2024 Conference: Workshop session 1

Armelde Pitre is a former large pharmaceutical company executive and current small business owner for pharmaceutical industry consulting services and beekeeping.  She is passionate about quality, continuous learning and development in myself as well as in others via active mentoring.  As a gardener and beekeeper, she has become more observant and aware of both the force of nature and its ability to solve most problems. She believes that the lessons she has learned from nature are applicable to the struggles we face in Toastmasters. In her session she’ll be sharing these lessons.

Club Environment Lessons from Mother Nature

In nature’s ecosystem, we can observe its harmony and perfection. Nothing in nature operates in isolation, everything is interconnected and orchestrated to create optimal conditions for survival as well as adaptation to inevitable change. What if we mimic those concepts to create solid foundations and healthy ecosystems in our clubs? Using analogies and lessons learned from nature, this session will challenge attendees to adopt a different perspective in managing their clubs.

Chad Babcock is a training facilitator at Electric Boat in Groton, CT.  He joined his first Toastmasters club (a corporate club) in January 2014. Over the past ten years, Chad has been a member in four different clubs, served District 53 in a number of leadership roles, enjoyed competing in contests and attended many district conferences. Chad loves to meet new members and guiding them through their Toastmasters journey.

Connect to Others Through Your Journey Line

Where are you at in your Toastmasters journey and how did you get there? For most of us it has been a lot of hard work that did not occur overnight. Take a moment to reflect on all the hard work and triumphs that contributed to this journey. Learn how to create your own journey line that maps out all the milestones that have led you to where you are today. Your journey line becomes your story!

Courtney Haedke is from Monroe, Connecticut, and a new member of Toastmasters joining her Southbury, CT club in 2021. While working in the IT field for the last 10 years, Courtney found her needing to deliver presentations to many different audiences, and she struggled with her confidence in public speaking. Fortunately, her Dad, who is also a member of the same Toastmasters club, informed her about the benefits of the organization and she joined right away.  Initially, she expected the club to solely focus on improving her speech delivery, however she has gained much more from it.  As the Vice President Education, Courtney has honed her leadership skills, challenged herself with Pathways, and built meaningful relationships with other members. Through this journey, Courtney has come to realize that her Toastmasters club is a truly special place.  

Jacquelyn Kingsley is from Oxford, Connecticut, and serves as the Senior Director of ESG at Rexel, embodying a steadfast commitment to environmental stewardship and acting as a force for positive change. With a robust background in engineering, Jackie holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a Master’s degree from Rensselaer.  Passionate about promoting responsible custodianship of our planet, Kingsley has set ambitious goals to reduce carbon emissions. Since joining her Toastmasters club in Southbury, CT in 2021, Jackie has actively utilized the platform to refine her public speaking skills. Regularly participating in Toastmasters meetings, she delivers impactful environmental speeches, earning valuable feedback from her peers.  In her role as Vice President Public Relations, Jackie has showcased exceptional leadership. She has significantly boosted the club’s visibility by creating spotlight video interviews with members, shedding light on the transformative impact Toastmasters has had on their public speaking skills and personal growth. Beyond her professional achievements, Jackie, a devoted mom and recently a new dog mom, exemplifies the notion that she can conquer anything with dedication and skillful communication. Her remarkable commitment to environmental advocacy establishes her as a standout figure in both professional and Toastmasters circles.

Challenge Yourself with Pathways

As you embark on a new year, consider setting a goal. It’s common to express intentions to start something new, but often the challenge lies in completing it. What if there was a way to motivate both yourself and your fellow Toastmasters club members to achieve their Pathways goals in a brief period of time? Reflecting on our experience at New Dawn Toastmasters, at the end of 2023, our club initiated a 90-day Pathways challenge, resulting in remarkable accomplishments: 5 Paths Registered, 2 Icebreaker projects completed, 3 Levels achieved, and one path fully accomplished. In this session, we will guide you through the steps we took to design and implement the 90-day Pathways challenge, sharing insights on how we actively engaged members in participation. Additionally, we will showcase anecdotes from challenge participants who found a deeper connection with Pathways, unveiling stories of professional and personal growth. Join us to discover the strategies that made our Pathways challenge successful and learn firsthand from fellow members who have reaped significant benefits from their Pathways journey. It’s an opportunity to inspire and motivate each other as we strive for personal and professional development.