Halloween with Igniters

We had a terrific Halloween meeting led by Pirate of the Caribbean Toastmasterrrrr Marvin and his motley crew! The word of the day was Trick or Treat. It was indeed a treat to hear Speakers Darlene and Jessica. Yes, Table Topics can be a bit scary, but Jeff, Rebecca, and guest Chris all got chocolate for being brave! It was fun to see all the creative costumes and Mark aka Alice Cooper won best dressed!!

Congratulations and Effective Evaluation

Meeting themes in late summer and early fall were Recovery, New Beginnings, Gratitude, Values & Virtues, and Orcas! 

Congratulations 

The following club members completed pathways in the past month:

 

Trevor - Level 4 of Persuasive Influence

Ellen - Level 4 and Level 5 of Dynamic Leadership

Mona - Level 5 of Engaging Humor

Kudos as well to Elaine on leading her first meeting at Toastmaster, club members who signed up in advance for roles, and those who stepped up to fill vacant roles each and every week. A big thank you as well to Jessica for helping with the agenda last month.

Effective Evaluation

 

On Tuesday, October 17, at our in-person meeting, we have a dynamic guest speaker to help strengthen our evaluation skills. Christina Kruis, DTM is a passionate and inspiring leader and evaluator. She is the Past District 42 Director for 2020- 2021 and an enthusiastic member of the Feedback Team for the D42 Circle of Gold. She has competed in many contests including winning the D42 Evaluation Contest in 2008.

 

Through evaluations we support and help people improve as communicators and presenters. Effective evaluation can inspire speakers to success. It is worth spending time to learn how to give valuable feedback and be a part of the success of others.

 

Sign Up!

 

It’s always a great time to book a speech or role. Challenge yourself by committing to a role you’re less familiar with or set a date for your next speech and work towards your goal.

 

Go Igniters!

District 42 Champion and Circle of Gold

On Tues July 25, Igniters hosted and VP Ed Nandini organized a Circle of Gold for Molly Hamilton. A huge thank you to all of the Igniters who helped out! Molly inspired us with two speeches, for the Int Speech Contest in the Bahamas Aug 16- 19. 

In the first half of the meeting Our own Devon and Christine stepped up to shine as speakers as they stretched their comfort zone and worked on their skills.

In the second half, two feedback teams, offered helpful suggestions, including the awesome Blue Team Harvey, Diane, Ksenija, and Laura Chambers. Fabulous Red Team with Val Erickson, Rowena Romero, Darlene Dafoe Davies, and Nandini. 

A huge thank you to all the Toastmasters who came for support. Molly appreciated all the Feedback and looking forward to competing in the Bahamas, Aug 16 - Aug 19. 

https://www.toastmasters.org/events/2023-international-convention

Year-End Recap

Congratulations Igniters! We achieved President's Distinguished Club status again in 2022-23!

 

We had a wonderful celebration to wrap up the year at the end of June. Thank you to everyone who was able to make it to our End-of-the-Year Party on June 27th at Mona and Ted Cooley's. Many thanks to Mona and Ted for hosting a fantastic event. For those who missed it, here is a quick recap: 

 

Award Winners

District 42 Awards

• Toastmaster of the Year: Jeff
• Rookie of the Year: Fola

 Igniters Club Spirit of Success Awards

• New Member: Mark
• Communication and Leadership: Nandini
• Speech Achievement: Mona
• Igniting Spirits: Trevor
• President Choice: Vicky, Jeff, Jessica

Education Awards

• Completed Motivational Strategies Path: Jessica
• Completed Presentation Mastery Path: Nandini

Igniters members received a total of 17 awards! Way to go, members! Our members continually succeed in the pursuit of their goals through the support and encouragement of fellow members and our strong mentoring program.

Thank you to Fola and her committee for organizing and presenting the awards.

 

New Executive Induction

The incoming executive for July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 was inducted at the year-end party. Good Luck to the new executive and best wishes on a fantastic year ahead!

Motivating Leaders!

 

Great turnout for another in person meeting for Igniters! We had a fun night of learning. We had two guests visit. Marvin was the Toastmaster with the Theme Leadership and the word of the day Motivate. Ksenija, Division F Director helped organize an inspiring training with inspiring speakers for Toastmasters across the city to attend. Yvonne the grammarian picked Galvanize as the challenge word. The competition was on to develop your vocabulary.

Trevor our first speaker shared tips on reading and the value of a first line of a book will help you decide if it is the right book for you. Other tips were to stop if you don't like a book and the value of skimming. Christine spoke next and shared a humorous speech about trying to achieve consensus in her family about a family vacation. Diane shared the value of her changing leadership styles and how she helped colleagues develop their skills and knowledge. Evaluators Ksenija, Nandini, and Jeff gave tips on their strengths and ways to be more effective. Petra helped members learn to speak spontaneously and clearly with entertaining questions on leaders. Every week is an opportunity to develop your skills! 

New Executive! Thanks to Current Officers!

Newly elected officers were invited to the Executive meeting in June. The new term starts July 1, 2023 and ends June 30, 2024. There will be several opportunities on June 10, 17, and 22 to hear inspiring keynote speakers and attend Officer Training to network with other officers across the District.

Congratulations to the new Executive!

Jeff - President

Nandini - VP Education

Yvonne - VP Membership

Mark - VP Public Relations

Jey - Treasurer

Rebecca - Secretary

Devon - Sergeant at Arms

We had a successful election on May 23, with several positions having multiple candidates giving speeches on why they should be voted in. Members can always help out on committees to learn about officer roles, share their ideas, and help make our club stronger.

Thanks to the outgoing officers for all your dedication.

2022-2023 Executive

Fola- President

Jessica - VP Education

Jeff - VP Membership

Trevor - VP Public Relations

Ellen - Treasurer

Rebecca - Secretary

Marvin - Sergeant at Arms

 

Looking for Leaders!

We want you on the executive next year! Elections will be May 23.

Toastmasters has many opportunities for you to develop your Leadership skills. Collaborating, team building, delegating, marketing, accounting, promoting, organizing and many more skills.

What are all the positions that we have coming available? 

President, VP Education, VP Membership, VP Public Relations, Secretary & Sergeant at Arms. There are trainings to learn from other leaders plus mentorship for all the positions. Click here for training dates in June 

This site has a really good description of the roles: Executive Roles - Descriptions

A couple of really important reminders for everyone:

• Toastmasters is a volunteer organization. That means that in order to make Igniters as amazing as it is requires all of us. We all have a role.
• We all joined Toastmasters for a myriad of reasons. Being on the executive is one of the many ways to expand your communication skills.
• You don't need experience, nor do you need to be a long-time member to be an effective executive member!

We look forward to seeing your name on the ballot for one of the executive positions. The Toastmaster Year runs from July 1st, 2023 to June 30th, 2024.

We (the current executive) know that you will all happily step up and into a role for the 2023/2024 year.

Trevor

Igniters Keep Reaching for their Goals!

 

Division E Contest

On April 3, 2023 members competed in contests and Igniters are proud of our members. Contests have many benefits including challenging members, learning from feedback, and honing their skills. Mark stepped up in the Evaluation Contest to give feedback to the test speaker and help her become a stronger speaker. Way to go Mark for representing Igniters with your enthusiasm and helpful insights! Congratulations to Darlene (past Igniter) for winning with your creative and heartfelt evaluation.

For the past few weeks, Jeff has been challenging himself to keep making his speech stronger as he won at the Club and Area Contest. Congratulations Jeff on placing third in Division E!! It was a very competitive field of inspiring speakers. Each sharing their ideas, passions, and message for others to learn and keep growing.

A huge thank you to Vicky for helping as timer. It takes many volunteers to help others reach for their goals.

Division and District Circle of Gold

The Circle of Gold is peer mentoring where contestants have the opportunity to receive feedback from top evaluators to help them strengthen their skills. Each of the six Divisions have a Circle of Gold to bring out the best for members. We have many strong evaluators in Igniters and a huge thank you to Mona, Diane, Trevor, Ksenija, Marvin, and Nandini for your commitment to help other contestants grow.

District Conference April 28 - 30

Come to the Best Western Premiere Hotel in the NE Calgary or join online for the Hybrid Conference. Please register for either at D42 Hybrid Conference 2023 - Toastmasters, District 42 (d42tm.org)

Keynote Speakers 

Richard Peck, DTM Past President of Toastmasters International

Sharon Hill, DTM - Marketing Manger for IBM

Educationals - Yes two Igniters are sharing their knowledge, passion, and fun

* Find Your Funnybone! Nandini, Katrina, and Laura 

* Having the Ride of Your Life - Mona

Business Meeting - Fola (President) and Jessica (VP of Ed) will represent Igniters for voting on the clubs behalf.

District Contests - come see the top evaluators and speakers shine

Hope to see you there at the annual conference. A chance to "Maximize Your Potential".

Shining Stars! Club Contest

Congratulations Igniters! Lots of ways to grow at a Zoom Contest and step out of your Comfort Zone!

Evaluation Contest Results

1. Mark

2. Jessica

3. Jey

International Speech Contest 

1. Jeff

2. Jey

Ellen stepped up as Contest Chair developing her organizational skills. Chief Judge Marvin helped along with newer members Tyler and Tracey as ballot counters. 

Ksenija as Evaluation Toastmaster and Nandini as Int speech TM continued to work on their leadership skills. Mona our Mentoring Coordinator helped as Sergeant at Arms to make the process run smoothly. Timers Vicky and Christine helped with important time management skills. Huge thanks to the audience and the anonymous Judges.

First and Second Place contestants move to the next level. E6 Area Contest - Thursday March 16 at 6:30 pm. 

Go Igniters!!

Want to build your confidence? Improve your communications skills? Have you thought about checking out Toastmasters?

What is Toastmasters? For nearly 100 years, Toastmasters International has helped millions of people become more confident communicators, public speakers, and leaders. The Toastmasters experiences a learn-by-doing program created to help you gain the skills needed to achieve your personal and professional goals. 

Why is Toastmasters effective? Toastmasters will give you the skills and confidence you need to effectively express yourself in any situation because Toastmasters gives you the chance to practice and get feedback in a supportive and enjoyable environment. By learning to effectively formulate and express your ideas, you open an entirely new world of possibilities. You’ll improve your interpersonal communication and be more persuasive and confident when giving speeches. 

Want more information?  https://www.toastmasters.org/membership/why-toastmasters

Have any questions? We're only an email away. info@igniterstm.ca.

Igniters Open House - Tuesday Feb 21, 2023 at Parkdale Nifty Fifties (3512 5th Ave NW) from 7pm to 8:30pm

I hope to see you there.

Trevor Dreher - VP Public Relations

Go Leaders!

 

The slogan of Toastmasters International - Where Leaders Are Made. Ksenija is living proof! On Friday Jan 20 as Division F Director along with Dan (Division B Director) organized a superb Training of 125 other leaders. Nandini got educational credit on an inspiring Keynote on "The Mystery of Membership." Yvonne her Pathways buddy evaluated and offered helpful insights. Tip: Nandini learned Have a Plan B as she had to it use when tech did not go according to plan! Marvin, Ellen, and Fola learned tips from other leaders to help with their Executive roles for the next 6 months.

Leadership Tips: What Are The 5 Qualities of A Good Leader? (Organizational Psychology)

• Decision Maker.
• Good Communicator.
• Sets The Example.
• Motivates Others.
• Calls Attention To Success

Our past meetings in January on Zoom and In person have been fun place of learning. On Jan 17, Trevor was an enthusiastic or leader of the meeting. Diane gave a valuable educational speech on Strategies to be Happier.

P - Positive Emotions - Optimistic

E - Engagement -  joyful activities

R - Relationships - gratitude letter

M - Meaning - savor moments

A - Accomplishment - develop a plan

Jan 24 - Devon is our Toastmaster for our in person meeting. The Theme is Relaxation. We all need Tips on that in our busy lives! Or come to a Zoom Meeting on Jan 31. Yvonne will be hosting a Panel with experienced members on Why you should achieve your DTM - the highest educational designation in Toastmasters. Leaders are developing their skills within Igniters.

What Do you Want To Achieve this Year?!

Happy New Year. On Jan 3. Igniters started with a bang! Terrific having two guests visit. Marvin as the Toastmaster led the meeting with members sharing their intentions including exercise, more sleep, guitar, Toastmaster Educational goals, and eating at the best Mexican restaurants! 

Ksenija the Quiz Master helps us find out how good of a listener you are. Ayanna gave an ice breaker speech sharing her passion for a new job. Petra gave a funny heartwarming speech about her family and lessons learned. Both speakers had mentor Nandini to share ideas and offer feedback prior to tonight. Mona is our Mentoring Coordinator to help support our members.

Glen was our fun Table Topic master with Jey, Ellen, and a guest stepping out of her comfort zone. 

Diane, Jessica, and Yvonne as Evaluators gave feedback to help speakers get stronger. We had a nice chat after the meeting to share our experiences and answer questions for the guests.

Next week Jan 10 - Come to the In Person Meeting for a fun learning night!