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!

District 42 Table Topics Champ!

On Nov 19, in the District 42 Table Topics Contest a Champ was crowned! Cat from Igniters won! She answered the question with passion and a heartfelt sledding story with her grandfather. It was a terrific competition with six Division contestants thinking quickly on their feet.

There was a fabulous humorous speech contest with the top funny storytellers. Many inspiring Toastmasters were nominated and recognized for their achievements at the Of the Year Awards.

Dec 13 - Igniters are having their annual holiday gathering with food, games, speech, and the always fun gift exchange.

January is a great time to think about your goals. Come to a fun meeting on Tues Jan 3. Imagine with a mentor, support, and practice - how you could grow in 2023.

Igniters Rock Area Contest!

Congratulations Igniters! 

Join us at Division E Contest to support Cat, Jeff, and Nandini.

November 5, 9am on the D42 YouTube channel. https://youtube.com/c/District42Toastmasters  

Area E6 Contest Oct 20

Table Topics 

1. Pearl - SMART Speakers 
2. Cat - Igniters 
3. Ellen - Igniters 

Humorous Speech Contest 

1. Samantha  - Spoken Word 
2. Jeff  - Igniters 
3. Mona  - Igniters 

Toastmaster of the Year 

• Nandini 

PR of the Year 

• Igniters 

Why join Toastmasters

What do you enjoy most about Toastmasters?

Transforming Jey!  Press Link to find out more.

Come visit Igniters - every Tues night

7 pm. Guests are always welcome. 

High Five Igniters!

Igniters is the place to be if you want reach your goals!

D42 Conference 

Ksenija was an inspiring contestant who honed her evaluation skills and placed 3rd District 42 Evaluation Contest! Diane touched hearts with her speech about a gift at Christmas her father with dementia gave to her mom. She placed 3rd in the International Speech Contest. 

Igniters Club was invited to present an Ed session on creative fun meetings. Ellen conducted a panel session and recieved credit for Moderating a Panel. Glen, Vicky, Mary, Jeff shared fun tips and ideas with Petra as a creative timer. 

Nandini and Marvin as Co - Mcs on Saturday were organized and used their skills to entertain and guide events for the day. 

Hybrid Meetings

Jessica and her Team of Mary, Marvin, Mona, and Vicky along with other members to facilitate Hybrid meetings every two weeks. It is a learning process as members learn new skills and share tech tips. Another advantage at Igniters. Zoom and in person meetings.

Congrats New Executive! 

July 1 - June 30. New members stepping up. Seasoned members work on new skills. Huge Thanks to our outgoing executive. Vicky, Chris, Nandini, Cat, Drew, Tracy, Jeff.

President: Fola

VP Education: Jessica

VP Membership: Jeff

VP PR: Trevor

Treasurer: Ellen

Secretary: Cat

Sergeant at Arms: Marvin

Past President: Vicky

Guests welcome every Tues! Come to see how support makes a difference.

Teamwork! Get to your Goals Faster!

Congratulations Ksenija for Evaluation and Diane for International Speech Contest!

Wow! Both Igniters won the Division E Contest on Fri April 8.They recieved feedback at the club and from Specialty Mentors.They attended the District Circle of Gold on Tues April 18 receiving feedback from top notch evaluators. Come cheer them on at the District Conference April 28 - 30!

Register for free! Guests welcome.

https://d42tm.org/conference

More Teamwork! Igniters are giving an Ed session at the D42 Conference. Ellen, Glen, Mary, Jeff, Vicky, and Petra will be sharing creative ideas about the online Ed program Pathways and fun meetings. Mona along with Vince will also be giving an Ed session on Mental Health. Nandini and Marvin will be leading the Sat as Co - MCs. 

Go Igniters!

Storytelling Tips: World Champion of Public Speaking - Craig Valentine.

1. Use a “foundational phrase.”

For each story, develop a foundational phrase your audience can easily remember and repeat.

2. Get to your stories quicker. There’s way too much set-up (what I call “pre-ramble”) for many stories. Get to the story and then go rapidly into the conflict and hook your audience.

3. Invite your audience into your scene. For example, I say, “Imagine being in my passenger’s seat as I went through the drive-through.” My audience members are now in my passenger’s seat where they can relive the story with me.

Each week you can work on your goals with support and teamwork.

Raise Your Game!

How do you raise your speaking to the next level? Come to the Circle of Gold (COG), where top-notch evaluators give feedback to Contestants.This is the brain child of our own first President of Igniters Darlene.

On April 1, 2 - Division E Evaluation Contestants Ksenija and Ellen and International Speech Contestant Diane recieved helpful mentoring and tips.

Feedback team including Trevor and Nandini shared insights to make the speeches stronger. The learning for everyone was incredible! If speakers and evaluators raise their speaking game - it's not only a win for them - but the audience too!

Division E Contest Fri April 5 - Let's cheer! Learn! Grow! Go Igniters!

Speaking Nuggets:

1) Intro - grab our attention early! You only have 15 seconds to reel us in.

2) Micro pauses - allow the audience to take into your key message. Pause. This will imprint in their memory.

3) Know your purpose - this will ground you, lessen your anxiety, and keep you focused.

How will you raise your game?! Tuesday nights at Igniters - a fun way to do it!!

Contests - Igniters Shine!

Congratulations Igniters for a terrific showing at the Area E6 Contest!

Ksenija won the Evaluation Contest with Ellen placing second. Diane won the International Speech Contest.

Nandini gave us a perfect master class of how to be the Toastmaster at a contest. Marvin kept things running smoothly in his role of Tech Support.

Yvonne kept the meeting running on time. Thanks Mary for being a contest official.

Glen and Mona were in the audience supporting and cheering.

Igniters swept the contest and continued to show the world why we Ignite! All 3 of our contestants go on to the Division E Contest on April 8. Come to the contest and show your support to our contestants!

Glen

Helping Outside the Club! 

Our members continue to polish their skills at other contests. Jey was a Chief Judge, Jessica test speaker, and Maninder and Yvonne helped out as contest officials. Keep Igniting Spirits!

Hybrid Meetings - Flexible Growth!

Yes, we are moving to Hybrid meetings every two weeks! You choose how you want to grow - in person or Zoom. We start March 22.

 ** Guests are welcome - send us an email info@igniterstm.ca to visit 

10 Tips for Speaking Like a 

Ted Talk Pro

By Katherine Lee

Advice from the experts on how to make any presentation sing

1. Know Your Audience

2. Keep it simple

3. Emphasize Connection over Content

4. Be Authentic

5. Diversify your Delivery

Want to know more?  It's a 5 min read to learn more tips.

Link: https://www.apa.org/monitor/2017/02/tips-speaking 

See you Tues for another fun night.

Way to go Igniters!

March 8 Full House again! There were 29 members including 5 guests. President Vicky led a business meeting. We will be moving ahead with Hybrid Meetings starting March 22. Membership Team Ksenija, Yvonne, Jey, and Marvin along with VP Membership Nandini welcomed five new members and inducted Tracey, Tyler, Fola, Sylvannus, and Samuel. Great to have you!

Drew, Tracy H, and Ksenija have all stepped up to train other leaders and share tips. Petra a new member was a test speaker at another club Contest for the first time.

Recognition & Awards

Congrats! Recognized by District 42 leaders.

* Distinguished Club already by Jan. Keep working on your goals.

* Talk Up Toastmasters - first club to achieve 5 new members for Feb - Mar

* Igniters and After Five Club Contest Our first joint contest on Mar 1. Huge thanks to Contest officials and  supporters. Congrats to all the contestants. Keep stretching :)

Evaluation Contest

1. Trevor    2. Ellen   3. Ksenija

International Contest

1. Diane

** Area Contest: March 25. 6pm - 9pm

Speaking Tips: Ashish Arora is the co-founder of SketchBubble.com

1. Know your audience inside and out
2. Stop using filler words
3. Leverage the power of silence
4. Keep things simple
5. Bring your passion
6. Make it about the other person
7. Tell stories 

Every week we are developing skills to help us persuade, inspire, and encourage others.

Inspiring Igniters!

Looking for inspiration? Humor? Fun?You will find it in this dynamic club! Full House again Jan 25! Welcome new member Maninder! Great to have guests visiting and finding out how to go after their goals. 

Newer members Jessica, Petra, Jeff K all stepping up - leading the meeting, giving first speech, and offering an evaluation. The theme was Learning and we shared our interests including French, Japanese, Computer language Python, Yoga, Writing short stories, and Running. 

Devon made us laugh with a joke! Even Snoopy joined us as Vicky creatively used him for timing lights. Ksenija gave an inspiring speech about Team Collaboration, struggles and her experiences at work. Mary shared about the advantages of  having Diane as a mentor. Our club is filled with mentors and mentees working on their goals. 

**Tips: Marjorie North (Consultant specializing in Public Speaking)

1) Nervousness is Normal! Practice and Prepare 

The best way to overcome anxiety is to prepare, prepare, and prepare some more. Take the time to go over your notes several times. 

2) Know Your Audience. Your Speech Is About Them, Not You.

Before you begin to craft your message, consider who the message is intended for.

3) Let Your Personality Come Through

You will establish better credibility if your personality shines through

See you next Tues for another inspiring meeting!

Hybrid Meeting! Yes, we had our first demo meeting on Jan 18 with a few members in person at the Nifty Fifty Center and the rest on Zoom. Terrific turnout! Overall it went well. The feedback from members from two earlier test sessions helped. Practice and feedback help us all grow.

Vicky our President gave us updates about the Hybrid meeting. ** Only Zoom meetings will continue for now. Yujin a new member gave her first speech and key lessons in being an author. Ellen gave an entertaining speech about Negotation with a car salesman and her husband. We all need to develop negotiating skills! We had a fun round of Table Topics - answering questions spontaneously. Practice does make you better!

** Tip to Negotiate Like a Boss! Sean Kelly (CEO SnackNation)

Connect on a personal level

Human connection is paramount in negotiation, and your attitude and energy going in will set the tone and affect the outcome. It starts with a mindset. You need to set aside the idea of negotiation as contest between two adversaries, and instead realize that you’re working with the person.

Igniters on Fire!

Wow! Igniters are sizzling in the New Year. Tuesday Jan 4, Trevor encouraged members to share their goals. Yvonne gave an inspiring ice breaker on her 2nd Path, learning to walk again and being a bit fearful to take on leadership roles and still doing it! Chatting with guests about our strong Mentoring program and the support to reach your goals.

Jan 11 - Full House! More Guests. Guests seeing the value and joining! Ellen led the meeting where members shared their quirks and the challenge word was eccentricities. It's a safe place to be you. New Members Petra took on ah counter, while Yujin shared about the value of attending Pathways workshop - the online Educational Program. Next one Jan 22. Registration: Pathways Workshop

New member Jeff K, gave a terrific ice breaker - being an engineer and his ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro and despite altitude sickness keep moving forward. Congrats Mona! Finished Dynamic Leadership Path and shared her lessons and the impact within Toastmasters and how it benefitted her business. Devon as Table Topic Master asked questions and both guests were willing to try. Glen, Jessica, Diane, Ksenija, Nandini gave helpful feedback as evaluators. Igniters helps members tap into and build on their talents.  Can't wait to see what happens next week! 

Igniting Holiday Spirits!

What a fun and festive gathering! Ho ho ho! Great to have guests visit once again. Do you want support and mentors to help reach your goals?  You have come to the right place! We have welcomed six new members - to our club Yujin, Ellen, Petra, Jeff, Sylvanus and Mohammed!

Our last meeting before the holiday season was full of stories of childhood memories, memorable gatherings, family traditions and festive cheer.

Jessica gave a wonderful speech which reminded us all to be kinder to ourselves in times of stress. Vicky our President had a fun game where most of us found ourselves on the naughty list! Ellen as our Table Topics Master challenged us with questions about Christmas traditions, and all of the role assistants kept the meeting engaging and fun.

Next meeting: Tues Jan 4. What skills do you want to develop in 2022? Come to a meeting - build on your talents. 

Happy holidays and warm wishes from all of us at Igniters!

Mentoring Matters!

What are the advantages of joining Igniters? You can get get to your goals faster with the help of others. 

⭐ support ⭐ feedback ⭐ growth

How can we help?

Mentoring Coordinator Mona ✅

Mentors ✅ 

Mentoring Teams ✅ 

Meeting Mentor Buddies ✅

Mentor Moment Tips ✅

Specialty Mentors ✅

Mentoring Resources ✅

* Go to Member Resources - Mentoring to find out more!

A warm welcome to 3 new Igniters Sylvanus, Ellen, Petra! Its been terrific to have guests visit. 

We have been having many educational, inspiring, and creative speakers. Jessica (Hybrid Meetings), Mona (Mentoring Conversations & Leadership) Diane (Ice Breaker & yes how she broke her shoulder) Mary (Body Language), Dermot (History of Toilets Who knew?!)Trevor (Communication Styles). Evaluators for every speaker - developing their analytical skills Jey, Yvonne, Marvin, and Chris. Join us and develop your skills.

Contests & Circle of Gold 

We are very proud of Glen and Tracy for their efforts in competing in both the Tall Tales and Table Topics (Impromptu) How we laughed at their stories!! How Glen met his wife and what Tracy caught while fishing. Oh the tales!

Circle of Gold - peer Mentoring for contestants across 6 Divisions to raise their speaking level. Nandini and Trevor along with other evaluators offered ideas to help the speakers grow.

Igniters Facebook Group

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/1299367036859797/?ref=sharebc 

 

Celebration Time!

Just like the song, Celebration - we have alot to celebrate at Igniters! 

Area Contest

 A fun night on Fri Oct 29.  Ksenija was helping on tech, anonymous Igniters were judging, Diane, Vicky, Nandini were in the audience supporting our contestants. A huge thanks to all the Igniters who wrote congratulation notes.

Tall Tales Contest 

1. Tracy 

2. Glen

3. Amanda

Table Topics

1. Pearl

2. Samantha

3. Glen

Woo hoo!! Both Tracy and Glen will be competing for Tall Tales at the next level -  Division Contest Nov 19. Come cheer them on! 

Area Of the Year Awards

Awesome Igniters! 

Toastmaster of the Year - Mary 

Rookie of the Year - Tracy

Public Relations - Spoken Word 

Best of luck at the Division level

Halloween Meeting Oct 26

Trevor led a fun meeting with his beautiful locks of raven black and white hair! Word of the Day was mask and the challenge word disguise. Our guest also answered an impromptu topic and shared what she thought about scary movies.  Dermot gave a speech from Humorous Pathway and was good to know no animals were harmed in making this funny speech! 

We learned alot in Table Topics (impromptu speaking) hearing stories about scary movies, costumes, spirits, and favorite Halloweens. 

• Where does a ghost go on vacation? Mali-boo

When you are not on vacation, come zoom with us  any Tuesday evening!

Summer Fun!

Last night we had a fun meeting on zoom sharing our summer memories. We have had lots of entertaining summer meetings. Great to have a guest.

Yvonne our dynamic Toastmaster encouraged us to use the word musings and Glen as grammarian gave anticipate as the challenge word. Igniters were anticipating to see who used the words the most!

Educational Goals Achieved!

Dermot gave an inspiring speech reflecting on his growth in Toastmasters and finishing his educational Path Presentation Mastery. Fantastic! He joins Mary who finished Effective Coaching and Marvin achieved Dynamic Leadership.

Way to go Igniters! What skills do you want to learn?

Tall Tales Contest

Contests are an excellent way to step outside of your comfort zone and grow your skills. Many of our members have stepped up with the help of mentors and greatly benefited.

Nandini shared tips from helping as a Circle of Gold evaluator at a Tall Tales Workshop. 

* Take an ordinary situation (getting stuck in traffic, getting lost) and write your personal story.

* Make it into a Tall Tale - add lots of exaggeration! Alliteration. Puns.

Eg ran 1 mile. Change to ran 1000 miles. Make everything much bigger! 

* Tall Tale Timing 3 - 5 minutes. Must be mostly an original story.

* Enter club Tall Tale Contest in the fall

More Resources: 

How to Win A Tall Tales Contest

Inspiring Igniters!

What a year end Celebration!  Educational Awards - our members went after their goals! Mary finished her Effective Coaching Path. The first one in our club to do this!! Dermot, Jessica Diane, Trevor, Mona, Marvin, Drew, Tracy, Gil, Ksenija, Yvonne, Lorenzo, Vicky, and Nandini all achieved credit for different levels in their Paths.

Why do our members succeed? We have a strong mentoring program. Also the support and encouragement is a cornerstone of Igniters and Toastmasters.

Leaders Rising!

Toastmasters - "Where Leaders Are Made!"

Marcus the incoming Area Director inducted the new incoming Executive for July 1, 2021 - June 30 2022.

Pres: Vicky

VP Education: Chris

VP Membership: Nandini

VP PR: Cat

Treasurer: Drew

Secretary: Tracy

Sergeant at Arms: Jeff

Highest Recognition for a Club

Guests are welcome all year round. 

Contact: info@igniterstm.ca

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1299367036859797/?ref=share 

Find out how you can achieve your goals - with the Igniters Advantage!!

Stay tuned for more Awards

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.