Important Events Coming Up!

Here are some important dates to mark in your calendars. Be sure to come and join in the fun!

May 12 and 13 -- Talk up Toastmasters table in open area

May 13 -- Guest Day

May 20 -- Find out what the Executive does. Hear some entertaining speeches

May 27 -- Guest Day and Cookie Day. Bring your favourite cookies to share!

June 3 -- Elections and Table Topics Fun Fest

June 17 -- Year End Awards and Potluck Lunch

Tip of the Week: Finding a Topic

Speech topics are floating in the air like dandelion fluff in the spring. All you need to do is pay attention, grab a couple, and see where they lead you. Every contact you have at work, every experience that makes you laugh or cry, every action that inspires you contains the seed of a great speech.

It is said that every topic under the sun has already been explored so there is nothing new. The new element is YOU. You bring a new perspective to old ideas. You have a unique way of looking at ideas that others need to hear. We anticipate with great pleasure hearing what you will have to say.

Keep a small notebook of speech ideas with you at all times. Write a few words down when an idea sparks your imagination so you won't forget it. You can look at all the experiences, funny situations, inspiring ideas that you have jotted down later when you are ready to write your speech. Pick one. And sign up for a speech next week.

Be prepared to enjoy the experience of giving your speech. We will!

What a Great Division J Contest!

Six contestants. Six fascinating stories. The Division J International Speech contest was solid gold from beginning to end. Our Mary Jane delivered a speech "Reach for the Sky" with an inspiring message of hope and courage, about her journey with cancer. The audience was in her hands, laughing with her about her bossy husband, in tears at the struggle, inspired by the message of hope.

The results were:
Stu Schultz - First Place
Scott McCrae - Second Place
Mary Jane McGrath - Third Place

Well done, Mary Jane!

Mary Jane wins Area J41 International Speech Contest

CTI's International Speech contest winner, Mary Jane McGrath, won the Area J41 speech contest with her moving story, "Reach for the Sky and Fly". CTI members present could definitely be heard cheering wildly for her after the win was announced.

Mary Jane goes on to the Division J contest on Friday April 16.

Congratulations to our champion!

Excitement at the Fall 2009 District Conference

The District Conference is always full of nice surprises but none more than the one just held in Grande Prairie. Sue Milledge and Spencer Fawkes often come to help our club by judging in our club contests. On Saturday night at the banquet, Spence said he was making a special presentation, called Sue up to the podium in front of 180 Toastmaster friends and got down on one knee to ask Sue to marry him. There wasn't a dry eye in the room. A few men said they weren't crying, their eyes were "sweating". Sue said yes.

The humorous speech contest was absolutely side splitting funny with nine speakers from all areas of Alberta and Saskatchewan. The winner, David Haines, from Division C in Calgary entertained the audience with stories about his latest moving adventure. The lesson was never to allow your friends to label the boxes lest the box with the floor lamp be labelled "stripper pole" or just "stuff". Second place went to Darlene, from CTI Techtalkers, Division J, with her speech about travelling with her Dad. The audience laughed so much that several said their jaws were aching.

Chuck Rose, from Division J in Calgary, came third in Table Topics. The question was "You have just won the Olympic Gold medal. Describe your feelings as the medal is placed around your neck and the anthem is playing in the background." The answers ranged from serious to the sublimely funny. Chuck described how he won the gold for belly button lint picking.

The educational sessions were very interesting. The best part of course was meeting old friends and new. The next District convention will be held in Edmonton in May 2010. Plan to go!