A North Battleford woman recently achieved the highest educational accolade that Toastmasters International bestows on its members.
Battlefords Toastmaster Club member Barbara Mitchell achieved the Distinguished Toastmaster designation earlier this month. Less than one per cent of Toastmasters ever achieve DTM, according to past club president Rena Weikle. In fact, only three members in the local club currently hold a DTM designation. Those members are Robert W. Johnson, (a charter member of the 39-year-old club), Weikle and Mitchell.
As part of the world’s largest communication and leadership organization, with more than 345,000 members in 15,900 clubs in 142 countries, Toastmasters builds better communicators and better leaders. Toastmasters offers an excellent opportunity for members to spend two hours a week on personal development, says Weikle.
People join Toastmasters for a variety of reasons, such as a desire to give better presentations or improve interview skills, adds Weikle. Some join because they want to become better leaders in other organizations they belong to while others struggle with shyness or have trouble communicating.
Toastmasters is a self-paced program that allows members to work in a way that is comfortable to them. Mitchell joined Toastmasters in September of 1996 and since that time has been a dedicated member. She joined Battlefords Toastmasters because she was applying for a promotion that would require her to make presentations to clients and she was intimidated at the thought. Joining Toastmasters, a safe and friendly atmosphere to hone skills, helped her to win the promotion and she hasn’t looked back, says Weikle.
Battlefords Toastmasters meet weekly in Room No. 108 of the Don Ross Center. Many members attend meetings weekly, however, some have other commitments that make weekly attendance impossible. However, like all things in life, the more a member puts into Toastmasters, the more he or she will get out of Toastmasters, adds Weikle.
Unlike many community organizations, Toastmasters does not fundraise and is not a registered charity. Toastmasters is an educational organization and as such, many employers see the value in personal development and pay for their employees to attend.
Many long-time members say they continue to attend Toastmasters regularly to maintain their communication and leadership skills, but also in order to assist new members in improving skills in whatever area of the Toastmasters program they are interested, says Weikle.
Toastmasters offers an opportunity for personal development and is open to all persons 18 years of age and older. Guests are always welcome at the Battlefords Toastmasters Club any Wednesday evening September through mid-June at 7 p.m. Weikle is also available to provide information about the club and can be reached at 306-937-5020.
