From a Triple Crown to the Chair of the District Council

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From a Triple Crown to the Chair of the District Council

When I became a Toastmaster back in 2010 I was immediately sold with the idea of what the organisation was about, through the wonderful welcome and induction I received from my club Wessex speakers in Winchester. I very quickly set myself some objectives to work through my competent communicator manual and unlike a lot of members also got through my competent leader manual at relative pace. Within a year of membership I had also managed to achieve my advanced communicator bronze award.

I decided that I wanted to understand more about the organisation I joined and I remember going to a divisional speech contest early in my membership. This sticks in my mind because it was the first time I met Past International Director Jean Gamester. To my utter surprise my name was called out by her when she was on the stage and I was presented with something called a Triple Crown. Although the award was unexpected and very nice, I remember driving home thinking even at that point I wasn’t sure what it really meant to be part of an organisation as big as Toastmasters International.

In the couple of years that followed, I remember going to the conference in Swindon, one in London near to the Tower of London, one in Gatwick and when I was serving as Division Director I stepped up to become logistics chair for the Mayflower conference in Southampton. I remember vividly the thank you speech that Vanessa King DTM gave when she prepared to step down as District Director and remember thinking how proud I was to be involved with such an amazing group of people. Somehow I still feel tired when I think of that conference, but it holds memories I will always cherish.

It feels very strange therefore, to be less than a week away from our conference in Heathrow where I will chair the annual business meeting as District Director. The conference team under the leadership of Debbie Williams and Bolu has done an amazing job to put together such an exciting agenda. At the time of writing we are sold out of our Gala Dinner and VIP tickets. As you will see from Debbie’s article – there is still time to buy day tickets!

So…. If you want to build memories, spend time with friends, maybe even make some new friends, then you need to come along and be part of the fun.

You will not regret being helped to see how big and impressive this organisation is – but most importantly how impressive the talent and members are that we have here in District 91.

Buy your ticket today – and maybe one day you will be inspired to become the District Director too….

Yours in service,
Steve Vear

A Message from your Programme Quality Director

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Dear Toastmasters,

This is your last chance to secure a spot at the District Conference taking place 2-4 May at the Radisson Red Heathrow, and trust me, you won’t want to miss it! In just a few days, we will come together for:

  • Inspiring keynote speakers who will motivate and challenge us to grow.
  • Engaging, hands-on workshops that will leave you with actionable skills to boost your leadership and speaking.
  • Thrilling speech contests showcasing the very best talent in our district (come and support our contestants, which division will win?).
  • The unforgettable experience of connecting with fellow Toastmasters who share your passion for growth and excellence.

The conference is shaping up to be an extraordinary landmark event, and this is the time to be part of it. If you haven’t registered yet, now is the time to act! Tickets are almost gone (VIP and Gala Dinner tickets have sold out), and you do not want to miss out on this opportunity to learn, connect, and celebrate with us.

Secure your ticket today and get ready for an experience that will leave you energised and ready to take on new challenges. Book your tickets here: https://conference.d91toastmasters.org.uk

Celebrating Member and Club Milestones
It has been wonderful to see so many clubs and members striving for excellence this year. Congratulations to those who have achieved Distinguished status (or higher) so far as listed below.  So many other clubs are close to achieving Distinguished status, and I look forward to adding your club’s name to the list below:

Hamwic Speakers

Shilling Speakers

Reading Speakers

Casterbridge Speakers

Hallmark Speakers

Newbury Speakers

Wessex Speakers

Basingstoke Speakers

Bath Spa Toastmasters

Bristol Central Speakers

London Olympians Speakers

London Athenian Speakers

London Corinthians Toastmasters

West London Speakers

Medidata EMEA

London Toastmasters

LSBU Public Speakers

Excalibur Speakers

Early Bird Speakers

Sustainable Speakers Online

London Cardinals

London Victorians

PA Consulting

104 London Debaters

 Paddington Toastmasters

Bloomsbury Speakers

Experience French

City Limits Speakers

Bloomberg London Toastmasters

Lloyds Banking Group Toastmasters

1st London Toastmasters

Woking Speakers

Camberley Speakers

Farnham Speakers

Maidenhead Speakers

Wokingham Speakers

Burnham Speakers

Riverside Communicators

Epsom Speakers

Surbiton Speakers

Sutton Speakeasy

The Speakers of Croydon

Arun Speakers

Worthing Speakers

Bromley Speakers

Lewisham Speakers

Beckenham Communicators

Kent Speakers

 Tunbridge Wells Speakers

Brighton & Hove Speakers

Thame Speakers

Chiltern Speakers

Berkhamsted Speakers

Oxford Speakers

Cardiff Toastmasters

Wye Knot Speakers

Cheltenham Speakers

Gloucester Speakers

Melting Pot Toastmasters

City of London Toastmasters

London Public Speakers

Barking Toastmasters

Moody’s Europe Toastmasters

Berkeley Square Speakers

Google UK Speakers

Winchmore Hill Speakers

Harrovian Speakers

Wembley Stadium Speakers

 

 

 

 

Your dedication and commitment are what make our district outstanding.

 Keep Pushing Towards Your Goals
 We are now entering the final stretch of the Toastmasters year, and there is still time to finish strongly. Whether it is:

  • Completing another Pathways level
  • Submitting your final speech project
  • Supporting your club to achieve one more Distinguished goal

Every effort counts towards your personal growth and your club’s success. Let us continue encouraging one another to end the year on a high.

Quality is Key
Remember, high-quality meetings lead to high-quality member experiences. Thank you to all the club officers and members who consistently plan and deliver excellent meetings. Your efforts are building a strong foundation for the future.

Let us finish the year with pride. I look forward to seeing you at the conference.

With appreciation,

Debbie Williams
Program Quality Director 2024-2025
District 91

 

 

The Power of Toastmasters in a Women’s Prison

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I have never been inside a category C prison before, and as each gate was unlocked and then locked again, I felt drawn into a space that was home to many women who were closed in from the outside world. These women were low-level offenders who posed a moderate risk and were not suitable for open conditions.

I tried to imagine what it must be like to live here every day – unable to be heard, unable to express myself, unable to convince others that I did matter. DESPAIR was the word that came back to my mind time and time again.

I was lucky. I was there with my colleagues to deliver a 6-week Toastmasters communications workshop as my level 5 project in the Leadership Development pathway, and I was heard, I was able to express myself and I did matter – because I was free.

Despite being eager to get started immediately, we had to abide by the rules and obtain clearance through pre-employment checks, which took a LONG 6-8 weeks to complete. We were also given key and security training, which brought home the level of responsibility we were being entrusted with when opening and closing those gates on our own, without any prison staff present to make us feel secure as we stepped into this unknown world.

At long last, the waiting was over, and we all received clearance and our journey began.

Firstly though, we were advised of some more rules, more constraints!

We had to address the women as instructed: not prisoners; not inmates; not ladies; just WOMEN. That was easy to remember.

We were told not to reveal our surnames, talk about our personal lives, or disclose where we lived in case some of the women should want to contact us upon their release. We had to be constantly aware that we could not get too friendly.

Bringing tea and biscuits was a definite no, making us even more conscious of the harsh restrictions that were imposed within the prison.

But rules were rules!

As the women began to appear, we wondered what awaited us during each session. We were keen to give our all and make a difference, so we always arrived equipped with our agenda, our training guides, stopwatch (to time everyone), table topics, pens, paper and masses of enthusiasm and excitement.

We started by introducing ourselves and our reasons for joining Toastmasters and how it had changed us. After asking them to introduce themselves, we began with the warm-up exercise followed by a short 10-minute training during each session; how to deliver a speech, the importance of vocal variety and body language, storytelling, the power of 3, the purposes of a speech…

We then progressed onto the speeches and gave them a list of topics to choose from. Once the speeches were ready, the women eagerly delivered them in front of the group.

The speed with which they prepared them and how quickly they grasped everything amazed us. What we came to understand is that each one of them deeply desired the freedom to express themselves and, above all else, be heard – a stark contrast to their life in prison.

We heard some deeply harrowing stories: abuse by those they trusted, imprisonment at the age of 17 for being groomed and being associated with murder, and another woman’s experience of being told by her teachers that she was useless and incapable of achieving anything. Others shared their love of writing and music and how these passions had shaped their lives.

We concluded each session by inviting everyone in the room to provide feedback on the speeches, a moment the women thoroughly enjoyed. This was followed by the distribution of certificates and a warm round of applause.

Each time we arrived for our session, unlocking and locking the gates again, we felt an increasing sense of gratitude for the opportunity to help these women realise what they needed most; to be heard, to express themselves and feel that they DID matter.

This is the power of Communication.

This is the power of Toastmasters.

 

 

Celebrating Success & Encouraging Your Next Steps!

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We are making incredible strides in our District’s educational achievements, and I couldn’t be prouder of each and every one of you. Your dedication to personal and professional growth is truly inspiring.

So far, we have accomplished:
✔ 320 Level 1 completions – a strong start for so many members.
✔ 193 Level 2 completions – building confidence and momentum.
✔ 134 Level 3 completions – sharpening advanced speaking skills.
✔ 104 Level 4 completions – demonstrating leadership in action.
✔ 57 Level 5 completions – true mastery in communication and leadership.
✔ 29 Pathways Mentoring completions – fostering a culture of support.
✔ 5 Distinguished Toastmasters (DTMs) – the pinnacle of achievement.

Our Distinguished Toastmasters include:

  • Pedro Casillas, DTM
  • Alistair J. Driscoll, DTM
  • David Lynch, DTM
  • Tim D. Patmore, DTM
  • Christine H. Wallach, DTM

Many congratulations.

Your Progress Matters – Keep Moving Forward!
I know that the education programme can feel challenging at times, but every project you complete is a step towards becoming a more confident communicator and leader. If you have completed a level but haven’t submitted it yet, now is the time. Your achievements not only help you grow but also contributes to your club’s and our District’s success.

If you are feeling stuck or unsure about your next steps, reach out to your mentor, your club officers, or fellow members. There is always support available, and every challenge you overcome brings you closer to your goals. Let’s celebrate every milestone, big or small, and inspire each other to keep progressing.

Be Part of the Excitement: Attend Division Contests
We still have five more Division Contests ahead, where the best speakers in our District will compete for a spot at the District 91 Conference. All Division Contest dates can be found in the District 91 Calendar: https://d91toastmasters.org.uk/members/news/calendar/, so be sure to check it and come along to support and be inspired!

District Conference : 2nd – 4th May, Radisson Red, Heathrow London
The District Conference is the highlight of the year, taking place from 2-4 May. This is your opportunity to connect with fellow Toastmasters, learn from outstanding speakers, and celebrate excellence in public speaking and leadership. The District Council Meeting will be taking place during the Conference on Saturday 3rd May.  Book your tickets asap so you do not miss out: https://conference.d91toastmasters.org.uk

Let’s keep pushing forward, setting goals, and achieving milestones together.

See you at the contests and conference!

Yours in service,

Debbie Williams
Program Quality Director, 2024-2025
District 91

Message from District Director – Teamwork

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What a busy but inspiring time it has been lately!

Since my last newsletter article, I have had the pleasure in attending an Area contest down in Exeter, the Division B and L contest and spent the day with my wonderful District Leadership Team when we spent a day planning for the last quarter of the program year.

Contest season really does encourage us to raise our game and literally showcases some of the best speaking talent that District 91 has to offer. It has never been something that I have been able to take part in for a variety of different reasons, but it is true what they say – nothing pushes us quite like the pressure of a contest.

We should never underestimate however, how much effort and indeed how many people it takes to make a contest a successful one. Whether you have already had your divisional contest or you still have it to look forward to, I want to thank each and every one of you that has been involved. I don’t just mean the official roles such as judge, timer and ballot keeper – a lot more than that is needed to make the events run, so thank you, thank you, thank you.

I recently wrote to the members of the District Council, including Club Presidents and Vice Presidents of Education informing them that the District Leadership Committee have nominated candidates for almost all of our elected leadership positions for program year 2025/26. A number of these positions are contested which is testament to our current leaders who have inspired people to step up to these important positions. It is now incumbent upon all members of the council to do their duty in making a decision as to who should be elected to office.

The District Leadership Committee did not nominate candidates for the position of Division D and Division H Director. It is therefore possible for qualified candidates to stand from the floor. Should anyone be interested in taking on these key roles or you have any questions, please do get into contact with myself.

If you live in the London area or have travelled there recently you may well have come across our wonderful tube campaign which was running for a couple of weeks at a large number of stations. I cannot express in words the level of pride I have felt in relation to this campaign. I want to pay tribute to Seema Menon our Club Growth Director and all the members of her team that made this possible. Thanks are also due to Diane Richardson for the design work, Janet Alkema and Rob Dewing for the impressive back end work to support the operational delivery of the campaign.

When I was elected as your District Director I made a promise that this year would all be about TEAM, and we that we would be a District Leadership Team that would role model our values and be a team that you could be proud of. The tube campaign is a perfect example of what we have achieved together – the reaction from our members in the exciting and much loved selfie competition says it all really!

Talking about pride – do you have your conference tickets yet? Our wonderful conference director Bolu and his team is working hard to make our conference an event to remember. Please don’t miss an exciting opportunity to laugh, learn and have fun – where you really will see District 91 be its best.

Have a great month.

Steve Vear MBE DTM
District Director