The third online District 64 Information Session / Open House was held on Sunday, September 26, 2021. Guests were warmly welcomed by Past District 64 Director Laverne Wojciechowski, Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM), as well as District 64 Club Growth Director David Storey, DTM and two additional seasoned toastmasters.
The Information Session began with an overview presentation by Laverne Wojciechowski, DTM focused on how Toastmasters International and District 64 are helping club members develop as leaders, gaining confidence in both speaking skills and leadership skills. Laverne noted that often members join to improve speaking skills but stay when they realize leadership opportunities exist within the club and beyond.
The first main presentation by David Storey, DTM, focused on How to Choose a Speech Topic. David advised that speech topics can be found everywhere! His entertaining stories about his own search for speech topics were enjoyed by attendees. David offered a bit of advice to help keep track of potential topics; ie, keep a small notebook handy to write down ideas throughout the day.
The second main presentation by Liz Jonasson, DTM, focused on the new SpeechCraft Program recently revised by Toastmasters International to align it with the Pathways adult learning program familiar to all Toastmasters throughout the world. When a SpeechCraft participant completes a full SpeechCraft course and joins a club, they are eligible to receive credit in Pathways for the number of speeches they completed within the SpeechCraft course.
She noted that SpeechCraft can only be offered by Toastmasters Clubs in good standing to a maximum of 5 participants per course, with online materials from Toastmasters International. The Speechcraft course provides both directed learning workshops led by experienced club members and online individual learning that builds public speaking skills, offers opportunities to develop leadership skills and increases confidence in just 4, 6 or 8 weeks. SpeechCraft participants receive guidance from experienced club members who volunteer as mentors and evaluators.
District 64 Toastmasters clubs have an opportunity to advertise upcoming SpeechCraft courses on the District64.ca website and on social media including the District 64 Facebook and MeetUp sites.
The evening ended with a Q & A led by Laverne, following a review about How to Find a Toastmasters Club by searching for a club nearby on the Toastmasters International website or the District 64 website.
District 64 Information Sessions are held monthly on the last Sunday of the month. Club Presidents and VPPRs are encouraged to contact Laverne Wojciechowski for an opportunity to co-host an upcoming session.
The next monthly District 64 Information Session / Open House will be held online at 7 p.m. on Sunday, October 24th, the last day of Toastmasters Week in Manitoba. The main topics to be featured will be “My Whys” by seasoned Toastmasters as well as “Evaluation and Feedback”.
Check for invites to the next sessions on our District MeetUp page at this link.