Spotlight on Success: Ga Lok Chung – Empowering Leaders as Club Coach Lead

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My home club is City of London Toastmasters. At various points I’ve also held dual membership at a variety of other wonderful clubs in London and I became a Distinguished Toastmaster in 2018. I love competing, having reached District finals 9 times across different contests and winning Evaluation in 2016. I’m a management consultant at KPMG, where I currently head up designing solutions for managed learning services for clients across the globe. So, developing myself and creating the platforms for others to learn and grow has always been central in my career.

 

This year, I’m supporting the District as Club Coach Lead. If a club has been facing some challenges in membership numbers or need support, I match them to an experienced Toastmaster who helps the club rebuild its membership and improve the overall quality of the club experience. The coach works closely with club officers and members to provide guidance, enthusiasm, and structure within the club.

 

Recently, my home club celebrated its 29th anniversary in November. As the current longest serving member I’m still in touch with many of the former Club Presidents and it was a joy to invite 7 of them back to a special in-person panel discussion during our club meeting. They shared their leadership lessons and what this club has meant to them. The three things I took away were:

 

  1. Each Club President brought their unique personality to the club. They introduced and tested innovations and improvements to the club. Toastmasters is not only a safe space for members to practice their public speaking skills, but also a safe space for people to grow their leadership skills.
  2. We recognise the courage it takes put yourself out there. All our past Presidents started at the back of the room, eventually getting more and more involved in the meetings until one day, they became the person to stand at front and open every meeting. The importance of encouraging people to get involved and have a go is paramount.
  3. We’ve always been a very social club. Going to the pub post meeting, the annual Christmas curry get-together and we’ve recently introduced snack and chat and the end of the meetings. Countless friendships have formed in a community where people want to support each other to succeed in their goals.

 

Coming back to club coaching, Toastmasters is an amazing place, and we want to support every club to help serve its members. Becoming a successful club coach gives you a credit towards your Distinguished Toastmaster award and gives you enormous satisfaction in helping a club succeed and secure its own legacy, I would recommend any Toastmaster to consider it.

November Highlights: Pathways to Success in D91

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What a fantastic month it has been! A huge congratulations to all the winners of the Humorous Speech and Table Topics Division Contests. Your success is an inspiration! A special shoutout goes to all participants who took on the challenge and achieved personal growth, your efforts and courage are commendable. To all the functionaries and helpers who made these contests run seamlessly, thank you for your dedication and teamwork. We look forward to seeing all winners at the District contests taking place at the Distict 91 Conference.

 

Conference Update

I am thrilled to introduce the D91 Conference Director for 2 – 4 May 2025 is Bolu Olubajo. Bolu is a member of Holborn Speakers and looks forward to formulating and leading the conference team for a successful conference. Find out further details about Bolu and see the announcement of the conference venue here.

 

Club Officer Training

We were treated to an incredible lineup of speakers at our recent Corporate Club Officer Training. From exploring Pathways to learning how to maintain momentum and stay focused, the event was packed with actionable insights. A heartfelt thank you to Christine Lennon DTM, Marc Lottig DTM, Andrew Tsuro DTM, Pat Johnson DTM PIP, and Morag Mathison DTM, for sharing their expertise and facilitating these outstanding sessions.

If you missed out, don’t worry, further training opportunities for all other club officers will be available now through to the end of February 2025. Don’t miss your chance to learn and grow.

Incentives We’re delighted to announce the winners of the Club Success Plan incentive! This initiative encouraged clubs that were not distinguished last year to submit a club success plan for this year. Congratulations to the following winners:

  • 07814710 LSBU
  • 05042742 Deutsche Bank Toastmasters London
  • 07084351 Worcester Speakers
  • 03105854 Malvern Speakers
  • 07850144 Verizon EMEA Online

 

Your dedication to planning for success sets a strong foundation for achieving your goals this year.

Here’s to a joyful and successful festive season—wishing you a very Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and continued success in the months ahead!

 

Warm regards

Debbie Williams

Program Quality Director 2024-2025

Club Growth Director Update – November Newsletter

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Partnerships Driving Growth

This year, we experimented with partnering with external events to amplify the Toastmasters message and positively impact individuals and organizations. Our collaborations with Jobs Fair events in Bristol, Reading, and South London have proven to be highly successful, generating valuable leads for membership growth and creating opportunities to launch new clubs.

A special thank you to Division Director Helyn for inspiring this initiative, and heartfelt gratitude to every Division Director and Toastmaster who represented Toastmasters at these events. Your dedication and belief in our program showcased the transformative power of Toastmasters and energized us to think outside the box.

This success is a testament to the fact that we can achieve so much more when we work together. Up next, we have the Jobs Fair in Cardiff on 29th January 2025. Let’s continue to make an impact!

 

Welcome Toastmasters Sky Osterley!

We are thrilled to announce the launch of a new corporate club, Toastmasters Sky Osterley, in Division D. This marks a significant milestone in expanding our reach within the corporate community, offering members new opportunities for growth. Congratulations to everyone involved in making this launch possible!

 

Incentive Reminder: Claim Your Rewards!

A quick reminder for clubs to claim their Great Golden Quarter and Smedley Awards incentives. Don’t miss out on these opportunities to celebrate and accelerate your club’s success.

 

Region Advisor Visit Highlights

We were delighted to host Region Advisor Lilian Shaftacola, who visited several corporate and community clubs. Her memorable experiences included attending her first Toastmasters meeting in a beautiful church venue and a lively first experience with an early morning breakfast club. Her visit provided invaluable inspiration and ideas for our members and leaders.

Through incredible collaboration and progress, we are laying a strong foundation for growth across the District. Visiting clubs, attending Division contests, and witnessing the camaraderie at this month’s external events have highlighted the true power of one of our core Toastmasters values: Respect. Respect is about “creating an environment where every voice matters and every idea has the space to flourish.”

When we embrace respect, we nurture connection, ignite growth, and inspire excellence. Let’s continue to strengthen our Toastmasters community with this vital principle at its core. Together, we grow. Together, we thrive.

 

Your Club Growth Director,

Seema Menon

Club Spotlight: Hamwic Speakers Celebrates 15 Years of Excellence

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Hamwic Speakers recently celebrated their 15th Year Anniversary.

An eventful and packed meeting, joined by Ken and Margaret Amy, and all past presidents over the 15 years and the current presidents from Spinnaker Speakers, Solent Speakers, and our Area Director! It was just incredible to experience the murmurs of laughter and conversation amongst the group as friendships rekindled and being made. We also had six guests join us for the first or second time (I do wonder what they were thinking following their attendance!).

We had a panel event where we heard insights and top tips for our public speaking and leadership journeys whether we were new members or long-time members. We heard and were inspired by the story of passion, dedication and collaboration from the surrounding clubs to help Hamwic Speakers put their roots down. The underlying theme was that working together and not alone, is what has made our club thrive, with every member and every volunteer committee member coming together is super important in our community.

It was such a wonderful celebration, and I look forward to our 20th celebration in 2029.

Division Spotlight: A Conversation with Lynne, Division B Director

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Tell us a bit about yourself

My career background is very varied and I have worked in the hospitality sector as a Manager, large corporates as an International Director living in Singapore, public sector as a Non-Executive Director, self-employed as a personal consultant and currently in the not for profit sector.   The role I have now involves working with a large number of volunteers and I would never have got the job without Toastmasters where all leadership roles are voluntary.

What has been your Toastmasters journey

It started 17 years ago with a friend taking me along to a meeting, to be honest I didn’t really know what I was going to. I decided to go again and this time I was asked to do a Table Topic and amazingly I won.  Within a couple of months I was on the committee as VPPR, a role I knew nothing about but I soon picked it up and within a year I was President, followed by Area Director.  I have also been President of Excalibur, an advanced club, where I am still a member. I take great pleasure in helping others develop and grow and to that end I have been a club mentor as well as mentoring many individuals.  I have also helped hundreds of people with their evaluations, running workshops, having won the UK and Ireland (D71) Evaluation Championship several years ago.

What are you currently doing in D91

This year I took on the Division B Director role. It’s the largest Division in D91 with 28 clubs so it keeps us pretty busy.   I love being part of the wider District Executive Team, as well as supporting my wonderful team of six*, who are working really hard to support their clubs, and together we really do want to make Division B a Division of Excellence.   We love visiting clubs and seeing how each one has its own special vibe.  There have been a few challenges, such as more than 20% of members not on Pathways which is such a shame as that is the education program that people pay for when they join.  Having a structure speech by speech really does build confidence and develops verbal communication skills so we are currently running a project to get everyone onto Pathways now and in the future.

Delighted to say that there are members submitting completion of their Pathways projects helping their clubs to become Distinguished and the first three are London Athenians, London Cardinals and London Toastmasters.

We welcomed two newly chartered clubs The Good Growth Club and Product Madness and we are really excited to see how we can help them develop..

We also have to congratulate four clubs on their longevity.  104 London Debaters and London Victorians both celebrating 10 years. London Cardinals on 20 years and London Athenians on 30 years.  What a great achievement.

Most of the Club contests are now complete so we are busy preparing for Area contests and the Division contest on the 23rd November.  On the morning of 23rd, working with Division C, there will be a series of interactive workshops open to all members.

*The amazing Division B Team : B6 Casper Wilcock, B8 Sabeer Peerbaccus, B9 Mary-Anne Ledger, B18 Krystyna Zarzycka, B52 Urszula Pozimska and Simon Mckee Asst. Div Dir.

What do you most enjoy

There are evenings when I feel, ugh it’s raining outside, do I really want to go to a Toastmasters meeting?  But I always do because without fail I come out buzzing whether I am participating or an audience member.  I get inspired by other members; their journey’s, their stories and the fact they give it a go. Which is probably why I am still a member and still enjoying what Toastmasters has to offer.

What are your challenges

Personally I always think of a challenge as an opportunity and I like to be challenged. Sometimes it forces me to think a little differently.  If anything, time is my challenge, with a full-time job, Toastmasters and a family life I do have to do a bit of juggling, but I enjoy it and I get a great sense of satisfaction when everything falls into place.

How has your experience in Toastmasters helped you in your day job

When I was interviewed for my current role in a charity it was like being in front of a firing squad but all that Table Topics practice came into its own. The fact I had been a volunteer amongst other volunteer leaders also helped. These days I enjoy standing up and speaking so I do get asked to do a lot of presentations on behalf of the company.   I also work with clients giving them instant feedback as well as facilitating training sessions, all skills I honed at club and leadership meetings. Thank you Toastmasters!