Celebrating 2020-2021 as the President of Speakeasy 5340

Toastmasters is a great opportunity in so many ways. It\’s not only about becoming a better speaker, it\’s about becoming a better leader and community member. My 3 years in Toastmasters has been an amazing experience. Sharing with you all my closing speech at the last meeting as President of our club.

Tonight is my last night as Speakeasy 5340 Toastmaster President.

On behalf of the entire Executive Committee, I would like to thank each one of you for the support and encouragement throughout the year. This has been a pivotal time in my life as a Toastmaster. Building my leadership style as welcoming, inclusive and at the same time encouraging all to reach to the stars in setting goals and in support of each other.

Cheers with my ever ringing cowbell to these 6 people who worked tirelessly to ensure that the experience of members and guests was positive.

Dave– the Sergeant at Arms. The pandemic made this role a flexible one as in Dave-style he gave of his talents at every meeting, executive meeting and leading the new Speakeasy Social with ease. His experience as a Toastmaster is a true gift to our club. A perfect attendance score for the year really shows his dedication to our club!

Debbi – Don’t underestimate the power of our Treasurer. Although she hasn\’t been at our meetings because of the virtual aspect and injury to her leg — her work behind the scenes to get the dues paid, registered, deposited and work to gather our gift certificates and serve the club is truly outstanding. And her spirit has been with us each and every meeting.

Jocelyn – the Secretary. I thank her for her diligence in her attention to the needs of the club from managing the work of the Club Success Plan to maintaining the flow of the EC meetings and taking all the notes along the way! — She is a true gem!

Denise – In her role as VP PR starting our Facebook page (we are now 163 followers!), keeping it current, attending networking meetings and recognizing our members with media releases on some very big achievements was a shining light for our club in its outreach during this crazy time.

Annabelle– How many times did we receive mails at from membership@speakeasytoastmaster.club? Thanks to Annabelle who put these processes in place to communicate to prospective members during the year and keep us in growth mode!

Sarita– the cool and composed Sarita. What we would have done without her. Tracking the incredible activity of this club and working on her own educational and professional goals -Her achievements as our VP of Education – encouraging each member to grow in their paths and overseeing the growth of our mentor program and keeping everyone on track to hit their goals.

There are so many Toastmasters I have to thank for their guidance along the way (especially Steve Lanning my mentor) — but if I were to name them all, it would be like reciting the names from the roster. Besides, the timer will show me that dreaded red card.

On behalf of the entire team – thank you, members. We have achieved the coveted President\’s Distinguished award yet again for the 10th time – 6 years in a row!.

Wishing the new Exec Committee all success in the coming year. May we achieve greater heights and continue to grow as leaders and speakers.”

For 2021-2022, I have taken on the mantle of the Area Director for Area 45 with 5 clubs to support D53 Toastmasters in the quest for my Distinguished Toastmasters (DTM) – I look forward to this as the next challenge on my Toastmaster journey! So many exciting things ahead for the year in this club and beyond. Do the next hard thing, keep giving speeches, and challenge yourself in Toastmasters and beyond!

Have you experienced Toastmasters in a club near you? Please leave a comment below and share with me your Toastmaster experience! Our club meetings are on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM EST – Here is a link for more information. IF you want to know more about Toastmasters and find a club near you – link here!

Thank you for stopping by!