Dartmouth Toastmasters Club 3119

09/30/2026

Our September 24th meeting featured two speeches.

1) David Lee held our interest with an interesting speech built around the book, "Railroaded... The Untold Story of Halifax's Rail Cut." It was so interesting to hear a story about our local history.

2) Sheila Kelly's speech was structured around the question: "How Do You Say Thank you?" and featured a story about a fellow Toastmaster, Charlene.

Table Topics was lead by Stacy Darku, who challenged to use our imaginations as she guided us with prompts to continue the topic. In other words, another interesting, stimulating, and dynamic meeting with Dartmouth Toastmasters.

If you'd like to join us, visit www.dartmouthtoastmasters.com and reach out!

05/26/2026

What an unforgettable weekend at the Toastmasters District 45 Annual Conference right here in Dartmouth! 🎉

Our Dartmouth Toastmasters members showed up with passion, courage, humour, and incredible support for one another as we proudly competed in THREE exciting categories:

🎤 International Speech
😂 Humorous Speech
⚡ Table Topics — where we proudly brought home SECOND PLACE!

A huge congratulations to all our competitors and members who attended, volunteered, cheered, learned, laughed, networked, and represented our club so beautifully this past weekend. Your dedication and growth continue to inspire us all. 💙

From left to right:

David Lee
Ron Corkery
Betty Kempt
Kwasi Addo-Fenning
Kevin Conrod
Cameron Gannon (2nd Place Table Topics Contest)
Sheila Kelly
Magdalyn Knopp
Lawrence Kelly

And yes… the smiles, excitement, and memories in this photo say it all. 📸✨

As we approach the end of another amazing Toastmasters year, we are already looking forward to an exciting new season beginning this September. If you’ve ever wanted to improve your public speaking, gain confidence, develop leadership skills, or simply connect with an encouraging and supportive community, we would love to hear from you!

📩 Send us a message to learn more about joining Dartmouth Toastmasters this fall.

04/20/2026

What a day for Dartmouth Toastmasters!

We are incredibly proud to celebrate the outstanding achievements of our members at the Area Contest held on Saturday, April 18th at the Hammonds Plains Community Centre in Bedford.

International Speech Contest – 1st Place: Ron Corkery

Humorous Speech Contest – 1st Place: Sheila Kelly

Table Topics Contest – 2nd Place: Cameron Gannon

Your dedication, courage, and excellence on stage truly inspire us all.

All three contestants will now go on to represent Dartmouth Toastmasters at the District Contest on May 23rd—and we couldn’t be more excited to cheer them on!

Please join us in congratulating Ron, Sheila, and Cameron on this incredible accomplishment.

Your club is proud of you!

04/06/2026

We would add... and record yourself!

Also, come to Dartmouth Toastmasters and experience what it is to get constructive feedback (we call them "gifts") from our members.

Every Wednesday at 6:00 PM, we get together, watch each other speeches, go impromptu, and get fantastic tips and tricks from everyone at the club.

Send us a message and we will send you an invite. You can come three times as a guest.

See you at Dartmouth Toastmasters!

Reading a speech in your head is not the same as saying it out loud. Practice speaking your words so you can hear your pacing, pauses, and clarity. 🎤

03/22/2026

What a proud moment for Dartmouth Toastmasters!

This past Saturday, March 21st, at the Hammonds Plains Community Center in Bedford, our club was beautifully represented at the Area Contest—and we have incredible news to share:

All three of our contestants in the Humorous Speech, Table Topics, and International Speech Contests have advanced to the Division level!

This is no small feat. It takes courage to step on that stage, creativity to craft a message, and presence to truly connect with an audience—and our members delivered on all fronts.

Congratulations to:

Sheila M. Kelly – Humorous Speech
Cameron Gannon – Table Topics
Ron Corkery – International Speech]

You have made our club immensely proud, and we’ll be cheering you on as you continue this exciting journey.

From laughter to inspiration to quick thinking under pressure, this contest showcased the very best of what Toastmasters is all about.

Onward to Division!

If you would like to experience the thrill of speaking without fear, come join us for a meeting as a guest. DM Arnaly Arriaga or Sheila Kelly and we will extend you an invitation.

(In the picture: Sheila Kelly receiving the First Prize for Humorous Speech Contest at Club Level from Ron Corkery)

03/12/2026

Can you make people laugh?

Last night our club was filled with laughter as we hosted our Humorous Speech Contest and our Table Topics Contest.

Three courageous contestants, Chummy MacDonald, Sheila Kelly, and Arnaly Arriaga, took the stage in The Humorous Speech Contest and reminded us how powerful humor can be in public speaking.

Each speech brought its own flavor—clever observations, unexpected twists, and moments that had the whole room laughing.

Humor is not always easy to deliver. It takes timing, courage, and a willingness to connect with an audience in a very human way. Our contestants did exactly that, turning the evening into a celebration of creativity, storytelling, and community.

We also held our Table Topics Contest, where speakers had to think on their feet and deliver spontaneous speeches that were both thoughtful and entertaining.

Congratulations to all the contestants for their fantastic performances, to Sheila Kelly for winning the Humorous Speech Contest, and Cameron Gannon for winning the Table Topics Contest.

Also, a big thank you to everyone who helped make the evening run smoothly.
The winners of both the Humorous Speech Contest and the Table Topics Contest will now move on to represent our club at the Area Contest on March 21st at 2PM at the Hammonds Plains Community Center.

We wish them the best of luck as they continue their Toastmasters journey!

Moments like these are what make Toastmasters such a special place to grow as communicators while having a lot of fun along the way.

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03/10/2026

Remember, you’ve got this. 💛

03/04/2026

The word of the month is a way to enrich our vocabularies.

Every one of our meetings feature a word of the evening that we put to use in everything we say. This way, we put our brains to the test and enhance our vocabulary.

Come grow with us at Toastmasters Dartmouth.

Send Sheila Kelly a message for an invitation to join us every Wednesday at 6 PM in person or online.

Come talk to the world!

The March Word of the Month is luminescence.✨
How will you use it? In everyday life, at a club meeting, in your next speech, or during a presentation? Drop a comment below with the details.

03/03/2026

There’s a moment at every Toastmasters meeting when something unexpected happens.

Someone volunteers despite the nerves.
Someone experiments with a new speaking style.
Someone discovers confidence they didn’t know they had.

At our latest meeting, we witnessed many of those moments.

Prepared speakers took the stage sharing ideas, stories, and laughter. Reminding us that public speaking isn’t about perfection, but about connection.

One of the highlights of the evening was a speech by Arnaly Arriaga, exploring the power of the voice. How tone, intention, and delivery can completely transform meaning, emotion, and impact. The speech deeply resonated with the audience and earned her the Best Speaker of the Evening ribbon. David Lee took the Best Evaluator Ribbon.

Then came Table Topics, always unpredictable, but this time with a creative twist.

Participants were challenged to impersonate an object, bringing everyday items to life through imagination, storytelling, and spontaneity. What followed was a showcase of creativity, humor, and quick thinking that reminded us how powerful imagination can be in communication.

Congratulations to Scott Gannon whose performance earned him the Table Topics Speaker of the Evening ribbon and plenty of laughter along the way.

What makes Toastmasters truly special isn’t the ribbons themselves — it’s the courage behind them.

Every speech represents growth.
Every attempt builds confidence.
Every meeting strengthens community.

Week after week, we show up to become better communicators — and better leaders.

Curious about Toastmasters?
Come visit us — you may discover abilities you didn’t know you had. DM Sheila Kelly for an invitation to our Wednesday evening meeting.

02/19/2026

Sometimes silence is more than enough.

Last meeting reminded us that communication is not only about speaking… sometimes it’s about choosing not to.

Congratulations to our Speaker of the Evening Sarah Idris for a fantastic Ice Breaker, and to our Table Topics Speaker of the Evening, Ron Corkery for delivering memorable moments that perfectly captured the spirit of Toastmasters:

Growth Through Challenge.

The Table Topics question sounded simple:

“Would you spend a whole weekend in silence with me?”

The goal? Decline the invitation without saying no — redirect, renegotiate, or deviate.

And then Ron Corkery stepped up…
…and answered with complete silence.

A perfectly executed response.

A brave choice.

A room full of laughter.

Because in public speaking, confidence isn’t just about words — it’s about intention.

Every meeting surprises us, teaches us, and pushes us a little further outside our comfort zone.

If you’ve ever wanted to think faster, speak clearer, and laugh harder while doing it… you’d fit right in.

Come see for yourself. Visit us at Dartmouth Toastmasters Club 3119 DM Sheila Kelly or me for an invitation any Wednesday from 6 to 8 PM.

In the picture our Awards Master Kwasi Addo-Fening and Sarah Idris receiving her Best Speaker of the Evening ribbon, and Ron Corkery receiving his Table Topics Speaker of the Evening ribbon.