Siouxper Speakers Toastmasters Club earns Distinguished Club ribbon

Jesse Bonello - Staff Writer

Siouxper Speakers Toastmasters Club President Andrea Cole recognized the local Toastmasters Club for being awarded with a 2018-2019 Distinguished Club ribbon during a Siouxper Speakers meeting on Nov. 21.
“We received the ribbon in the mail about two-and-a-half weeks ago… Stuart Cummings received it in the mail, but I remember getting an email from him saying he received it. I was so thrilled to see that all that hard work last year is showing for something. It’s very exciting,” said Cole.
Toastmasters.org shares, “Toastmasters International is a non-profit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs. Headquartered in Englewood, Colo., the organization's membership exceeds 357,000 in more than 16,600 clubs in 143 countries… The Distinguished Club Program is an annual program, running from July 1 through June 30. The program consists of 10 goals for your club to obtain… At year-end, the number of goals the club achieved is calculated. Based on the goals met and whether or not the qualifying requirement has been met, the club may be recognized as a Distinguished, Select Distinguished or President’s Distinguished Club.”
During the Siouxper Speakers meeting, Cole presented the ribbon in front of club members. Cole recognized achievements and successes from last year during the presentation.
“Our Past President, Rebecca Perry, earned the Distinguished Toastmaster Award, which represents the highest level of educational achievement in Toastmasters. Stuart Cummings, one of several members who were here when the original club formed, earned an Advanced Communicator Gold award, which is the highest level in the Advanced Communications Series. Three members, Anita Bruins-Burke, Kym Caldwell, and Kiran Kaur, achieved a Competent Communicator award, finishing ten speech projects in a particular pathway or learning series. Kiran Kaur also earned the Competent Leader award by completing ten projects while serving in various club meeting roles… We enjoyed a lot of success last year, and it is exciting to think about how much we could accomplish this year,” said Cole.
Cole described Toastmasters as a fun group of people that learn, practice, and grow their leadership skills, teaching skills, and speaking skills.
“Toastmasters is a fun group of people. We get together to practice leadership skills, teaching skills, and we also enjoy hearing each other speak. We always welcome guests to come in and see what it’s like. You can just sit in on a meeting and learn about us,” said Cole.
“If you’re a Toastmaster, you can choose to focus on building your leadership skills, you focus on building your speaking skills, or you can do both at the same time.
“Sometimes an employer will pay for someone to join Toastmasters to develop their skills. Sometimes people who are new to Canada, for example, might come if they’re working on their English. Sometimes people just really enjoy speaking but maybe don’t have a lot of experience speaking formally, and they want to learn some of those types of skills. Other people also like the social atmosphere and want to meet new people,” she said.
Siouxper Speakers meet every second Thursday of the month at Calvary Baptist Church, which is located at 34 Prince Street.
For more information on the local club, check out their Facebook page @siouxperspeakers or their website at www.6001910.toastmastersclubs.org.