Winnipeg Toastmasters Talk Mentorship

“Ninety percent of the world’s woe comes from people not knowing themselves, their abilities, their frailties, and even their real virtues. Most of us go almost all the way through life as complete strangers to ourselves.”

This quote by Sydney Harris set the stage for another intriguing meeting by UM Masters - a Toastmasters Club in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The theme was Unforgettable Mentors and Dianne, our Toastmaster, got us thinking of who in our lives have left an impact.

The word of the day was appreciate – a fitting word to use as we shared in our introductions the mentors we valued in our lives.

Our club President, Andrea, presented an educational on Mentoring and how integral it was to the toastmasters program. We enter as new members and are guided by mentors.  We in turn pass on our knowledge to others.  The Toastmaster way is to pay it forward!

In our impromptu speaking segment, our Table Topics Master Cathy got us thinking of what advice we would pass on as Dear Abbey (or Albert).  Our new member Julien and our guest Julie had excellent advice to share!

The meeting wouldn’t be complete without evaluations. Our evaluators, Deb and June, gave insightful feedback on what they liked and where they would encourage members to try something different.

Our meeting closed with a thought from John Crosby, “Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction.”  If you need a push in the right direction, try UM Masters

Try Toastmasters – the proven way to grow your communication and leadership skills.

If you would like to take part in a UM Masters meeting, we’re located in Winnipeg at the University of Manitoba. Our meetings are held every Wednesday from 12:05 –12:50 PM in Room 111 at St. John’s College (which is part of the University of Manitoba).

If you're in Winnipeg and interested in sitting in on a club meeting to see if Toastmasters is right for you, please feel free to contact Dianne Winser at dianne_winser@umanitoba.ca

A Winnipeg Toastmasters Club and Remembrance Day

Our meeting this week  in our WInnipeg Toastmasters club, UM Masters, was an innovative hit thanks to creative ways to master roles starting with Jessica as Toastmaster for her first time. She spoke confidently throughout her role. Her chosen theme of “Animal Companions” prompted pet experiences shared by each member and most welcomed guests. We could all relate to animal companions. Tom shared a most memorable literary experience during his travels in Swahili which helped him choose a name for his family pet. They chose Jambo Piki-Piki which translates into English as Hello Motorcycle. Who would have known? Thanks Tom.

Our enthusiastic speaker of the day Cathy P. once again astounded us with humor to convey the importance of fulfilling Toastmaster Role Projects. She described Competent Communication as the Soup and Competent Leadership as the Sandwich which make a complete wholesome lunch. Leadership without clear communication means “No soup for you”. She encouraged us to challenge our projects to progress through the steps to confident leadership. “While you have your soup remember to take a bite of your sandwich.”

Table Topics Master of the day Dianne creatively prepared notes ahead of the meet listing five unrelated words to challenge the Table Topics Speaker of the day, Mari-Ann. In response Mari-Ann successfully crafted a masterfully expressive speech on the fly including both as animal companion theme and “Remembrance” word of the day.

Bev’s speech evaluation for Cathy P. noted Cathy’s clever ending “Now that you’ve all has lunch how about dessert?” It left us with thoughts of food. After all we meet at lunch. Bev finished her evaluation ingeniously phrasing “Sharing food gives us something to dig into.”

This week’s meeting was well presented, creative and intuitive. Our Grammarian of the day, June, left everyone in our Winnipeg Toastmasters club, UM Masters, with one last thought about “Remembrance”. November 11 is Remembrance Day and “Lest we forget”.

Try Toastmasters – the proven way to grow your communication and leadership skills.

If you would like to take part in a UM Masters meeting, we’re located in Winnipeg at the University of Manitoba. Our meetings are held every Wednesday from 12:05 –12:50 PM in Room 111 at St. John’s College (which is part of the University of Manitoba).

If you're in Winnipeg and interested in sitting in on a club meeting to see if Toastmasters is right for you, please feel free to contact Tiffany Lui at  tpylui@hotmail.com

A Peek Inside a Winnipeg Toastmasters Meeting

We had another great meeting at UM Masters this past week, with the theme of “Magical Memories”!

Members had a good time discussing fun, significant, and even embarrassing memories from their past.

The toastmaster this week was Bev Doern, one of our distinguished Toastmasters as part of our Winnipeg Toastmasters club.

The grammarian was Cathy Plouffe who chose the word “reminiscence”. This word was hard to pronounce, but everyone managed to use the word while speaking!

Our main speaker was Selena who gave her 4th speech of her Competent Communicator designation. Her speech called “Remember, Remember the 5th of November” was very well done, and we got to learn about an important day in British history that none of us knew very well!

A speech very well done and very educational - the best of both worlds!

Try Toastmasters – the proven way to grow your communication and leadership skills.

If you would like to take part in a UM Masters meeting, we’re located in Winnipeg at the University of Manitoba. Our meetings are held every Wednesday from 12:05 –12:50 PM in Room 111 at St. John’s College (which is part of the University of Manitoba).

If you're in Winnipeg and interested in sitting in on a club meeting to see if Toastmasters is right for you, please feel free to contact Tiffany Lui at  tpylui@hotmail.com

Inside a Winnipeg Toastmasters Club With Doctor Phil

The act of giving can grow a person in many ways.  It fosters good will, spreads joy to others and overall makes your day feel better knowing you did something nice for someone.  Bev’s theme of giving reminds us all at toastmasters just how important it is to continue to give.  This was wonderfully demonstrated during our introductions where everyone shared one way that they gave to others, whether it is as simple as directions to someone lost, or something more, like spending time with people to calm them in difficult situations or teach them skills to better master an activity.  Everyone showed just how easy it is to give to one another and what a change it can create.

Andrea gave a very persuasive speech to the group, “What If I Were To Tell You”.  She opened our eyes to the truth about the health of our bodies and how facts about obesity are really played out by the media.  She concluded to us saying we should be aware that the whole truth is not always going to be given to us and like the things we see and hear in the media, the things we read should also be taken with a grain of salt. 

As we entered into our Table Topics session, “Doctor Phil” led us on a whirlwind of an adventure with his time machine.  As Satwinder travelled back in time, his job was to explain to the people of the past some of the things we have in the present day that have benefitted people worldwide.   He expertly pinpointed how important medical research has been in combating so many diseases we have in the world.  Selena then did a follow up trip to the future and came back to tell us what some of the things we would lose in the future.   She found that our energy resources have depleted and so we should find alternative means to keep our machines running as soon as possible.  A round of kudos to both Satwinder and Selena for becoming our newest toastmasters members and exploring the table topics so well for the first time and to Phil, a returning toastmaster, to provide us a most intriguing adventure that kept me on my toes. 

Coming out of the meeting left me thinking back at the things we give to others and the world and of the things I get back as well.  I am reminded of the movie “Pay it Forward” and how our actions often cause rippling effects to the world.  Toastmaster is similar in that what we put forth towards our toastmasters meetings in energy and commitment; we get back in learning and experience to better our skills.  As Bev challenged us at the end of the meeting to try and give at least one thing every day, I will start with giving thanks to all those who spend the time to read this and to those who are always there to encourage me with my speaking.  I personally like to give by caring for animals and cooking for the people I love… so who wants cake?

Try Toastmasters – the proven way to grow your communication and leadership skills.

If you would like to take part in a UM Masters meeting, we’re located in Winnipeg at the University of Manitoba. Our meetings are held every Wednesday from 12:05 –12:50 PM in Room 111 at St. John’s College (which is part of the University of Manitoba).

If you're in Winnipeg and interested in sitting in on a club meeting to see if Toastmasters is right for you, please feel free to contact Tiffany Lui at  tpylui@hotmail.com

Winnipeg Toastmasters - 10 Public Speaking Strategies

In our Winnipeg Toastmasters club, UM Masters, we are always trying to improve the way we communicate with one another and this includes communication with a large amount of people.

Public speaking can be terrifying, but even more so if it's in front of 100, 200 or more people!

So what are some things you should know before doing a speech? In our Winnipeg Toastmasters club we have many different strategies for improving our communication skills, but we recently found an article by Al Czarnecki on ways he does it.

We thought you may find this helpful!

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Know your key publics and objectives - Time is a limited resource. Know whether this opportunity represents value for both you and your audience.

Know your audience - Talk with two or three people to get a feeling for what matters to this audience—their issues, values, level of knowledge.

Sketch your talk - How will you engage your audience? How will you move across salient points? What is the one message people will come away with?

Find good sources - Prepare rich background notes and save these as short text files. Create a database with fields for filename, author, date, source, topic, and a 20-word summary. This is a menu for your clippings and notes. It can also be shared internally on your intranet.

Build sound bites - Write. Be articulate in less than 100 words (40-60 is best) on every point you want to make. You'll need a core message, supported by clear major points, each supported by relevant details. Your first few words in each case are critical. [TOP]

Prototype - A 10-minute talk is 1600-1800 words. Tape yourself. See what you haven't said. See what can be trimmed. Edit your written text. Recast your outline. Tape again. This is to clarify and focus your thinking.

Speak, don't read - You don't prepare a talk, you prepare yourself for a talk. The spoken word reveals presence, energy, interest, conviction; these are lost on paper. An outline will keep you on track.

Bring a handout - In formal situations a copy of your speech is expected. The media will follow a prepared text and note any departure in content. Speak, but realize you're going on record.

Watch for feedback - A live audience means real-time feedback. When their attention is rapt, your audience will resemble a still photograph or freeze-frame video. This is what public speaking is all about.

FAQ - Frequently_Asked_Questions — A key part of any public speaking engagement in the question and answer period. Collect questions like hockey cards. Prepare credible, informative, 40-60 word answers for them.

Try Toastmasters – the proven way to grow your communication and leadership skills.

If you would like to take part in a UM Masters meeting, we’re located in Winnipeg at the University of Manitoba. Our meetings are held every Wednesday from 12:05 –12:50 PM in Room 111 at St. John’s College (which is part of the University of Manitoba).

If you're in Winnipeg and interested in sitting in on a club meeting to see if Toastmasters is right for you, please feel free to contact Tiffany Lui at  tpylui@hotmail.com

Bringing Energy to Winnipeg Toastmasters

What would you do with $50 million and a motor home?!  This question is one of the reasons that I enjoy Toastmasters meetings…you never know what someone is going to say next whether it’s in a speech, during their introductions or in an evaluation!   There is always something to make you think, shift your perspective or delight your imagination. 

The June 15th meeting of UM Masters did not disappoint and how could it with the theme of Energy?  Our Winnipeg Toastmaster, Dianne Boulay, modeled the theme with her enthusiasm, stories and excellent bridging between speakers.  There was nothing enervating about Dianne’s leadership as she encouraged each of us to introduce ourselves and talk about what gives us energy while also including the word of the day. Cathy chose the word enervate which means to weaken or deprive of force and strength.  This word was a great choice as it really helped us to explore all aspects of our theme.   

The energy of the room was ramped up with Andrea’s humor and my only suggestion for improvement, Andrea, is to work on your bird calls!!  I have to say that Andrea is becoming a very confident speaker and is a testament to the effectiveness of the Toastmaster program. 

Each week we are privileged to witness prepared speeches where members are encouraged to talk about something that has meaning and interest for them.  Tiffany and Bev created a unique presentation by doing a talk show radio interview.  Bev was masterful at answering Tiffany’s questions about the benefits of the Toastmaster’s Program.  Together they created interest, entertainment and energy around the topic and left me feeling validated about my decision to continue in the Toastmasters program in Winnipeg. 

“One hundred dollars and a canoe doesn’t get you much of a vacation,” Marc commented as he stepped up to the Table Topics challenge of planning a vacation with the budget and mode of transportation that he drew from two envelopes prepared by Andrea.  As Table Topics Master, it was Andrea’s role to come up with ideas or questions that we could talk about for 2 minutes.  I thought her idea for this meeting was brilliant!  She introduced the topic with a brief summary of summer vacations and very clear instructions for each of the participants.  She explained the timing and was very encouraging of each participant to go the distance.  Anna very humorously explained what she would do and where she would go with $50 million and a motor home and Cathy volunteered to take her motorcycle, best friend and $3000 to the east coast to listen to some Celtic music and go antiquing! 

Evaluations are a very valuable part of the Toastmaster meeting and Deb gave an excellent evaluation of Bev’s project!  She noted key points where Bev used her strengths as a speaker and then challenged Bev with a suggestion to take the presentation to the next level.  Deb can challenge herself by using her hands for specific gestures and then resting them quietly by her sides between gestures.  She was very encouraging of Bev and offered several useful observations while still staying within the time limit for evaluations!

Marc was very clear and concise in his evaluation of Table Topics.  He used the sandwich method very well.  While Marc was one of the people chosen for table topics, I would encourage him to still give a short evaluation of his performance.  It’s always helpful to be able to reflect on our performance to notice what we do well and what we can improve.  This is also an opportunity for additional humor (which Marc does well, always adding humor to his observations)! 

Congratulations to all the speakers and evaluators – this meeting was anything but enervating!  I left feeling positive and energized and looking forward to next weeks meeting in UM Masters, our Toastmasters club in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Try Toastmasters – the proven way to grow your communication and leadership skills.

If you would like to take part in a UM Masters meeting, we’re located in Winnipeg at the University of Manitoba. Our meetings are held every Wednesday from 12:05 –12:50 PM in Room 111 at St. John’s College (which is part of the University of Manitoba).

If you're in Winnipeg and interested in sitting in on a club meeting to see if Toastmasters is right for you, please feel free to contact Tiffany Lui at  tpylui@hotmail.com

A Day To Celebrate in Winnipeg Toastmasters

Our Winnipeg Toastmaster for the day, Deb, chose the theme “Birthdays” and oh what a celebration we had !!  She brought a bright pink boa for us to wear when we went up to speak, she had party favorites for us and even a goodie bag for us when we left.  Fun was had by all.

During the introductions we were all very excited and happy when Marc announced that he had been accepted into Medicine.  Congratulations Marc – another great reason to celebrate. 

Dianne announced that the club had been awarded a certificate for achieving Select Distinguished Status in time for the Power of One Party in the Park – May 15th, 2011.

Andrea was our speaker and she was working on the 8th speech – get comfortable with visual aids.  Her title was “From Dream to Reality”.  She explained that if a goal is not defined and planned out, it is only a dream.  Goals need to be “SMART” – specific, memorable, action oriented, realistic and time bounded.

Table Topics were so much fun that I did not want them to end.  Cathy, our Table Topics Master had everyone write down something about themselves that hopefully no one knew.  The participant picked a paper from the pile and then had to guess who the person was and why they felt that.  Too much fun…………

Anxiously waiting for our next meeting where we will have 3 members speaking.

Try Toastmasters – the proven way to grow your communication and leadership skills.

If you would like to take part in a UM Masters meeting, we’re located in Winnipeg at the University of Manitoba. Our meetings are held every Wednesday from 12:05 –12:50 PM in Room 111 at St. John’s College (which is part of the University of Manitoba).

If you're in Winnipeg and interested in sitting in on a club meeting to see if Toastmasters is right for you, please feel free to contact Tiffany Lui at  tplui@hotmail.com