Pioneer Toastmasters

#cafeole #Boise #boisesquaremall #toastmasters #pioneertoastmasters

#cafeole #Boise #boisesquaremall #toastmasters #pioneertoastmasters

Fellow Pioneer Toastmasters,

Last night's pilot hybrid meeting was a success! Big thank you go out to Paul and Chris for their technical expertise and extra effort that went into making our first hybrid meeting run so smoothly. It was great to see Larry again and finally meet Colleen in person.

Next Wednesday we will be running another pilot hybrid meeting. The physical location will be Smoky Mountain Pizza on Parkcenter. Again, our in-person numbers will be limited to ten, so please get on Easyspeak to save your spot and mark your attendance.

Looking forward to seeing more of our members returning and participating in person!

Kathy Crotty

Fellow Pioneer Toastmasters,

Last night's pilot hybrid meeting was a success! Big thank you go out to Paul and Chris for their technical expertise and extra effort that went into making our first hybrid meeting run so smoothly. It was great to see Larry again and finally meet Colleen in person.

Next Wednesday we will be running another pilot hybrid meeting. The physical location will be Smoky Mountain Pizza on Parkcenter. Again, our in-person numbers will be limited to ten, so please get on Easyspeak to save your spot and mark your attendance.

Looking forward to seeing more of our members returning and participating in person!

Kathy Crotty

Pioneer Toastmasters's cover photo

BYE BYE 2020 !!

In today's meeting, we bid adieu to 2020 and cherished the opportunity to express gratitude to each other. We thanked the Pioneer TM club members for the support and care they showed in uplifting each other even in this unprecedented time.

Today, Mike Towers won the award for Best Speaker and Scott Crosswell for Best Evaluator. We had four table topics winners.

Also, One of our distinguished TM introduced his Timer app to us. I would like every TM club to check it out. This Toastmasters timer will meet your club’s timer needs. Whether your club is meeting in person, online, or a hybrid of both. The timer has seven preset speech times as well as the ability to define custom times. It also tracks meeting breaks.

TM Chris's Timer app: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/win-tm-timer/9p0p53fbx3v7?rtc=1&activetab=pivot:overviewtab

An invitation from our club President, Paul Durham:

Dear Members,

It’s been a long nine and a half months. It’s been a challenging six months, and it’s been a learning experience second to none. It’s the last Boise Pioneer Toastmasters Club meeting of the year and I personally invite you to join us.

We’ve learned to Zoom into club meetings, leadership training, and contests, and entertained guests from both coasts and points in between, including Saudi Arabia, Japan, and Ireland. And will continue to do so. We have tried numerous formats, entertained several ideas, and presented many opportunities. And there’s more to come.

We have frustrated over the lack of face to face meetings, and we’ve rejoiced at the opportunities to speak, collaborate, and move our club forward. And we are moving forward.

Now I invite you to join us this Wednesday evening at 6:00 PM on Zoom, to participate in Pioneer Toastmasters' last meeting of 2020. Please take the time to attend, participate, and join in the discussion about the future of Pioneer Toastmasters

Hello fellow Pioneer Toastmasters!

Kathy has a couple of announcements:

1) At next week's meeting on Wed, 12/16, Ken will be giving a speech about a project he has been working on. If you have not been joining our zoom meetings, this topic may interest you in particular. His speech is titled "First Steps-A Hybrid Meeting Model for Pioneer." None of us know when we will be able to go back to meeting in person. It is possible that holding hybrid meetings with some members coming in person and others participating via zoom may be the new norm. You'll be interested in hearing Ken's vision for this new model.

2) At the last club meeting members voted to cancel the Dec23rd meeting due to the proximity to Christmas. We will, however, be meeting the following week, Dec30th.

Happy Holidays to you all!

A Message From International President Richard E. Peck

Fellow Pioneer Toastmasters members,

Good news! Toastmasters is offering a Free Pathway to continuing members during the Pandemic. This offer is good to all continuing members that have paid up to and including their Oct 1st dues and are in good standing through March31st 2021, the end date for selecting your free Path.

Here is a link to Free Path FAQ: https://www.toastmasters.org/education/free-path-faq that answers the common questions.

https://toastmasters53.org/toastmasters-international-announces-a-free-path/ Here are District 53's website post and another from District 25 with the video of A Message From International President Richard E. Peck posted in it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obPAHe6IVy8&feature=emb_title&ab_channel=ToastmastersInternational

It couldn't hurt to have an extra Pathway waiting for you whenever you are ready to move on to the new challenge!

youtube.com Listen to Toastmasters International President Richard E. Peck share updates on the organization amidst the coronavirus global pandemic.

Candi Fitch has been a member of Pioneer Toastmasters Club since May of 2016. She joined Toastmasters as a way to improve her communication skills both personally and professionally. She feels that Toastmasters has given her that and so much more.

During the course of the past 4 years, Candi has completed 4 of the
Toastmaster’s speech and leadership goals and have served in three different offices in the Pioneer Toastmaster Club, last year she served as President of the club. This year she is serving as an Area Director.

Candi feels that being a part of Toastmasters has helped her gain confidence and helped her with leadership skills. With weekly meetings the other club members are supportive and you learn from what they have to offer. Candi feels that there is something in Toastmasters for everyone and people who become a part of the club will each has their own induvial journey.

If you have not attended Pioneer Club in a while, and you want to hear where the club would like to go in 2021, then please join us via ZOOM on WED, December 16. Ken Jenkins, a long-time Pioneer member, will be speaking on a potential hybrid model for the club. A hybrid model allows a limited number of members to gather safely in a live meeting, while other members participate remotely over ZOOM. Please join us online at 6:00 pm on 12/16 to hear this proposal.

COME JOIN THE FUN !!!!!

Fellow Pioneer Toastmasters!

This Wednesday we will be opening breakout rooms on Zoom for some premeeting socialization! We miss those of you who have not been attending since the pandemic shut down our in-person meetings. Perhaps as this new norm continues you have been thinking about rejoining and giving Zoom a try. This will be a fun way to visit with friends and fellow toastmasters that you may not have seen in a while.

Looking forward to seeing you in Pioneer Club's meet and greet breakout rooms this Wednesday (tomorrow). TM Chris usually opens the Zoom at 5:30. Join us!

TM Bea Gogate presented a 5-7 min speech on "Drawing is Fun".

Drawing is fun. Everyone is an artist, anyone can draw.
When people say I can't draw, it's more to do with beliefs than talent and ability. That's just an illusion.

Would drawing make you happy? Do you enjoy it? If yes, then go for it. Paul Klee -a renowned artist said - A drawing is simply a line going for a walk.

Art is about messing up. Mistakes are new learnings. Erase it if you don’t like it. Try again. The Best thing is to draw your favorite things. Whatever you most enjoy looking at, draw it. Keep drawing and have fun

Check out our website @ https://2308.toastmastersclubs.org/

Toastmaster Mansi presented his second speech from the Strategic relationships workbook on her travel experiences. She believes that traveling is the best way to learn about yourself and the world. In her speech, she talked about two places: Jaipur and Rajasthan, India, and took us on a wonderful pictorial trip.

#toastmastersinternational #goexplore #wonderfulplaces #publicspeaking

Ken Jenkins, Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM), is a twenty-five-year Toastmaster and a proud member of the Pioneer Club. He first joined Ada Toastmasters in January 1996. Thereafter Ken helped start three new clubs (Idaho, Miranda, and Les Bois), then returned to Ada Club before joining Pioneer in January 2011. Ken is a seasoned TM member who here shares with us, the benefits of joining the Pioneer Toastmaster club, Boise.

Ken: "I have been blessed in many ways, but perhaps no blessing has been greater for my career than active participation in Toastmasters. I joined the old Ada TM club in January 1996, almost 25 years ago, and I have remained an active member ever since. I helped start or re-start four clubs, served as Area Governor twice, and provided presentations to TLI’s, District Conferences, and more.

Being a Toastmaster has helped me immensely, both professionally and personally. On the professional front, it has helped me in at least six ways:

1. The mere membership in Toastmasters, along with personal references from fellow Ada Club members, helped me get my first Training Coordinator job with Boise Police back in 1996
2. My career field – adult education and training – was reinforced by the public speaking, meeting management, leadership, and communication skills I learned as a Toastmaster; even today, I am enhancing my webinar and online meeting skills with our weekly gatherings
3. Preparing for Toastmaster speeches (and receiving vital evaluative feedback) greatly assisted me in preparing for major training events and presentations at the Boise PD and later Ada County Juvenile Court Services
4. Years of Table Topics practice prepped me for the adrenaline-filled event of being interviewed on radio and TV numerous times
5. Conducting speech and general evaluations honed my own speaking skills, and it carried over into providing cogent and tailored feedback to fellow employees seeking feedback for their own training presentations
6. Finally, working in a time-constrained Club environment allowed me to become a preferred presenter and trainer, if only for the fact that I always stay within the time allotted me by the hosting organization.

Serving in Toastmasters has made me a better person outside the workplace as well. There are at least three areas that have been improved thanks to TM membership:
7. Personal conversations and communication. I have become a better listener – to my wife, my daughter, and others – thanks to the Toastmaster's focus on active listening and reflection.
8. Volunteer work. My contributions to key volunteer organizations in my life, from church to the Veteran’s Foot Locker Drive to the Idaho Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, have been enhanced by my public speaking, organizational, and time management skills.
9. Lastly, friendship. I have made close and dear friends over the years in Ada, Idaho, Miranda, Club Fed, and Pioneer Clubs. From my late mentor Ed Hedges at Ada to the legendary Fred Riggers and beloved Mike Glenn, to my current fellow Toastmasters in Pioneer, I have truly benefitted from the support, coaching, and camaraderie of Toastmasters.

Why join and remain in Toastmasters? I just shared nine personal reasons. I can add a solid tenth reason: because it is fun, and informative, every time you attend. Fellow Toastmasters!

Kathy is giving her a fifth speech in the Innovative Planning Pathway. The purpose of this project is to identify one's primary leadership style.

An excerpt from her speech - "John Quincy Adams, the 6th president of the United States, once said, "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader."

As a teacher, I am preparing my students for their future... A coaching leadership style lends itself to setting up my students for success.

In any organization, committee, or classroom there are times when ultimately the person in charge, the person who holds the responsibility is required to make command decisions. That’s where my third style of leadership, authoritative, comes into play.

As this project concludes, I have a true appreciation for what is involved in being a leader and I am excited to recognize some of those skills in myself. This experience has given me greater confidence to take on roles that I might otherwise have walked away from. I learned that I have the ability to adapt my leadership style based on what the situation and/or those I am leading require. This Toastmasters project has broadened my awareness by opening a door to better understanding myself as a leader, not only in the classroom but in many other areas of my life as well.

#speaking ##toastmasters #leadership #joinus

Pioneer Toastmaster Meeting

https://www.meetup.com/Pioneer-Club-Toastmasters/events/272712717/

meetup.com Wed, Aug 26, 2020, 6:00 PM: Hi, We are really excited to have you over. We are a group of 20 members who meet regularly to grow and learn together. We practice to become best version of ourselves. Joi

How many of you have watched the movie - "The Imitation Game" ? There are few interesting lines by Alan Turing which go like this -

" Are you paying attention? Good. If you are not listening carefully, you will miss things. Important things. I will not pause, I will not repeat myself, and you will not interrupt me. You think that because you're sitting where you are, and I am sitting where I am, that you are in control of what is about to happen. You're mistaken. I am in control, because I know things that you do not know. [pause] What I will need from you now is a commitment. You will listen closely, and you will not judge me until I am finished. If you cannot commit to this, then please leave the room. But if you choose to stay, remember you chose to be here. What happens from this moment forward is not my responsibility. It's yours. PAY ATTENTION"

Let's see what out Toastmaster Richard Garber has to say about paying Attention. To Join us, click on the link - http://zoom.us/j/81194566427, Password: 2308.

See you there !!!

#toastmasters #meetingroom #whereleadersaremde #AttentionToDetail #Speakup

63 YEARS of Speeches, Success, Networking, Growth. We are proud to be associated with Pioneer Toastmaster Club. The member's contributions and commitments to help each other combat fear and build confidence are unparalleled. This is the place where everyone sharpens their Leadership abilities and improve Improvisation. Join us to know more !!!

#toastmasters #happyanniversary #publicspeaking #whereleadersaremde

Presenting you the Winners of Fall 2020 Speech Contest:

1st Place - Mike Towers
2ns Place - Bea Gogate
3rd Place - Richard Garber

#toastmasters #whereleadersaremde #speechcontest

Congratulations to Toastmaster Mackenzie for completing the Competent Communication learning path. Let's celebrate her success and look at her experience with our club.

Mackenzie- "I joined Toastmasters in 2017. I was in-between jobs and thought Toastmasters would help me improve my interview skills. I also sought to improve my leadership skills. I always struggled with taking charge of both groups and personal matters. I hoped Toastmasters would improve my self-discipline.

I was nervous at my first meeting. I am naturally a shy person. Everyone at Pioneer made me feel welcome, and they continued to support me throughout my journey. The members answered all the questions I had, let me know what I was doing well, and what I needed to improve on. Constructive criticism was given in a respectful way, and that helped me become better at accepting feedback. I became less nervous and more confident in my speeches and my interpersonal interactions. I was even The Vice President of Membership my second year! Going from keeping to myself to introducing myself to all our new visitors was a major milestone for me. I also completed my Competent Communicator manual, which involved giving ten speeches. I used to have trouble finishing personal projects, but Toastmasters helped me develop the skills I need and it has improved my life tremendously.

I cannot recommend Toastmasters enough! It has made me a better, and more responsible person."

Toastmasters International Convention is just around the corner !!!

Signing up for Toastmasters International Convention is like making an investment in yourself. Get excited for a unique Toastmasters experience! Because this year, the convention is going virtual, offering a FREE online global experience for everyone.

Visit https://bit.ly/TICon2020_Register to secure your virtual seat! To learn more about all the thrilling highlights and events visit https://bit.ly/TI_Con2020Agenda.

#tiglobalconnect2020