "If you don't know where you are at - how can you know where you are going!" Watch this video to be a better leader.

Stepping Up!
Marion was an inspiring leader on June 16 for taking on the role of Toastmaster on our online meeting. Great to see a full house again!  It was her first time in this role online and an opportunity to ask for help and learn along the way. Members were supportive and encouraging. This helps in building stronger leaders.

New Leaders
Lorenzo a newer member gave an educational speech on decision making and biases that leaders may have. He used an analogy of decision making and railway tracks and you want to avoid derailing! Tracy shared a personal ice breaker about the beauty of the Similkameen Valley and why she calls this her home. Way to go to our new members!

Mentoring
Ksenija, our President shared stories about a helpful mentor at work and the 3 pillars of skills, patience, and caring that helped her. In turn now, Ksenija will be mentoring another new member. Mentoring is a way for leaders to contribute and offer their experience and save upcoming leaders time and energy! Our club has mentoring teams that help the members with their goals.

How are you building your leadership skills? Every Tues night - a place to develop your skills!

Igniting Ideas!

Igniting a Spark!
Every meeting - we see the sparks of creativity from our members! Yvonne asked our members - how have you been impacted by our club Igniters? The members shared 3 words each and Yvonne used Word Art to create this amazing image! You can see how much the members have gained from coming to this club and working on their skills.

Fan the Flames of Success
Our members continue to help each other develop their skills and achieve their educational goals. The Legacy Program will be ending June 30, 2020. Lots of opportunities to grow in Pathways Educational Program. 11 Paths for you to grow!

Creative speeches! Comparing Space X and Toastmasters, Mentees, Wicca, Mentoring Members, and Coaching about Blogging.

Educational Achievements! 
Advanced Communicator Bronze - Glen
Mentoring Program - Jey
Level 2 - Dynamic Leadership - Mona
Level 3 - Presentation Mastery - Dermot 
Level 4 - Effective Coaching - Mary

TT Wheel!

Congrats Best Listener!

Thinking Outside the Box!
Vicky as our Creative Table Topic Master used an app to create a TT wheel. She shared her screen and we all watched the wheel spin around and the name it landed on was the lucky speaker!

Tracy a newer member used her creativity to make an award as the Quiz Master. Congrats Cat! When could you be a better listener?!

Rising Leaders!

Way to Go! Congratulations Trevor!

Division E International Speech Contest - Sat May 16, 2020
3rd place - Trevor
2nd place - Darlene ( First President of Igniters)
1st place - Val

They attended Circle of Gold and recieved helpful feedback.



Rising Leaders
On May 19, we had another fantastic meeting with a full house. Great to see leaders take on new challenges and put their name forward for the elections.
Congratulations to the new Executive! 7 out 7 positions filled!
We have a nice blend of experienced members and new rising leaders. They will be attending District 42 Zoom Training (another first!) to learn about their roles, resources, and network with other executives from other clubs. This weekend at the Executive meeting, Ksenija has invited the new executive to attend and learn more about their upcoming roles. Toastmasters International - Where Leaders are Made!
District Training: June 16, 24, 27. Click for more info: https://d42tm.org/events/2020-06/

July 1, 2020- June 30, 2021

Club Officer	Elected
President	Marvin
Vice President Education	Trevor
Vice President Membership	Yvonne
Vice President Public Relations	Cat
Secretary	Tracy
Treasurer	Drew
Sergeant at Arms	Devon
Past President	Ksenija

Evening of Leadership
On Monday, May 25 - Marvin and Nandini will be moderating a panel and interviewing the incoming District 42 Club Growth Director and all 6 Division Directors.Come learn more about our leaders, their experiences, and lessons learned.
More info:  Please pre-register for our join Zoom link at

https://d42tm.org/event/meet_your_leaders_05252020/

Laughing and Learning

Every week we have strong meetings online, with many members choosing to grow while staying safe at home. There are many opportunities to develop your skills and connect with others in a positive, supportive community. Every week we learn from each other. Do we laugh - you bet! How are you adapting to change? Guests are always welcome.

Newest Igniter!
Jessica great to have you and welcome!


Contests
This is the first time we have had online contests. The District 42 Tech Team has been outstanding in their teamwork, learning along the way, and helping contestants. Many of our members including Marvin, Ksenija, Jey, Mary, Yvonne, Nandini, and Mona have helped as judges and contest officials.

Congratulations! 
Igniters did an amazing job at Area, Division, and District Contests. Great our members were willing to learn new ways of using zoom and speaking online. Also District 42 Circle of Gold went online for the first time, with contestants having the opportunity to practice and recieve feedback from multiple evaluators. Everyone can bring out their best at the contests.

Contest Results
Area E6- Humor Contest - 2nd - Glen
Division E International Contest - 1st - Trevor. 
District 42 Evaluation Contest - Diane

Speaking and Educational Awards 
We have had many of our members share their ideas and inspire and entertain us.
Icebreaker speeches: Drew shared about his goals for TM and Lorenzo spoke about growing up in Italy and coming to Canada. Newer members Tracy, Devon, and Cat have been creative in learning new roles. Always nice to have Ayanna, Chris, Stephen, and Yvonne share their ideas.

Educational Goals - Way to Go!
Level 1 - Persuasive Influence - Vicky
Level 1 - Innovative Planning - Trevor
Level 3 - Dynamic Leadership - Gil
Level 4 - Engaging Humor - Jey

New Leader Opportunities!
The advantages of becoming a leader at Igniters is you are supported, can talk to experienced members and mentors, and you can learn along the way. All the executive - Ksenija, Vicky, Diane, Nandini, Glen, Marion, and Dermot gave enthusiastic speeches about each of their roles. Elections will be held on May 19. What kind of leadership skills do you want to work on this year?

Igniters are Zooming!

Staying Safe
Yes, we are all staying at home and keeping our social distance during the pandemic. Thank you for all doing your part and helping others.

Zoom Meetings!
Just because we are not meeting in person doesn't mean we can't learn and have fun using technology. Ever since March 17, Igniters started having Zoom meetings and it has been great to see many of our members!

We have been lauging, learning, and many have said how energized and glad they came to the meeting. Guests are welcome to join anytime!

New Roles: We have added to help us using the technology. Host - helps to mute/unmute participants to make sure meeting runs more smoothly. Watcher - watches members to help with lighting, audio, as they speak. Chatmaster - monitors the chats for questions and concerns that come up. Lots of learning indeed. Glen shared tip of using space bar to unmute and we had fun intstead of knocking for word of the day waving our hands at our ears. Boy those hands were moving all night!

Last week speaker Jey showed us how to use powerpoint and how to have audience participation. All the members unmuted their mics and we practised some soothing Budhist phrases to help remain more calm and will also help specific parts of the body. Stephen gave an inspiring toast to Bear 101 and shared some bear stories. Evaluators gave feedback to speakers and also tips on presenting in front of the camera.

Resources for Better Online Meetings: During the week we had another zoom meeting organized by Deb from Tireless Talkers, other Toastmasters shared tips and experiences of having online meetings. Growing together. District 42 has many useful resources for online meetings and Marvin is on the D42 Tech Team helping others organize online meetings and stay connected. See you next Tues!

D42 Resource: https://d42tm.org/district-resources/online-event-resources/

Table Topics Tips

This week we had two guests visit, and it was great to have them attend our meeting. Guests are always welcome! One of our guests joined! Great having a new Igniter!

Thinking on your Feet
Trevor brought a mysterious black bag filled with a few props for Table Topics. Marvin pulled out a tile with a lightbulb and shared his idea of going skiing at Norquay on the moguls and what happened on his last run! **Tip: Share about something that has happened to you rcently.
Chris took out a loaf of bread and shared a personal story about his breadmaking uncle. ** Tip: Talk about a family member or friend - you will speak with more conviction.
Mary drew a medal and shared about her latest accomplishment of starting a blog for Level 4 in the Pathways Educational Program. **Tip: Giving specific details will make your ideas more persuasive.

Speakers
Dermot shared the importance of being a mentor and his use of Chinese Horoscopes and the impact of one of his mentors an inspiring librarian in Ireland. Gil shared the importance of a message of WE and highlighted with stories of tearing his hamstrings on a hike and how other team members helped support him. We all learned how to have more impact in speaking from evaluators Glen and Margaret.

A Warm Welcome!

TM Glen honors President Ksenija

Open House

It was great seeing many Igniters at our Open House on Feb. 11. A warm welcome to our guests. We had a fun evening of food, fellowship, and sharing the benefits of Toastmasters. It has been great having one of our guests continue to attend our meetings.

Recognition of Members

There are opportunities in the club to be recognized for your achievements. Educational awards and standing ovations are given to recognize milestones in the club. Each person can choose their own goals in the self paced program. We have many members this year who are going after their goals every week. 

Every week, a member who thinks on their feet and gives the best mini speech is awarded a Table Topics Trophy they can cherish for a short time before they have to return it! Also, the Igniting Spirits Award is given to a member who has stretched, inspired, or taken on a new challenge that week. 

Congratulations Druh! Table Topics Trophy

Helping Youth in our Community

The Public Library and Toastmasters has teamed up for many years to provide Youth Leadership  Programs to help our Youth learn and practice speaking and leadership skills in a six week course.Yvonne has been helping at several Youth Leadership programs. A number of our members have been involved in these worthwhile programs.

Yvonne invited Druh and his father to attend one of our meetings. It was inspiring to talk to Druh and see the confidence he has gained from giving speeches and taking on leadership roles at the meetings. He took on the challenge of answering a question with poise, clear points, and 

On Sunday March 1 at the Central Library, various youth including Druh will be competing in a Super Speech contest. Come out and see the hope for our future! 

Open House and Tips from Speakers Night

What skills can you achieve in the next 3 months?

You are invited to our Open House!

On Tues Feb 11, come meet our friendly dynamic members who can share their experiences on how belonging to Toastmasters has improved their lives.

Glen will be leading the meeting and is a long time experienced member. Toastmasters has made a huge difference in his life.
We have members who are new and taking on leadership roles and are supported by other club members. Speeches, evaluations, and treats!

Time: 6:45 pm Networking      Meeting: 7pm - 8:30 pm  Hope to see you there!

Feb Speakers Night

Speakers Night: 5 speakers being helped by 5 evaluators

Do you have ideas you want to share? 
Ayanna - shared about driving across Canada. She is a planner and learned along the way it is important to also appreciate the journey.
Mary - did you know you can plan for a 2nd life? People are living longer and you can plan for another life or another career.
Congrats Sherry on speech #10 for your CC!
Follow your passion and how through her first horse, marriage, and as a writer she has pursued this.


Gil - through his organization expanding he shared 5 tips for negotation. We learned alot!
Jey - used music, 4 A's, to share his experiences as a mentee and the power of mentoring. At Igniters we also use the power of Mentoring Teams to help us achieve our goals.

Speaking Tip: Simon Simek, TED Talks Speaker - 45 Million Views
Simon says "you should never talk as you walk out on stage. Instead, quietly walk out on stage. Then take a deep breath, find your place, wait a few seconds and begin. It shows the audience you're totally confident and in charge of the situation."

Do you want to be a stronger leader? Funnier?

VP Membership Diane inducts Isha 

What did we learn this week?

Can you run a meeting effectively?
Full house again. Jey as our Toastmaster shared information about the importance of knowing about articles and bylaws and our constitution.
* Tip: Learning Roberts Rules can help run a meeting better. You can make decisions more easily. Our Pres. Ksenija recently attended a Parliamentary workshop by Katrina at leadership training and used at our exec meeting. She inspired this week by sharing her two main leadership styles at work and as a volunteer.

How do we support our members? 
* New Member Inductions - allow us to learn more about our members and to hear their goals. Club members also pledge their support to help members in achieving these goals. Mentors are assigned. Isha gave an inspiring speech and shared lessons about sportsmanship and what happened when she thought she had won a 100 m race! Oh no! What lessons could you share?

Need some laughter? You have come to the right place!
Glen gave a funny speech about clutter and clearning up! Yes, we all laughed as we have been there.
* Humor Tips:
Personal stories - have natural elements of funny especially when things don't go the way we planned!
Props: Can add power and arouse curiousity from the audience. What's in the bag Glen?!
More Tips? Look below if you want to add more humor.

Warming Up at Igniters!

It was a chilly - 20 and we had a full house! Same as last week at our Speakers Night. Great place to warm up with laughter and learning. Our Area Director Jennifer was visiting and she won the weekly Igniting Spirits trophy for all her dedication to our club.

She also offered Congratulations to Igniters for already being a Presidents Distinguished Club - 9/10 goals in January! Fantastic news!

Theme: New Years Resolution with Margaret as Toastmaster leading the meeting.
We had fun sharing our resolutions and goals or sharing why we don't make resolutions. It ranged from going to the gym to meditating more regularly.
* Tip: Stephen - Keep a jar and every time you achieve something write it down and put in the jar. Then review at the end of the year. Great idea!

Yvonne shared descriptive stories about Yellowknife as a doctor and Mona informed us about her primary leadership style and how it impacted her in dealing with team members. She also shared areas that she can work on being more effective.
* Tip: Distractions like ringing phones may happen. Keep going and focus on your message. Try and ignore the distractions.

A warm welcome to newest Igniter Cat by VP Membership Diane. During the induction ceremony, we learned more about our newest member and her exciting running goals. Want to know what it is - ask her! Every member stood up and pledged their support to our newest member. It was great to also have two guests visit.

On Sat, Jan. 11 at CLED - a special all day training, members Marvin helped with officer training, and Nandini helped with PR and co-presented Circle of Gold. A way for members to strengthen their speaking skills through supportive feedback. A great day of leadership and learning also for our President Ksenija.