Club News - Battlefords Toastmasters

February 11, 2012 - Toastmasters Leadership Institute

What a great day! Nine members were in attendance and supported our club. We had 5 out of 7 club officers trained. Barb did a fabulous presentation on speech contest preparation, Bob provided tremendous treasurer training, Kathy had us laughing, thinking and contributing, Don was inspiring and brought a tear to an eye or two and Rena gave a "successful" Division Governor's speech! We evaluated speeches and presentations for each other, we agreed to be SAA at various sessions when asked, the lunch provided was delicious and we even stayed to clean up afterward. Please be very proud of the work we all have done and the club to which we belong!

January 31, 2012 - Congratulations Fellow Toastmaster!

Battlefords Chamber of Commerce President Pat Smith was officially sworn in during the 106th annual Battlefords Chamber of Commerce President’s Banquet, January 31, 2012. Heartfelt congratulations from all us, your fellow toastmasters. Photo by Doug Collie.

January 28, 2012 - Evaluation Training

Another successful workshop provided by Division E organizers. The workshop was well attended and supported by Battlefords Toastmasters. Evaluation Training is an excellent workshop on the art of evaluation. It includes excellent tips and techniques on giving positive encouragement and constructive feedback.

December 2011 - Prairie Horizons Newsletter

Prairie Horizons is the newsletter that District 42 publishes. Check out the latest Toastmasters news from around Saskatchewan and Alberta.

http://www.d42tm.org/sawka/Prairie%20Horizons/PH_Dec_11.pdf

Holiday Greetings from our Division E Governor

http://divisionetm.org/blog/2011/11/29/352/

Congratulations on your accomplishments!

For the 2011-2012 Toastmaster year, we are well on our way in achieving many personal goals, as well as Club, Area, Division and District goals.

The following individuals have successfully completed another level in their Toastmaster journey.

Kelly Watt achieved her Competent Communicator
Emi Holm her Competent Leader designation
Jacquie Hoppe attained her Advanced Communicator Silver
Barb Mitchell recently achieved her second Competent Communicator.

We all have stories to tell – write them down and deliver them to us in a speech!

December 14, 2011 – Battlefords Toastmasters Christmas Party

What a wonderful Christmas Party! The meal was delicious and the company was fabulous! Those that were not able to join us, you were thoroughly missed. From your club executive, we wish you a very merry Christmas and all the best in the new year.

November 26, 2011 - Advanced Boot Camp and Judges Training

Both Advanced Boot Camp and Judges Training were a success (and very well attended) for Division E organizers. Members as far as Lloydminster were in attendance. Two more members of our club have been trained as Judges. Congratulations to Carla Murphy and Emi Holm.

November 2011 – Toastmasters Potluck Supper

On November 23, our regular meeting was preceded by a delicious potluck supper. In true potluck fashion, all the food groups were well represented and our Toastmasters Club enjoyed partaking in a meal prior to the meeting which enabled us to share our food and our company with each other. Barb is sharing her Wild Rice and Broccoli Casserole for those who are interested in having this recipe.

Wild Rice Broccoli Casserole

2 - 180 g packages of Uncle Ben’s Long Grain and Wild Rice
2 large heads of broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces, blanched for 2 minutes in boiling water and drained
2 - 10 oz/284 mL cans of mushroom soup
2 cups old cheddar, grated
Cook the rice as directed - it’s fine if the rice is tender and there’s still extra moisture left.
Prepare the broccoli
In a medium bowl mix together 1 1/2 c. of the cheese with the soup.
Grease a 4 L casserole and spread half of the rice evenly on the bottom followed by half of the broccoli and then half of the soup mixture.
Repeat the layers and top with the remaining 1/2 c. of cheese.
When you’re ready to bake it, cook at 350 for about an hour.

November 2011 - Guest Night

Thank you to all the guests that came to our Open House – Guest Night. We had a very successful night that included two very funny speeches. Well done fellow Toastmasters. Thanks again to all for a wonderful evening!

November 2011 - Lethbridge District 42 Conference

What an exciting trip! We had 9 members from our club attend and that great accomplishment won us the Toastmaster Mileage award. This is an award that is presented to the club that logs the most miles to get to the conference! Congratulations Battleford Toastmasters Club! During the weekend we saw our Club President give a warm and delightful invocation, our Division Govenor present a Royal Toast and even a fellow member won a door prize! The silent auction was a tremendous success and the Lethbridge Conference Committee were very grateful. Several of our club members donated valuable items to the auction. Thank you to all of you for your generosity!

October 2011 - Congratulations to our Area Contest Winner!

Kathy Johnson, from the Battlefords Toastmasters Club is the winner of the Area 40 Table Topics Contest. Area 40 is comprised of clubs from Kindersley, Lloydminster, 1 club from Saskatoon and our club the Battlefords Toastmasters. Congratulations Kathy, on a job well done!

October 2011 - Local Woman Elected as Toastmasters Division Governor

For the first time in its 34 year history, a member of Battlefords Toastmasters has been elected as Division Governor.

Local resident Rena Weikle, a 13 year veteran of the Battlefords Toastmasters club, has taken on the leadership role of Division Governor of Division E, encompassing the northern half of Saskatchewan. In this role, Weikle’s job is to work with various Toastmasters area governors, providing supervision and motivation while assisting division clubs with growth and achievement of goals. Her term will expire June 30, 2012.

“During my term as Division Governor, my goal is to help Toastmasters achieve whatever it is that brought them to their individual club. This is different for almost every member, but if the individual members can achieve their goals, then clubs will be stronger and the areas and division will also achieve goals,” she says.

Weikle joined Battlefords Toastmasters in 1999 and quickly became an avid member of the club, embracing numerous roles on the executive, including president, vice president of education, vice president of public relations, secretary, sergeant at arms and treasurer. While serving in these various roles, she competed in speech competitions and also worked her way through the educational program that sets Toastmasters apart from other similar organizations.

Becoming a Distinguished Toastmaster (the highest achievement in Toastmasters) in 2008, Weikle took a bit of a breather in her Toastmasters career while always remaining active in the local club.

When approached to let her name stand as a candidate for Division E Governor in May, 2011, Weikle says she realized it was time. “Organizations don’t function without leadership, and I recognized that it was time that I stepped up once again and accepted an even bigger challenge.”

Accompanying Weikle in her leadership journey is fellow Toastmaster Barb Mitchell, the Area 40 Governor, for clubs in Lloydminster, Saskatoon, Kindersley and North Battleford.

Battlefords Toastmasters meets Wednesday evenings at the Don Ross Centre from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. from September to June. Guests are always welcome at meetings. Weikle says Toastmasters is much more than a public speaking organization. People join the club to learn how to make presentations, how to evaluate staff members, how to run business meetings or simply to overcome shyness. “Toastmasters meets all of those needs and so much more. I wasn’t born a leader, but Toastmasters has made me one,” says Weikle.

September 2011 - President's Message

Welcome to the 2011-2012 Toastmasters year. It is my honour to be the Club President this year. I am very excited about the changes that are coming to Toastmasters clubs around the world and to the Battlefords.

I have been with Toastmasters since January 2010. It has only been a short while, and in that timeframe my whole life has been forever changed. I am learning communication and leadership skills that are improving who I am: a professional; a friend; a mother and most importantly – me; my own self. In the past 1 ½ years, I have participated in 2 speech contests, and I have been on the executive of The Battlefords Toastmasters Club. I have been to District conferences that were very informative and fun.

I had the opportunity to attend the 2011 International conference in Las Vegas this past summer. Two of the more memorable events I witnessed were the presentation of the world flags at the opening ceremonies and watching the International World Champion Speech Competition. One hundred and sixteen (116) flags representing individual countries that have Toastmasters clubs. There were clubs from New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Australia, United Arab Emirates, Scotland, UK, Ireland, the US and Canada, to name a few. It was amazing. The speech competitors are ordinary people like you and I who want to be the best at what they do.

I have discovered that Toastmasters are people who desire to be better at who they are and what they do in their own lives and spheres of influence. They are all leaders in various stages of training and progression.

With all the excellent supportive training and wonderful friendships to enjoy, Toastmasters is so much more than just public speaking. Join us on Wednesday evenings at the Don Ross Center in room 108 at 7 pm.

Come and discover Toastmasters. Where leaders are made.

With honour,

Michelle Colcerin, CC

Club President

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