Our District Leaders
Our District leaders will share with you some of their
thoughts throughout the year via these pages.
Message
from the District Governor
Simon Parcher, DTM
2007 - 2008
 It
is with real pride and enthusiasm that I greet you as
your District Governor, or welcome you as a guest to Toastmasters.
The Toastmasters program exists so that people everywhere
can have the opportunity to improve their public speaking
and leadership skills. Through expending a little effort
in the Toastmasters laboratory, our members achieve real
success as well as a marked increase in self-confidence
and self-esteem.
In the years that I’ve been a member I have had
countless doors opened to me thanks to the benefits of
the Toastmasters program. I want to share this and let
the world know. I can show you the Toastmasters manuals
and presentations but I cannot demonstrate the intangible.
You will have to personally witness the incredible personal
growth experienced by our members as they break free from
their prisons, much like a butterfly emerging from its
cocoon.
This year we have even more to celebrate. District 61
member, Chris Ford, is taking office as the President
of Toastmasters International. We will also be host to
the Regional conference in the Spring of 2008. The international
theme chosen by Chris Ford is “Shaping Ourselves,
Shaping our World”.
To honour Chris, the district 61 theme for 2007-2008
dovetails with his theme. It is “Shaping Ourselves
for Success!” Just as it is necessary for an athlete
to train for competition, it is necessary for us to get
into toastmasters shape in order to better meet personal
and professional challenges.
I wish you an interesting visit to our website and a
rewarding time as a member of Toastmasters. I invite you
to join me this year as we spend some time “Shaping
Ourselves for Success!”
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Message
from the Lieutenant Governor Education and Training (LGET)
Frank Schilder M.B. DTM
2007 - 2008
 Welcome
to Toastmasters. You may have heard of us, but do you
know what we have to offer? Have you ever thought about
how important the skill of communication is in our everyday
lives? Meetings, interviews, talking to a sales representative,
leaving a voice mail…. We do it all the time. Do
we do it well?
Public speaking is the number one fear in the world.
There is a saying that people would rather be in the casket
than giving the eulogy.
Toastmasters can help you. Through our club meetings,
members learn to overcome fears of public speaking in
a very warm supportive environment. We actually encourage
members to experiment and not fear mistakes so that everyone
has the opportunity to learn and develop.
Our program is built on three cornerstones:
· giving prepared speeches
· doing impromptu speeches where you have to
speak “off the cuff”
· evaluations of our presentations.
Every meeting has opportunities for speaking (prepared
and impromptu speaking) but we do more than that. We also
offer feedback at every meeting through evaluations and
other roles that help you learn and improve in every aspect
of communication.
The best part of our program is that you get to practice
continually. It isn’t just a three-day course where
the skills are crammed into you and then you are sent
on your way only to forget much of it after a couple of
months. The longer you are a member and the more you get
involved to develop your skills, the stronger you become
as a communicator and leader.
Beyond communication, Toastmasters is about leadership
too. Strong leaders are strong communicators. Whether
through club meetings roles, club executive opportunities,
or programs designed specifically to develop leadership
skills, our members learn how communications plays a key
role in leadership and how to develop their leadership
skills.
Explore our District site. Amongst other information,
you will find a list of our District clubs that you can
use to find a club near you that fits your timetable.
Then come on out to a meeting (or two or more). Guests
are always welcome. We will be excited to have you join
as a member, but we won’t rush you into it. You
can come as many times as you like until you realize how
much we have to offer. You will see how our program offers
opportunities to develop communication and leadership
which in turn will improve your self-confidence and self-esteem
as you. Come and see how Toastmasters helps members overcome
their fear of public speaking and enables its members
to be strong speakers and leaders.
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Message
from the Lieutenant Governor Marketing (LGM)
Leona Hamel, ATM-S, AL-S
2007 - 2008
 Fellow
Toastmasters, Friends, and Prospective Members,
As District 61’s Lieutenant Governor of Marketing,
I am truly looking forward to working with this year’s
outstanding team of leaders who, I’m certain, are
as excited as I am about “Shaping Ourselves”
and “Shaping our District” for even greater
Success!
District 61 is a proud and healthy district, and we owe
that to our enthusiastic, dedicated members (Yes, YOU!)
who recognize the benefits from your Toastmasters membership,
partake in the programs, and are always ready to spread
the word to others. Our vision is to help you to continue
to take advantage of the opportunities for growth through
the various Toastmasters programs and events.
Now, for a district, any district, to remain healthy,
it must never lose sight of the three critical areas for
its continued success: membership building, club building,
and club coaching. As most of my efforts this year will
be devoted to recruitment, retention, and recognition,
I thought I would share some of my goals with you:
· Work closely with Lise Blondin, this year’s
District Public Relations Officer, to maximize our district
marketing efforts
· Add a marketing tool kit on our Web site and
promote it to our clubs
· Appoint a marketing team, a minimum of one
Toastmaster from each division to assist with identifying
club leads, possibly coordinate visits, assist with
securing a meeting location, and/or follow up with prospective
members when needed
· Create a pool of sponsors and mentors for
prospective clubs
· Promote, recruit, and together with our District
Governor, assign club coaches to assist clubs with 12
or fewer members
· Establish demonstration teams within each
division to lead demo meetings for prospective clubs
and/or rebuilding clubs
· Serve as a resource, providing excellent
customer service to our members and prospective members
(if I don’t have the answer for your question,
you can be sure I’ll find someone who does!)
I realize that some of them are fairly ambitious; however,
I am confident that together with your support and participation
we can and will create an even healthier, more successful
District and, in turn, increase membership satisfaction
and growth.
Your District team anticipates an active and exciting
2007-2008. Remember, we’re here to support you the
member, your club and our District! Let us know how we
can be of service to you!
Wishing everyone success in their goals for 2007-2008!
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