BEST DRESSED at our Oscar Themed Meeting

Thanks to Stephen for sending me this great photo of Marvin, as he dressed the part of  the host (toastmaster) for our Oscar themed meeting on March 1.  He did a superb job of sharing Oscar information while keeping our meeting on schedule 

Marvin you win the "BEST DRESSED" category.

Rob created Jeopardy Table Topics with selection rules that enabled Igniters to choose their topic and difficulty level.  We were enlightened by Toast Mastery, World Politics, Science & Technology and Life.  There are many more questions for next time!

February Open House

Tonight Chris picked the theme  "February Open House"  and encouraged each of us to bring guests to the meeting to share the Toastmasters opportunities. 
Once again our tables were full. We all enjoyed Julie's CC#9 , "What Makes You Happy and Healthy" as well as the cookies  and drinks  that Marion and Chris supplied.

Four New Igniters

Rob, one of our newer members, did an excellent job introducing Matt and Frode and helping Marion, our VP of Membership . It was exciting to hear Paul share his story before Marion lead us through the three Toastmasters Inductions.
We are pleased to welcome Ellen back to Toastmasters and are thrilled that she has decided to join Igniters.

Full House for February 2, 2016 Meeting

As the second month of 2016 began, we filled our tables with members and guests.  Our agenda ran with a full slate, which included our new members, Kenneth and Paul filling two of the positions. 
Our Toastmater Glen, expertly introduced our speakers - JianLi (CC#1), Stephen (ACB#2), and Rob (CC#4).  The speakers entertained us with totally different approaches to three diverse but informative subjects. We left the meeting with an appreciation for the clean air we have in Alberta as well as a better understanding for the problems we can have when we attend staff elevations.  Stephen's poetry presentation  took some of us back a few years with the lyrics of songs by the  Beatles and Joni Mitchell. 
 

Great Meeting

Our meeting on Jan 26 was informative and fun.  With the theme - Movie and Theatre, many of our members and guests were able to bring the Word of the Day and Challenge Word create and composition into their Round Table Introductions.
Michael's, speech number 8,  "How to be a Foodie with a Bad Loonie" gave us ideas on how to save money on groceries as well as how to preserve the fresh food for a longer duration.  By using  props to help us understand he made the presentation very enjoyable. 
Our SAA,  JianLi and Toastmaster Nandini ensured the meeting ran smoothly while at the same time allowing each of the volunteers filling a position to complete their tasks.  With many new members taking on roles, our club is learning and sharing.  THANKS IGNITERS for another awesome evening!!

New Members for 2016

Our VP of membership Marion, inducted two new members at our meeting on January 19, 2016. We are very pleased to call Kenneth and Yvonne Igniters and look forward to their first speeches. 

CC#6 My Vegas Vacation

Anne went to Las Vegas and told us about it.  There were death defying magic shows and late night Black Jack games.  The fireworks on New Years Eve were spectacular to watch with friends to celebrate the beginning of the year ahead of us with the same amount of new adventures, fun and friendship that we had during the trip.









We were delighted to have Division J Director Poorna visit us. She came to give the engraved Division J Table Topics Trophy. She also gave an inspirational speech about being a Toastmaster in Dubai and attending other Conferences in the Middle East. It is always great to have guest speakers share their ideas and passions! Thanks for your encouraging words about the friendly, fun, and creative meetings at Igniters!

TABLE TOPICS AWARD DISTRICT 42

Carolyn Kaldy, DTM, and the Program Quality Director (South), attended our meeting on Jan. 5th to present Nandini with her trophy for winning the Table Topics Award for District 42.
With her usual altruism, Nandini asked us a question about how “one new member can inspire others and what happens if you try. If you jump in and act spontaneously with a smile, imagine the ripples that you can make in a year.” She talked about what each of us have done to make Igniters a great club. 
               Congratulations Nandini – you are an example for the rest of us.
 

2015 Christmas Party

We gathered at Mona and Ted's house for our Christmas party.  Those in attendance ate well on a delicious roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and gravy, main course supplied by our hosts. Guests brought potluck that included cheese and dip appetizers, salads, bacon and beans casserole, mashed potatoes which were following by decadent desserts of apple crisp, cookies, squares and fruit for the healthy diets.
After the meal, we moved downstairs to the Christmas tree for the gift exchange that allowed the brave to thieve their choice gift from others.  The port and homemade butter tarts seemed to frequently travel around the around the room.

Nandini and Anne - Another year wiser

We had great fun celebrating Nandini's and Anne's December birthdays with Mona showing her usual enthusiasm by presenting them each with their desserts with numbered candles that added up to their alleged ages of 29+. The apple crisp aka birthday cake was delicious and was enjoyed by all.

New Member Induction - Welcome Clemens

The members of Igniters were excited to welcome Clemens to our club.  Marion performed the inductions and we stood recited the oath.  It was great to come to the meeting and see the room decorated so as to get us in the Christmas spirit.

Congratulation to Nandini from Igniters'

Igniter's president, Chris  was ecstatic to share the news that Nandini, one of our founding members,  had won the District 42 Table Topic's competition in Saskatoon this past week-end. 

Thanks Iris - Your Voice, Your Message

Members and guests were thrilled to hear Iris Talbot, our guest speaker,  share her presentation, "YOUR VOICE, YOUR MESSAGE".   Those in attendance left our meeting with a new appreciation of how the voice works and different ways to use this amazing gift to improve our message. Iris had our complete attention from the moment she started to share her message with us,  by asking for audience feedback and having us practice different vocal techniques.

Chris, Igniter's president, is seem here with Iris thanking her for sharing the information with us.

Thanks again Iris!

NANDINI is District 42 Table Topics Winner

Congratulations Nandini!!

 

Nandini was one of 12 contestants from Alberta and Saskatchewan, and she had people excited as she answered the following Table Topics question "If you have to take one photo of your life what would it be?"

 

Nandini won the District 42 Table Topics contest!

Thanks to Carolyn Kaldy, DTM for sharing her photo with us.

We are all very proud of her as she Ignited Spirits at the Conference in Saskatoon.

Distinguished Club Program

Our President, Chis, was excited to share the letter and information we received from "District 42 Incentive Team.   The letter contained the pins and ribbons that Igniter's qualified for during the months of June through September, 2015.  We are working as a club to maintain our DCP(Distinguished Club Program) for the currant year.  Thanks Chris for sharing this information with us.

I am inviting anyone reading this blog to come to one of our meeting and enjoy our relaxed but enthusiastic group.  We have fun as we learn all about what Toastmaster's has to offer. 

Welcome to Igniter's Deborah

 Marion, our VP of Membership,  had the pleasure in inducting Deborah to our club.  It is always exciting to have new members and we are looking forward to Deborah's icebreaking speech.


Deborah surprised us by bringing tasty muffins for all to share. Michel, our VP of Education is seem here helping to pass them around.

Welcome to Igniter's Deborah

 

Spirit of Success Award

Nandini presented our Spirit of Success award to Michael.  Michael represented the awards criteria  by being energetic and enthusiastic in all the roles he was willing to take on    His five CC  speeches were entertaining and passionate, as were his evaluations.  His friendlyand keen manner made guests comfortable and relaxed.

Congratulation Michael, we are excited to have you in the club and look forward to hearing more speeches.

Good Luck Nandini

We are all thrilled to wish Nandini  the best of luck
in the Table Topic's Competition at the District 42 Fall Convention in  Saskatoon this week-end.  The Igniter's in Saskatoon and those still in Calgary are sending you positive thoughts.

          GOOD LUCK NANDINI

Iris Talbot - Your Voice, Your Message

                        IRIS TALBOT
               Your Voice, Your Message
                 Nov. 24, 2015. at 07:00 PM

Whether singing or speaking how well you use your voice makes a definite impact when giving a speech.  Your voice should be the last thing that ages when used correctly.  Iris Talbot is living proof of that as she received her Bachelor of Music degree over forty years ago and still has a youthful exuberant voice.  
Distinguished Toastmaster Iris Talbot joined Toastmasters in October 2006. She currently serves as the President of Absolutely Fabulous Toastmasters and is a member of CREBtalkers as well.  She is a voice coach for speakers and singers, a full time Realtor and trainer with the Calgary real estate board.   
Iris hopes that today’s brief introduction to the voice will stimulate your curiosity about your own voice. A healthy voice is a beautifully expressive one which is essential when communicating with others.  Learn tips for improving your voice as Iris shares with you her insights from her years of experience as a voice teacher.  

We at Igniter's are excited to hear Iris speak and invite you to our weekly meeting at the  Parkdale  Community Association, 3512  5th Ave. NW

Division J - Public Relations of the Year Award

Marvin, Margaret, Nandini, Diane, Brenda, Marion,and Glen were happy to stand beside Chris when he received his award for Division J  - Public Relations  of the Year for  from the Past Division J Director Grant.

                               

Division J Area Table Topics Competition Award

Toastmaster Poorna, Division J Director, presented Nandini with the certificate and trophy for winning the Division J Area Table Topics  Competition.   Nandini's enthusiastic response to the question "If you could change your name to any name, what would it be and why?" was entertaining and interesting.  Thanks to those who organized the completion and those that volunteered so that everyone enjoyed the evening.  

Division J, Area Table Topics Competition

Nandini received her Table Topics participation certificate from Toastmaster Michael, Area J48 Director, for competing in Division J Area competition. 

Division J - Presidentr of the Year

Congratulations to Nandini for winning the President of the Year -  Division J Award.  Grant Hanna, Past Division J Director is seen here presenting her with the trophy. 
Nandini, our past president, spent countless hours ensuring Igniters was an amazing club and that Division J achieved excellence.  She led by example, ensuring that Toastmasters Values guided our actions - Integrity, Respect, Service and Excellence.  
Well done and well deserved Nandini.

Division J "VP Public Relations Winner"

We are excited for Chris G our President, as he won  VP of Public Relations for the Year - J Division.
His efforts creating this blog, his constant promotions of Toastmasters and his involvement and volunteerism has shown us that Toastmasters’ Leadership Program is only limited by the individuals participation.

Halloween Meeting

Igniters celebrated our October 27, 2015 meeting with ghosts, hobgoblins, scarecrows and witches.  We had five guests, including Ted, the friendly candy carrying scarecrow that came with Mona, our witch-master for the night.  Our only speaker, Stephen presented an interpretive reading from Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories That Heal by Rachel Naomi Remen.  The last reading talked about grabbing the "cookie" in your life and he ended the presentation sharing a tray of cookies with us. 

Three New Members for Igniters

Marion, our VP of Membership, and the entire club are excited to welcome Rob, Rick and Mel to Igniters.   We look forward to hearing their icebreaker speeches.    

Nandini Places First - Table Topics Competition

Nandini responded enthusiastically to the question asked by Corrine S., the Table Topics Contest Chair.    Christopher F. presented Nandini with the first place award for the  District 42 Toastmasters, Area J41 2015 Table Topics Contest.

Thanks to everyone that volunteered to make the contest so enjoyable and to all the participants that competed. 

Congratulations Chris G. - Humorous Speech Contestant

Our President, Chris G, placed second in the District 42 Toastmasters, Area J41, 2015 "Humorous Speech Contest", on October 15.  Chris grabbed the attention of the audience with his speech THE HIKER TRAP  and kept us entertained to the very end.  Also a big thanks to Marvin who acted as the Chief Judge and to Anna and Marion for volunteering as a ballot counter and judge. 

1st Place -Table Topics Contest

We would like to congratulate Nandini for placing first in the Sept. 22,  2015 Table Topics Contest. She accepted the award from Mona the Awards Presenter and Marvin the Chief Judge.
 

Table Topics Contest

We had eight Igniters step up to compete in the Table Topics Contest on Sept. 22, 2015. Nandini, Anne, Bren, Mark George, Chris C., Chris G. and JianLi answered Mona's question regarding a Gallop Poll relating to the Canadian workforce.  Each of the contestants drew on their experiences to give a variety of two minute presentations.  Thanks to Marvin the Chief Judge and Mona the Table Topics Toastmaster for  guiding the large group through the contest.  Also a huge thank you to Michel the Contest Chair, Marion for organizing the food, and Stephen and Edward our timers. 
Let also thank our ballot counters and SAA Margaret, Mamadou, Lisa and Julia

1st Place - Humorous Speech Contest

Marvin (Chief Judge) and Mona (Awards Presenter) presented Chris G with his First Place Award in the Humorous Speech Contest.

Humorous Speech Contest

Igniters hosted their Humorous Speech Contest on Sept. 22, 2015 with Chris G and Marion entertaining us with two very different but both amusing speeches.  Thanks to Chris C. our toastmaster and Marvin our Chief Judge for overseeing a wonderful contest. 
Michel did an awesome job as the Contest Chair organizing the completion and setting out an agenda that ran smoothly with the help of our timers Stephen and Edward.

2015 EXECUTIVE

The Igniters Sept. 15th meeting enjoyed a large attendance with five visitors looking into the Toastmasters program.  Our theme of "New Technology" brought out some interesting ideas that were carried throughout the meeting.
The executive pictured here (Michel, Mona, Anne, Marion, Bren, Nandini, Stephen, and our President Chris) had our second planning session and discussed our membership program, budget, future contests, education and mentoring goals.   

CONGRATULATIONS MONA

Congratulations to Mona for her amazing article in the Toastmaster Magazine.  I asked Mona what Toastmasters' and the article meant to her and this was her reply.
"Why do I love Toastmasters? Why do I stay in Toastmasters?  The support is incredible!!! The club celebrating the success of having an article in the Toastmaster Magazine with all the cheering, clapping and cake eating is a humbling experience. I have been blessed ever since I started Toastmasters in 1997. Speaking on September 1, the day I launched the promotion of holding Family Retreats with Real Conversation and stating I was expanding nationally was exciting to share with Igniters who has Ignited my spirit to keep going even when it was tough. Thank you kindly to all the members at Igniters and all my Toastmasters worldwide for your unconditional support. I know it has been quite a challenge to groom a person who will break out into a Chicken Dance unannounced. What I wish for every member is to live their passion and impact the world. This would be a gift for all of us. Thank you kindly!!!!"
Thanks, Mona,  for all you teach us at our meeting, how you share from your heart and help us improve.  You definitely "lead by example."

Icebreaker Speeches



Our Toastmaster Stephen did an awesome job of keeping our Sept. 1st meeting running smoothly.  With three speeches, table topics and a surprise celebration it was not an easy task. 

 

Congratulations to Edward and Lisa for accomplishing their first speech, the Icebreaker.  Edward's talk was called The Traveller Beneath the Tree and used the analogy of travellers meeting under a tree during a storm and then parting when the weather improved.  It was an excellent comparison of a person moving through life touching different people. 

Lisa spoke about her lifelong love of reading, which definitely encouraged each of us to grab a book and settle into a comfortable chair.  

Thank you both for sharing these excellent speeches with us.    

Farewell and Good Luck

We would like to wish the best to Laura and Ayanna with their moves from Calgary.  Both have been active members during their time at Igniters and will be  missed!   Thanks for all that you have shared with us and we hope that each of you stop by when you come back to Calgary for a visit.

Igniting Spirits - July 21

Our club banner with it's many awards is a great centerpiece to circle around for a picture.
Once aga in we had a large group in attendance for our July 21 meeting with Marion, our VP of Membership, acting as Toastmaster.  We had excellent participation with three speeches, table topics ,and  a joke of the day. 
The three evaluators presented their views of each speech with skill and the general evaluator, Nandini , shared her thoughts with enthusiasm.  Reports from the ah-counter, grammarian and timer were followed by Ayanna leading us though the Quizmasters questions. Everyone eagerly participated.

Happy Birthday Chris

Congratulations to our new President, Chris for celebrating his birthday with us. 

We had a large group of twenty plus members and guests to chat about "summer food" and even some discussion about our favorite cool down drinks during this past heat wave.   Mark did an tremendous job as Toastmaster, keeping us on task and time, and adding humour throughout the July 14 meeting.

Welcome to Three New Memebers

Marion arranged the new members induction with Ayanna presenting a short history about Marmadou, George,  and Vic and Marion presenting the pledges for new and old members to agree.

We are excited to have three new members with varying backgrounds to add interesting speeches to our agendas.  We look forward to their Ice Breaker presentations.

Either/Or Method of Table Topics

Glen lead us through a excellent table topics as he explained his conception of an either/or demonstration with a three part answer. Chris G. talked on "ice cream or popsicles" , Mona discussed "spit or don't spit watermelon seeds, Chris C had to decide between "handles or no handles on corn on the cob" and last but not least we had Marvin tell us his preference between "fruit smoothies and frozen yogurt." We had excellent answers, whether truthful or not, the idea was to pick a side and validate your choice.  Our four experienced members did a superior job of showing us Table Topics at it best.

Table Topics - A Blast From The Past

We enjoyed the presentation that were given after speakers chose a prop from the bag that Michel kept hidden until Laura, Lisa and Edward picked them, for Table Topics.  The speakers were asked to describe their pick as if they were talking to a five year old. Although most of us have used a floppy disk, VHS tape, and a cassette tape,  it was fun to look back to the 80's and remember.  Michel is holding a Walkman that remained in the bag.

New Member Induction

Marion, our VP of Membership, lead us through the induction of two new members, Lisa and Laura.  She also welcomed Sterling back to Igniters as he has been away.  It is terrific to watch our club grow in numbers. 

We had a rip-roaring meeting on July 7, 2015 as we celebrated with a Stampede Theme.  Many members dressed the part with hats and boots as we brought some country to the Parkdale Community Centre.  Sheriff Stephen did an excellent job keeping the cowpokes on schedule and filling in interesting Stampde trivia throughout.  Introductions moved around the room with talk about our favorite parts of the Calgary Stampede and I was amazed how often food was mentioned.  I was nice to have our guests, Mamadou, Kenneth and Jasmine participate and share their feedback on us.

 

 JianLi and Julie entertained us with well prepared speeches, How I Came To Be Here (CC#1) and Plan For Your Future (CC#2) respectively. 

 

Marion did an excellent job of our two new member inductions.  I am pleased to say that Igniters has received a  Talk up Toastmasters ribbon for achieving 5 new member in Feb & March 2015. Come for a visit as we have even more guests who have joined as they see the value of Toastmasters!

 

We rounded out our meeting with excellent evaluations and reports from our volunteers.

 

 YaHoo see you next week. 

 

Meet Our Two New Competent Communicators

Way to go Stephen and Marion! District 42 (AB & Sask) recognized them for achieving their Competent Communicator. This is the first manual of ten speeches. Thanks to Nandini for an awesome presentation explaining their successes  and what new-comers need to do to achieve this accomplishment.

 

 

 

 

2015 Presidents Choice

Criteria: 

This award is at the discretion of the President.

Marvin is a dedicated member who is always willing to go the extra mile to help, very supportive, and has a fantastic wealth of ideas and advice

Achievements:

• Stepped into the role of Treasurer when Abhinav had to take personal leave.
• Attended all the Club Executive Meetings and J41 Area Council meetings and shared supportive ideas and information
• Achieved his High Performance Leadership – led a team for a terrific 10^th Anniversary and helped to raise funds
• Always willing to help – in meeting roles, putting up posters, signing up new members, helping with the blog, making deposits, and recruiting judges for contests.

Congratulations Marvin on being nominated for this award!

Igniters 2015 Spirit of Success - Communication and Leadership Award.

Criteria: 

Awarded to a member whose achievements, leadership and enthusiasm represents the spirit of Igniters club as defined in its mission statement

Achievements :

• Completed Competent Communicator.
• Competed in the Club Humorous Speech Contest and represented Igniters at the Area Contest
• Attended contests, workshops, and District Conventions to support members
• Took on executive role of VP Membership and gave friendly inductions
• Friendly and encouraging to guests and members
• Planned and hosted Christmas meeting
• Key organizer for several potlucks and assisted with set up and clean up.
• Action Committee for Marvin’s High Performance Leadership – 10^th Anniversary.

The winner of the Spirit of Success Leadership and Communication is Marion!