Liberty Village Toastmasters Toronto

Leadership — December 9 Meeting Recap

Posted on December 11, 2015 by libertyvillagetm

What does it take to be a leader?

Toastmaster James gave us his take on leadership, using his nephew as an example of how effective leaders can help others grow.

Maria introduced us to the memorable leaders from her past in her Icebreaker speech, while guest speaker Mohamed shared the story of the other Mr. Bean — who wasn’t a very good leader at all. Ending on the right note, Karoline gave her first speech by management: a kick-off briefing for new hires. And hey, free Starbucks!

Congrats to Maria and Arash, who were inducted as our newest members, and Arash and Mark, who led the way during our Table Topics session and shared first prize.

NEXT WEEK: Holiday Drinks & Social
Celebrate the 2015 Liberty Village Toastmasters year with good food, brews, and perhaps a drunken speech or two. Guests are welcome!

Wednesday Dec. 16
6:30 pm ’til late @ the Amsterdam BrewHouse
245 Queens Quay West, between York & Rees St.
Map & parking here

Jan 6: Our first meeting of the year, 6:30pm at the Lillian H. Smith Library
Jan 13: Our first meeting back at the Harbourfront Community Centre, 6:15pm

Posted in Meeting Summary | Tagged arash, james, karoline, maria, mark, meeting summary | Leave a comment

Storytelling — December 2 Meeting Recap

Posted on December 3, 2015 by libertyvillagetm

What would your life look like as a movie?

Would it be boring and mundane, or filled with adventure? Our Toastmaster Jackie began our storytelling-themed meeting with a challenge: think of your life as movie, then make it the best movie it can be.

Maxim continued the theme with his speech on motivation — the first step in telling your story — before James motivated us to think before acting on our impulses (unlike Mr. Wang from his folktale). Finally, guest storyteller Marilyn left us wanting more with her vivid “Unfinished Tale”, a story years in the making.

Congrats to Wes, our first time GE, as well as Maria, Cristina, and Arash, who all stepped up with last-minute roles. Our guest Alex, of course, won Table Topics. The End!

NEXT WEEK: Leadership, our last meeting of the year. Join us for post-meeting drinks at the sushi place!

DEC 16: Holiday Drinks & Social

6:30 pm ’til late @ the Amsterdam BrewHouse
245 Queens Quay West, between York & Rees St.
Map & parking here

For more info on attending our next meeting as a guest, click here.

See you on December 9!

Posted in Meeting Summary | Tagged jackie, james, maxim, meeting summary | Leave a comment

Inspiration — November 25 Meeting Recap

Posted on November 26, 2015 by libertyvillagetm

Are you a mountaineer or an architect?

Both provided inspiration for Mark’s Toastmaster speech, in which a half-finished movie and Syrian news report sparked his roving imagination. Richard continued the theme with his travelogue Icebreaker “Never stop exploring”, while Jay inspired us to make a “Big Move” — just like he did when he moved to Vietnam.

Table Topics featured even more inspiration, with special inspirational quotes prepared by Jackie. We heard about birds singing in a forest and the “bruise” that is failure, but it was Wes who inspired us all with his two (2!) impromptu speeches.

Congrats to Richard, inducted as our newest member. Welcome!

NEXT WEEK: Storytelling, including two ancient folktales. Join us for post-meeting drinks at the sushi place!

DEC 9: Leadership, our last meeting of the year
DEC 16: Holiday Drinks & Social (details TBA)

For more info on attending our next meeting as a guest, click here.

See you on December 2!

Posted in Meeting Summary | Tagged jackie, jay, mark, meeting summary, richard, wes | Leave a comment

Pitch for Success! — November 18 Meeting Recap

Posted on November 19, 2015 by libertyvillagetm

What are the keys to a successful pitch?

Make time to prepare, know your audience, and have confidence in what you’re selling, according to our Toastmaster Karoline, who shared her recent experiences in pitching herself. Edwin followed with a pitch for Spain, which included a tour of famous architecture, and of course, cheap wine!

Our guest speaker John M. shared the humorous (and true?) story of his Uncle Billy, who built his very own Cadillac, one stolen piece at a time. Table Topics featured a series of impromptu pitches, from our guest Carrie’s pitch for U.S. President to Silvio’s pitch for a vacation in Greece.

Congrats to Maxim, who started his very first speech evaluation with a pitch of his own: “We need more Edwin!”

NEXT WEEK: Join us for a series of inspirational speeches, then send Jay back to Vietnam in style with post-meeting drinks at the sushi place!

DEC 2: Storytelling, including two ancient folktales
DEC 9: Leadership, our last meeting of the year
DEC 16: Holiday Drinks & Social