Allen Paul

Visualising the Future of Toastmaster

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My plan was to greet you with a video message. However, as fate would have it, I’m writing to you with a voice that has temporarily taken leave.

Whilst at Convention, your District Trio, Seema Menon Program Quality Director, Lynne Gayer, Club Growth Director and I have been working hard on the District Success Plan and the District Budget along with other members of the District Leadership Team.

We also attended District Leadership Training with other District Trios from around the world and it was an inspiration to be part of this global community, to not only network, but to brainstorm and share ideas and inspiration.

At the 2025 Toastmasters International Convention in Philadelphia, we were asked to visualise the future. With a focus on our value statement, we reflected on why we are in Toastmasters, how we have benefited, and how sharing our stories can help others see how they might benefit too.

Visualising the future means considering how these skills will continue to shape our personal and professional lives. It also means recognising the role we play in helping the next generation of members discover their own voices. By sharing our experiences, the meetings where we grew with confidence, the projects where we stretched ourselves, the mentors who guided us, we clearly demonstrate to others what is possible, especially when we share how this has shaped our world outside of Toastmasters, be it a work promotion, a new job or enhanced business or leadership skills.  Everyone has their own unique story to share.  Now is the time to think about how you will use your skills, your experience, and your voice, not only to continue your own journey, but to help others begin theirs.

Below are the other main convention highlights.

Please join me in congratulating from District 91, Jean Gamester, DTM, in being elected Second Vice President of Toastmasters International.

 

The full list of the Toastmasters International Board 2025-2026 are as follows: 

Aletta Rochat, DTM, of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa, is the new International President of Toastmasters International
Stefano McGhee, DTM, of Weymouth, Massachusetts, US – International President-Elect
Gauri Seshadri, DTM, of Bengaluru, Karnataka, India – First Vice President
Jean Gamester, DTM, of Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom – Second Vice President
Radhi Spear, DTM, of Piscataway, New Jersey, is the Immediate Past International President

International Directors:

International Director Region 1 – Michael Bown, DTM, of Victoria, Canada
International Director Region 2 – Mark Lucas, DTM, of San Marino, California
International Director Region 3 – Chris Raneri, DTM, of Frisco, Texas
International Director Region 4 – Srinivas Saineni, DTM, of Algonquin, Illinois
International Director Region 5 – Andrew Horberry, DTM, of Toronto, Canada
International Director Region 6 – Jenilee Taylor, DTM, of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
International Director Region 7 – Ramona Baylor, DTM, of Gove City, Ohio
International Director Region 8 – Sujit Sukumaran, DTM, of Dubai, UAE
International Director Region 9 – Hani Nur Zaihanirah Zaini, DTM, of Malaysia
International Director Region 10 – Francesco Fedele, DTM, of Rome, Italy
International Director Region 11 – Patrick Oluyide, DTM, of Lagos, Nigeria
International Director Region 12 – Monique Tonna, DTM, of Sydney, Australia

 

Pathways Updates 

Next year will bring exciting updates to Pathways, with new features that draw on the much-loved Competent Communication and Advanced manuals. Many members are already making the most of Pathways, but if you have not yet explored it fully, now is a great time to start. Becoming familiar with the programme and progressing through the levels now will help you gain confidence and ensure you can enjoy the full benefit of the enhancements when they arrive.

World Champion of Public Speaking 2025 

Sabyasachi Sengupta is the new World Champion of Public Speaking.  Sengupta from District 59, Region 10, won with a speech titled, “Just Nod.”

District Council Meeting

The first District Council meeting will take place on Sunday 21st September, following the District Executive Committee meeting on 7th September.

As a key part of Toastmasters governance, this meeting relies on the active participation of every Club President and Vice President of Education. By registering and attending, you help ensure the District can conduct its business effectively and continue to serve our members well.  Information has already been shared via email, but if you have any questions, please contact your Area or Division Director, or reach out to me directly.

We have had a very busy period of Club Officer Training, and I want to take this opportunity to thank both Area and Division Directors and others who have supported in providing training, and for every one of you for attending.  Please take advantage of final training opportunities.

The year ahead gives us the chance to set our goals and steadily put them into action.  Let’s do this collaboratively together.

 

Yours in service

Debbie Williams
District Director 2025-2026 
District 91 

Take the Smedley Challenge – Grow Your Membership and Your Impact!

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As we welcome two new clubs that joined at the end of the Toastmasters Year, JAL Richmond Leaders and UK Speakers and Leaders Toastmasters, August and September is the time to welcome new members.

The annual Smedley Award is here. It’s your opportunity to boost your club’s energy, expand your membership and earn well deserved recognition.

What is the Smedley Award? The award is named after the founder of Toastmasters International, Dr Ralph C. Smedley. It is a membership building campaign held each year from 1st August to 30th September. Add five new, dual or reinstated members and earn the prestigious Smedley Award ribbon, along with other recognition, for your club.

District 91 has a proud reputation for high performing clubs and membership growth is key to keeping that momentum going. Whether you are a community club or a corporate club, now is the perfect time to welcome new members.

More members add different perspectives, opportunities for learning and mentoring as well as strengthening your leadership pipeline.

Remember why you joined Toastmasters and what you have gained. Share those experiences with future members, they won’t regret it and neither will you. Even though it is holiday time not everyone is away so invite your friends, family and colleagues. Promote your club online via your website and various social media channels and spread the word and always remember to follow up with guests after a visit.

Historically clubs that participate in the Smedley Award often report long term improvements in engagement, retention and member satisfaction. This isn’t just a recruitment push, it’s the start of a stronger, more vibrant Toastmasters year.

Take the Smedley Challenge and let’s make this a record-breaking year for District 91. Invite, grow and thrive.

 

July Update from Your Program Quality Director: Let’s Build a Brilliant Learning Year Together!

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Dear District 91 Members,

July marks a fresh beginning and I couldn’t be more excited to step into this year with you as your Program Quality Director. This year, we’re building on the amazing work done last year with an additional focus on making your Toastmasters experience feel supported and simplified, a year where you’re not overwhelmed, but energised by your journey.

Key Initiatives in the pipeline to Boost Your Learning & Leadership

✅ Trainers Bureau: Need a dynamic speaker or workshop facilitator? We’re launching a Trainers Bureau to connect you with quality trainers across the district.

✅ Mentoring Buddy System : Because growth is better when it’s shared. This new programme pairs club officers and members with a buddy to lean on and learn from.

✅ Online Club Summit : Coming soon! A space for online clubs to collaborate, share wins, troubleshoot challenges and feel connected.

✅ Drop-In Support Sessions: From crafting Club Success Plans to understanding the VPE role and planning successful contests, we’re offering short, focused sessions to help you thrive.

✅ District Podcast: Fresh inspiration in your ears! Featuring member stories, leadership lessons and Toastmasters tips to keep you motivated.

Save the Date: District Contests Are Changing!

We’re bringing back a mid-year connection with the District Humorous Speech and Table Topics Contests happening this November 2025. It’s a great opportunity to connect, compete, and celebrate talent early in the year.

To help you run effective contests, we’ll be kicking things off with contest training in August, stay tuned!

The Distinguished Club Program(DCP): Why Your Success Plan Matters

This year, the Club Success Plan is a mandatory requirement for earning any Distinguished Club recognition. Why? Because success doesn’t happen by accident, it starts with intention and planning. This year, you have the opportunity to become a Smedley Distinguished Club too if you achieve all 10 DCP points.

Please make a note of submission deadlines:

  • Club Success Plans: 7 September 2025
  • Area Success Plans: 10 August 2025
  • Division Success Plans: 3 August 2025

Let’s aim for early, thoughtful submissions that set our clubs up for success. Remember it is a dynamic document which you work throughout the year.

Here are the winners of the Beat The Clock Award:

  • City of London Toastmasters Club
  • Berkeley Square Speakers Toastmasters Club
  • London Business School Public Speaking Club
  • London Olympians Speakers Toastmasters Club
  • Tube Talk Toastmasters
  • London Athenian Speakers Toastmasters Club
  • London Corinthians Toastmasters
  • Reading Speakers Club
  • Excalibur Speakers
  • Guildford Speakers Club
  • Kent Speakers Club
  • Voice of Wales Speakers Club
  • Hamwic Speakers
  • 1st London Toastmasters
  • Worthing Speakers
  • London Victorians
  • Data Science Speakers Club
  • Bristol Central Speakers
  • db Toastmasters – Canary Wharf
  • London Toastmasters
  • Legacy Speakers Brixton
  • Toast Titans
  • I&C Toastmasters Club
  • Experience Yoruba

Mark Your Calendar – Our 2026 District Conference

Kindly block 2nd & 3rd May 2026 (first May bank holiday) in your diary for the Annual District Conference, a celebration of learning and collaboration you won’t want to miss. More details to follow soon

To every Toastmaster reading this, we are here to create the conditions for your growth.  Whether you’re chasing a new Pathway goal, rediscovering your confidence or stepping into leadership we’ve got your back. And all this is possible only with the help of my Program Quality Team who I’ll introduce to you soon.

Warm wishes,

Seema Menon
Program Quality Director, 2025–26

District 91 – UK South

Is this Where Leaders are Made?

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Toastmasters International: Where Leaders are Made 

When I tell people that I am a member of Toastmasters the first thought they have is ‘oh, are you one of the red-coated masters of ceremonies who proposes toasts and introduces speakers at formal events?’.  Sometimes I explain that I’m not that Toastmaster even before they’ve asked.  I then elaborate and say that it is an organisation that helps people develop their public speaking skills – and the tagline is ‘Where Leaders are Made.’  This usually gets their attention.  The next question is ‘oh, and how do you do that?’ which is a great opportunity for me to explain what we do at Toastmasters – and that it’s not just building our speaking and communication skills. It’s having the opportunity to develop skills in leadership through taking on club officer roles to start with and then taking on district leadership roles, such as Area and Division Directors.  When I pitch the Toastmasters Youth Leadership Programme to head teachers I emphasise the fact that the students will be organising and running the meetings themselves which helps them develop vital leadership skills, in addition to speaking skills and confidence. Just this term I received a lovely email from a Head of Year teacher at the school where I have delivered the Youth Leadership Programme several times: 

We are currently going through our ‘Senior 6’ process at school, which is an application and interview process for our Year 10 prefects. The process will decide our 6 student leaders and head boy/head girl, and is pretty gruelling! It includes a ‘fish-bowl’ activity, speeches, tasks and an interview with the Principal.  

So far we have cut applicants from 31 to 14 following the fish-bowl exercise. One thing almost all of the successful students so far have in common is that they participated in the 10-week [YLP] course you ran for us last year! This is amazing and really shows the impact this has had on our young people.  

Needless to say, they have booked us to run a YLP with the new Year 9 group in the Autumn term.  I’m really looking forward to that – it is so rewarding to watch a group of 20 15 year-olds grow in confidence and communication skills over that time.  And we have a lot of fun – after all, Ralph Smedley said “we learn best in moments of enjoyment”.   I never have a problem getting one of them to chair the meeting – as soon as I say they will have the gavel to call the meeting to order, they all want to volunteer – and enjoy the power it gives them!  As for managing the timing – what fun to take charge of the timing lights to warn their friends that they are running out of time.  As for the Topics Master – yes, sometimes the questions they ask can be a bit vindictive on their friends – but they know it will be played back to them when the roles are reversed.  All the while they are learning valuable leadership and speaking skills. Oh, and what do we do about the awkward gait and shuffle when approaching the front of the room – we practise good posture by pretending we are models on the catwalk – one of them plays some lively catwalk music on their phone and we all take it in turns to stand tall, sashay up to the front of the classroom – and turn gracefully to face the audience – just as if we were at Paris fashion week.  It works – as has been evidenced by the success of some of the students getting those leadership roles for the coming year.   

The Youth Leadership Programme is an excellent project to run in any school or youth community group to teach valuable public speaking, leadership and communication skills. Running such a programme can also count towards the requirements for gaining your DTM award.   

If you would like to know more, please don’t hesitate to contact me. alkema@janetalkema.com

Spotlight on Growth: My Journey from Tech Partnerships to Toastmasters Leadership

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I’m a proud member of City of London Toastmasters, a club that has become a cornerstone of my personal and professional growth. Toastmasters, with its warm and supportive environment, has given me the platform to build confidence, refine my communication skills, and grow as a leader. While I work in the tech industry forging global partnerships, Toastmasters has helped me to communicate ideas, influence others, and speak with conviction. It’s the training ground where I’ve learned to turn thoughts into impactful words. 

My Toastmasters journey began after a humbling moment. A few years ago, I was invited back to my engineering college as the Chief Guest for an annual event. Standing on stage in front of 200 students, I wanted to inspire—but instead, I overwhelmed them with technology jargon that flew over their heads. That experience stayed with me. It sparked a desire to improve how I connect with an audience, to speak from the heart, and to share ideas in a way that truly resonates. 

Since joining Toastmasters, I’ve embraced every opportunity to grow. I remember the first role that I took up –  timekeeper, nervously clicking on the timer buttons. From there, I gradually stepped into other meeting roles and began giving speeches. As my confidence grew, I organised contests and eventually hosted meetings as the Toastmaster of the Day. One of my proudest moments was serving as the Master of Ceremonies at an event —a role that tested my presence, preparation, and ability to keep an audience engaged from start to finish. These experiences helped me shed my stage fear and equipped me with the tools to speak more fluently. 

Toastmasters has given me much more than just public speaking. It’s helped me develop as a leader. I currently serve as the Vice President Public Relations for City of London Toastmasters, where I’m responsible for communicating the club’s activities, celebrating member milestones, and maintaining a vibrant presence through newsletters, social media, and promotional content.  

At the district level, I also serve as the Incentive Lead. In this role, I work closely with the Club Growth and Marketing teams, analysing data, announcing award/incentive winners, and ensuring clubs know how to cash in their achievements. It’s a role that demands both attention to detail and strategic thinking, analytical skills that I now apply even in my professional life. These leadership roles have given me not only valuable experience but also the confidence to lead, support, and influence others, even beyond Toastmasters.