Winnipeg Toastmasters: Striving to focus on the present

Well we are very happy to welcome back our wayward traveler Dianne Winser, who was missed for sure!

She had a lovely time in Hawaii and came back looking well rested and dare I say Mindful?

Actually Dianne was our Toastmaster and she choose a very fitting theme in light of how busy January and February can be.........Dianne reminded us to be "mindful"

I loved to hear the stories as we went around the room during introductions. June and Bev shared some helpful strategies as to how they stay mindful. June takes a few minutes everyday to just sit and clear her head, I believe the word she used was contemplate.

If it is wrong I can guarantee June will correct me at our next meeting! 

And Bev shared how her family adopted an introductory phrase when speaking to each other after a busy day....the Doern's begin with a question, so the speaker knows right from the get go, if their questions is answered they know they are being heard and will continue....I like that!

I love coming to Toastmasters as there is always a surprise...Bev was a talk show host today and asked me to come up and be her guest. Wow, that was FUN!! She had it videotaped by Haley and I'm hoping it will appear here on our Toastmasters Blog.

Bev put me, the guest,  right at ease by asking me questions about my own blogging experiences and then turned up the grill by asking me some tougher questions with regards to security etc. etc...so then it was my turn to practice composure.

Andrea's Table Topics was great, she went "off the cuff" in light of our segue on security, and Haley and Tiffany had no problem speaking for 2 minutes.

I also have to congratulate Haley for "kicking it up a notch" by being our General Evaluator, which I believe can be the toughest job!! She was organized, relaxed and had great voice volume matched with thorough content. Way to go Haley!

With all the activity and interesting topics of yesterday's meeting I didn't get a chance to chat with Dianne and hear about her trip to Hawaii...hmmmm maybe I'll get to hear about it in a speech???? (just a

thought)

Have a great week everyone, see you all on the 22nd.

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