The Workshop Library
The workshops showcased below fall under the following four categories:
- Club Success
- Speaker Success
- Leadership
- Personal/Professional Development
The presenters are happy to present live at your location for an enriching interactive experience. If you wish to review a recording, where available, we have provided a link to a recording of the workshop.
Inquires about booking a workshop should be sent to Shubha Amba, DTM at workshops@toastmasters60.com
Club Success
Grow Your Membership
Membership is the life blood of any Toastmasters Club. Discover tips and techniques in attracting and converting guests to members. In this workshop, Carrie Webster will share her wisdom and knowledge in growing club membership. The session will include:
- Marketing strategies for corporate clubs
- Marketing strategies for community clubs
- Strategies for enhancing the quality of club meetings to demonstrate the value of Toastmasters to guests and retain existing members
- Guest followup and finding their “why”
Presenter: Carrie Webster, DTM is an avid Toastmaster who is passionate about helping clubs grow their membership. She has been a member in the Corporate environment for over 4 years, coached a Community club to the highest level of distinction, run training seminars for non-Toastmasters and held leadership positions in clubs and at the District level.
Defining Your Club Brand: Key to Growing Your Membership
In today’s climate, Toastmaster clubs require an enhanced online presence to attract guests and convert new members. Yet, most clubs are challenged to define exactly what their club’s brand is. An added challenge is how to create a distinct club identity while staying consistent with Toastmasters International guidelines. This interactive workshop assists clubs in defining their brand and identifying what makes their club unique. You will be in a better position to improve your club’s website and marketing efforts. Get prepared to promote the true nature of your cherished TM club.
Outcomes:
- Understand the difference between Toastmasters and club branding.
- Identify your club’s unique value proposition.
- Define a strong club brand that attracts guests and new members.
- Apply the above understanding to create a compelling club website.
Presenter: Roman Smolak, DTM has delivered over a dozen VP Public Relations related executive training sessions and participated on a D60 Public Relations guidelines committee. The committee released the District60 PR Guide, an excellent aid for building a club marketing program. View this related video: Toastmasters Club Website Design, Branding and Marketing – YouTube
Speaker Success
The Secrets of Super Evaluations
Ever feel hesitant to volunteer to be a speech evaluator? Not quite sure how to go about putting together your thoughts to provide a meaningful, motivational and measured evaluation? Attend this workshop and learn the fundamentals of creating and delivering a powerful effective evaluation that will help a speaker achieve their full potential while upping the quality of your club as speakers become more and more proficient.
Presenter: Andrew Mertens, DTM has been a Toastmaster for 10 years and has held most roles within a club and is active at the District level in various capacities, and is this year’s Program Quality Director for District 60. Andrew is a member of 3 clubs and really enjoys the evaluation aspect of the education program and placed first in the last District Evaluation Contest. His passion for evaluations has spilled over into conducting workshops as he firmly believes that a club grows best when effective evaluations are delivered to help the speakers grow and become more impactful every time they speak. Please join us for a special evaluation workshop called Secrets for Super Evaluations.
Streamline Your Speech Delivery – It’s Not What You Say, It’s the Way You Say It!
Now and into the future, with so many distractions, it is even more important to get your ideas, your theme and content to connect with your intended audience. Through the tips presented in this workshop, and with patient preparation, you will learn:
- To enhance your vocal variety
- Good breathing and posture
- Intentional pausing, enunciation, and much more
In this workshop you will receive a set of guidelines through which you will be able to put your newfound skills to work practically overnight.
Presenter: Brian Master, PM4 is a long-time radio announcer with over 50,000 hours of on-air experience and in-person hosting. He is also an experienced event emcee for a wide range of audiences from 10 to 25,000. Brian joined Toastmasters in April 2016.
Dishing on Diction – Cooking up Analogies for Interest & Impact
Increasingly, we are presenting in a hybrid setting where you don’t get to use a lot of gestures and there are plenty of distractions. As presenters, we don’t always get to dictate the delivery mode. Make sure your message doesn’t get lost between email notifications, DMs, and pop-ups by carefully selecting the right words. Cut through the clutter and wake your audience up by cooking up an analogy to make your message interesting, memorable, and impactful.
By the end of this informative and interactive session, attendees will
- Learn the principles of word choice
- Understand how the proven formula works to spice up any bland narratives with everyday examples, and
- Craft an analogy for maximum impact by following a tried-and-true recipe
Presenter: Janice Law, DTM embraced Toastmasters shortly after she graduated from Toronto Metropolitan University Interior Design program in 2004. When she is not actually designing, she is talking about design. Underpinning all these activities is her ability to articulate her design vision vividly and connect with her project stakeholders – in person or over Zoom – in a mixed audience setting. She credits Toastmasters for sharpening her presentations, honing her active listening skills and developing leadership abilities. She is known as a dynamic presenter with infectious energy and a natural sense of humour. Janice is a veteran member at Grosvenor Toastmasters, a high-caliber hybrid community club rooted in Toronto and facing the world. As a wordsmith and an alliteration addict, her favourite role and segment in a Toastmasters meeting are Grammarian and Word of the Day.
Your Gift – Effective Evaluations that Empower Speakers
Learn how to develop the sensitivity necessary to prepare and deliver effective speech evaluations, plus offer specific suggestions for improvement along with healthy doses of encouragement to help the speaker build courage and self-esteem. A 1-hour workshop.
Tick Tock – Creating a Speech Introduction
A great introduction sets the speaker up for success and builds anticipation in the audience. Learn a fool-proof method for crafting an effective introduction that connects you with the audience, establishes your credibility on the speech topic and conveys how the audience will benefit from your message. A 1-hour workshop.
Presenter: Facilitated by Distinguished Toastmaster, Karen Goodyear. Karen is a 26-year, award-winning Toastmasters veteran. She is a dedicated servant leader who has supported clubs, areas, divisions and District 60 in numerous capacities. She is an accomplished speaker, trainer and workshop presenter. In 2016, Karen received the prestigious George Keenan Award in honour of her longstanding commitment to the club and member success.
Effective Speech Elements: Lessons from the Wizard of Oz
Watch a good movie lately?
What techniques made it great?
Screenwriters use formal structures to create the plot and characters. They add
techniques to build tension, evoke emotions and provoke thinking. In this workshop,
learn what film elements you can use to improve your speech stories. We’ll explore
these elements with examples from the Wizard of Oz.
Apply proven techniques that will help you connect with your audiences on a deeper
level.
Presenter: Roman Smolak, DTM.has studied storytelling and development for over a decade, specializing in the works of Joseph Campbell (creator of the Hero’s Journey). This workshop is accompanied by a detailed handout so that you can easily develop your own stories utilizing the conceptual elements. Roman’s interactive approach and workshop style is appreciated by participants, receiving high praise for this training ‘journey.’
Micro Storytelling for Effective Virtual Training
As Toastmasters, we can apply our storytelling capabilities to create successful workshops. The key is to incorporate aspects of the story into a micro story, in order to interact with your participants. The micro story encourages communications, visualization, helps to internalize the learning, and keeps the focus on end-user value.
In this interactive workshop, you will learn proven techniques for delivering engaging virtual training sessions:
- How to use micro stories to develop interesting workshop training.
- Utilize story visualization for crafting mental and emotional scenarios.
- How to identify the basic structure of emotionally laden stories.
- Apply micro story scenarios for effective interaction with participants.
Adapt micro storytelling for improved facilitation and learning outcomes.
Presenter: Roman Smolak, DTM. Roman joined Toastmasters in 2006 and is an active trainer and workshop presenter. He has created and delivered over 30 workshops, including presentations at ten D60 Conferences. For 22 years, Roman was an account manager selling software technology to Fortune 500 companies in Canada and the USA.
To review a video recording of Roman’s workshop click here.
See clearly, think differently, reach your best future
Charting your future begins with how you view and think about your work, your world, and the people in it. When you see clearly, you’ll think differently, become more confident, make better decisions, and take more effective actions towards your future. Learn about beliefs and how they govern your thinking, behaviours, decisions and actions, leading to outcomes. Explore the limiting beliefs that interfere with your ability to chart toward a desirable future. You will select new beliefs that will serve you better in charting your course toward a bright future.
Presenter: George Anastasopoulos worked for 4 companies, held 20 jobs, had 20 bosses, and 20 years of “I can’t believe how much we’re asked to do”. He refused to accept “that’s the way it is” and dedicated himself to transform managers into leaders, and their organizations into “I love working here and I love working with you” workplaces. He is Head Coach at Leadership Fundamentals and the author of I LOVE MONDAYS: Accomplish More, Make a Difference, and Create a Culture Shift.
To review a video recording of George’s workshop click here.
Leadership
Lead Well. Lead Right.
Leadership is not about you. It’s about us. It’s about dreams and achievements. It’s about direction and progression. A leader must know the way, go the way and show the way.
Presenter: Facilitated by Shukla Datta, DTM. Shukla is a coach, trainer and motivational speaker with over 20 years’ experience in conducting workshops in various countries. She has authored three books, obtained a master’s degree from Sheffield University, U.K and taught Economics, Business Studies, and Life Skills.
Working in a Team Environment
Today in business and Toastmasters, people are talking about teams. The days of the directive or authoritarian-style leader where the boss tells everyone what to do are fast disappearing. They are being replaced by team environments, where each member knows they are part of something bigger than the individuals involved. People working in a team environment determine goals and plan and share the work. This interactive workshop will focus on the three keys of a successful team – Communication, Collaboration and Commitment.
Presenter: Wendy Williamson, DTM, has honed her team development skills during a 20-year career as an executive account manager with a global financial software company and during her eight years of D60 leadership. During her 12 years in Toastmasters, she has led many successful teams including her roles as Club Growth Director, Program Quality Director and District Director. Wendy is a trainer, coach and facilitator of public speaking programs for youths.
Personal/Professional Development
Realistic Optimism: Lizards, Resiliency and Sailing
Does pursuing your passion seem out of reach or maybe sidelined due to other pressures or lack of focus? Looking to rebalance, reorientate and renew your passion pursuits? Attend this workshop and learn how to combat the lizards and sail into a brighter future!
By attending this session, you will learn:
- How the brain reacts to everyday pressures which may impact one’s pursuit of their passions.
- Resiliency techniques to better enable the pursuit of their passions.
- A methodology to map out how best to achieve their passion.
Presenter: Andrew Mertens, DTM has spent 25+ years helping teams achieve their best. As a senior IT manager, he has experienced firsthand the challenges that can lead team members to lose focus. Today, join Andrew in learning techniques that allow people to regain their focus and map their paths forward to success and the realization of their passions.
Kaizen – Continuous Improvement, a Japanese Way to Improve Processes
Learn how to improve your professional and personal success. With this workshop participants will: 1) be able to identify future steps to improve or increase the success of their personnel and business goals; 2) learn and understand the KAIZEN Methodology; 3) increase job success; 4) increase customer satisfaction, and; 5) learn what how to influence one’s career in positive ways. Find out how to apply KAIZEN in your everyday life. No matter what you do, success is guaranteed.
To review a video recording of Azhar’s workshop click here.
KAIZEN – The Japanese Secret to Lasting Change
Through his workshop, KAIZEN – The Japanese Secret to Lasting Change, learn how to improve professional and personal success. With this workshop participants will be able to identify future steps to improve or increase the success of their personnel and business goal:
- Learn and understand the KAIZEN Methodology
- Increase job success
- Increase customer satisfaction, and
- Learn how to influence one’s career in positive ways
Presenter:Azhar Khan, DTM, is a Kaizen Coach and Consultant since 2001 who has implemented Kaizen Methodology in many corporations including Toyota, Lexus, Amazon, FCA and Bombardier. A Toastmaster since 2012, he has and continues to hold leadership roles at the Club, Area and Division levels and in the Youth
Leadership Program. In addition to travelling, Azhar’s hobbies include listening to music, photography, research on history, and community service. He holds a Master’s in Economics, Project Management, BS Computer Science and Bachelor’s in Business.
Unleash Your Inner Rebel
Have you ever wanted to act like a rebel but couldn’t? Learn how to navigate challenges in pursuing your passion in spite of the naysayers. Come prepared to discuss your challenges and also learn about challenges from other individuals chasing their passions that lead to fulfilling and meaningful lives.
By attending this workshop, you will learn:
- How other mainstream artists break free of societal norms to chase their passion
- To begin you own journey about how to leverage your passion to support your career and personal life
Presenter: Darrell Cheung has been a Toastmasters for over ten years and has been Club President twice. His passion for Toastmasters caught fire by volunteering on the committee for a District conference and then competing at the district level for the International Speech contest. Darrell was also an Area Director in 2016. Darrell is experienced in facilitation by virtue of his association with Dale Carnegie Business Coach (2008-2019), Canadian Association of Professional Speakers, 2018-2021 (Candidate) and Trainer the trainer workshops (approximately 10 a year), and Luminance Inc.
Getting to Yes – The Art Of Successful Negotiation
Explore key points related to negotiation, encourage the use of research and empathy to understand the competing viewpoints and demonstrate effective methods of coming up with alternate solutions when negotiations come to a stand-still.
Presenter: David Bachan, DTM. District 60’s Logistics Manager 2022/23, David is a member of the FRMT team negotiating use of domed spaces within Toronto. As a Riverdale resident, he is negotiating with Metrolinx to add new train lines along the east-west corridor.
Learn to Fail Forward
Every failure is a stepping-stone to success. Success starts from a passion. You won’t be able to achieve success without mistakes and failures. There is only failing forward.
In this session, you will explore your past experiences. The presenter will guide you through a process that re-examines your past failures so you can learn from them.
By attending this workshop, you will discover your passion, and turn mistakes into stepping-stones for success!
Presenter: Gin Aldeguer, DTM has been a Toastmaster for 5 years and a club officer ever since and a district official for 3 years. Gin is a visual type of person and like things organized, likes helping people out, and this workshop would mean that Gin might do just that!
Passion is Nothing without Action: Set your Fears and Fly
Having a passion is great but living it is another conversation. Often, fear limits your potential and prevents you from taking your next big steps.
Take your passion to the next level and achieve what you have been aspiring. Learn how to deeply analyze your greatest fears and measure the price of your inaction. This exercise will be the first action towards your ambitious goals.
By taking part in this workshop, you will learn how to handle fear and have a clear plan to take your next big steps.
Presenter: Gledsley Müller is a Technologist Consultant, Coach, Mentor and the host of the “Learn, Apply, Repeat” Podcast. He uses his tech expertise and his passion for education to empower others to achieve things they never thought possible. Gledsley comes with lot of professional experience delivering presentations.
Near, Far, Wherever You Are – Communicate with confidence and impact, in-person and on-screen
Effective communication is essential in today’s hybrid job market as more and more companies are shifting towards a mix of virtual and in-person interactions. By developing the ability to communicate effectively in both settings, individuals will better equip themselves to navigate the new and rapidly changing business landscape with confidence, impact and increase their chances to successfully “Chart” their future.
In this interactive session you will learn the 4 essential strategies that will enable you to approach all your live and online interactions with confidence and impact.
Tenshoku: Pursue Your Calling with Samurai Spirit
The facilitator, weaving his ancestral Japanese wisdom with modern entrepreneurial practicality, will guide you through the 3 keys to supercharging your ambition with samurai spirit: Initiative, Resilience, and Focus.
By attending this session, you will:
- Cultivate Unyielding Resilience: Acquire strategies to develop robust resilience across physical, mental, and emotional spheres.
- Develop a Tenshoku Mindset: Embrace the Samurai dedication to excellence
- Enhance Focus, Clarity, and Sense of Purpose: Pinpoint your passions while achieving a grounded balance between ambition and practicality.
Presenter: John Godoy, DTM: John is a Professional Speaker, Award-winning entrepreneur, and corporate trainer. He’s a living, breathing example of what happens when someone combines a thirst for knowledge with commitment issues. His audience roster reads like a United Nations directory, with learners in 26 countries tuning in to his live and virtual events. From Samsung engineers in Silicon Valley to Cancer docs in Alberta, from Insurance professionals in Tokyo to aspiring MBA’s in India.
John speaks on the topics of confidence, communication, executive presence, creativity, and resilience. By blending Eastern wisdom, healthy lifestyle, and entrepreneurial practicality, John strives to empower his audiences to get the most out of their personal and professional lives.
The Most Impactful 21 Seconds of Your Life!
Research shows that humans are quick to make a snap decision when meeting someone for the very first time.
It only takes 7 seconds for people to meet us through our eyes and read our body language, another 7 seconds to scan our appearance before we even speak. That is 14 seconds and they are already forming a basically preconceived notion about us. They will take the next 7 seconds to hear us speak and BAM!!! In just 21 seconds, people decide if they want to like us, do business with us, are attracted to us etc. or not.
In this workshop you are going to get tips on how to make a stunning first impression when you first meet someone or should I say………. when they first meet the best version of YOU!
Presenter: Leticia Sanchez works constantly on her professional brand because she believes that a personal professional brand is a combination of who you are, your reputation and a representation of your potential. In her experience it has helped her enhance her confidence, expand her network and increase her marketability as a professional. Leticia Sanchez joined Toastmasters in 2019, she has served as Area Director and twice as Division Director because she loves helping others.
A Toastmaster’s Guide to Publishing Your Book!
Rob’s online workshop is designed for Toastmasters and gives participants readily implementable advice as to how they can write, publish, and promote their very own book of which they will be proud. Specifically, Rob will address:
- Why to write a book
- What to write a book about
- How to write a book
- When to write a book
- Who to help you
Speeches From the Heart
Speeches can supercharge our passion, helping us to inspire, excite and lead others, if they are simple, sincere, contain personal stories about the speaker, are presented confidently, and are spiced with humour. Rob’s presentation gives practical examples of how we can all do this.
By attending this educational session, you will hear practical examples of how you can supercharge your passion—and inspire others—by crafting better speeches. As a bonus Rob will show how you can save those speeches for posterity in published form.
Presenter: Rob Peck, DTM, has seventy-eight years of life experience and over forty years of Toastmasters experience. He is a DTM, a past President of three different Toastmasters clubs, a past Area Director, and a past Division Director. Born in Toronto, raised in Canada, Guyana, England, and Switzerland, and trained as an engineer, Rob is married to Julia, is a father of four, and a grandfather of nine. He worked 34 years as a banker and retired at 59 to concentrate on the important things in life: family, church, and Toastmasters
Over the years Rob has given many different speeches, composed at important crossroads in his life, that have helped him to resolve critical issues. Through this session he shares how Toastmasters has helped him in these efforts and how it can help you in yours.
Hero’s Journey: An Adventure Story Arc
Adventures begin with the awareness of a gap between what IS and what could BE. Many stories, myths, and movies are based on how a hero subject sets out on a quest, full of challenges and obstacles, in pursuit of a higher consciousness. Joseph Campbell described this mission as a Hero’s Journey. In the end, the Hero returns to their ordinary life with fabulous insights and wisdom. Participate in this adventurous workshop and return with new powers to map your personal journey story of success.
Outcomes:
- Understand the standard formula for story development.
- Learn how to map your inner/outer journeys.
- Identify how challenges, obstructions and limited beliefs prevent progress.
- Uncover methods for transformation and personal growth.
- Experience the practical application of Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey.
Unleash Your Inner Passion to Supercharge Your Hero Story
Audiences love a Hero story. But the best story comes from learning how you worked tirelessly to solve a personal challenge. People will crave your insights and solutions. Acquire a template for identifying turning points in your Hero’s journey. Supercharge your Hero stories so you can inspire with passion.
Participants will hear actual examples of Hero narratives used by Toastmaster members delivering their workshops. These very successful workshops open with a micro story that was created using the technique and template prescribed in this session.
By attending this workshop, you will leave with a roadmap for how and why you should create your own Hero narrative story.
Presenter: Roman Smolak, DTM. Roman joined Toastmasters in 2006 and is an active trainer and workshop presenter. He has created and delivered over 50 workshops, including presentations at twelve D60 Conferences. For 22 years, Roman was an account manager selling software technology to Fortune 500 companies in Canada and the USA. His academic interests include Psychology, personal development, adult education, effective communication and sales coaching. Roman is also a charter member of Speaking From Experience Advanced Toastmasters.
SEE Your Way to Success – Learn a powerful visual strategy that keeps you moving towards your goal
We all have goals we want to reach whether it is writing a book, starting a business or being the best leader possible. Yet, 9 of 10 will not succeed according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology. The effort involved can be disheartening causing you to give up, leaving you feeling unworthy. But there is a power that lies in your eyes which, if you use to SEE your way to towards your goals – literally, will keep you moving towards your goals automatically.
In this workshop, you will learn about:
- The power that lies in your eyes that propels you to act
- Three things necessary to see in your goal pursuit journey
- How to apply a visual strategy that keeps you moving towards your goals
You will learn to create a visual plan that is fun to follow, substantially improving your chances of success.
Presenter: Shubha Amba, DTM: Shubha has a Master of Arts in Psychology who is keenly interested in behaviour change. Passionate about success, she firmly believes that everyone is capable of success. She is eager about sharing her knowledge with her audience to inspire them to release their inherent greatness. Author, writer and poet, Shubha has participated in multiple anthologies. Her interests also include dabbling in art, nature trips and keeping abreast of developments in neuroscience as it relates to behaviour and change.
Crack Your Excellence Code: Be All You Can Be
Do you want to:
– Live a life of excellence?
– Imagine the possibilities of a limitless life?
Attend this workshop to:
– Discover the impact of excellence in all levels of your life.
– Learn techniques to master self-management.
– Craft the right strategy to achieve excellence and be unlimited.
Presenter: Shukla Datta, DTM: A coach, trainer, author and a motivational speaker with over 20 years of experience in teaching, training and conducting workshops. She has a Master’s degree from Sheffield University, U.K and has taught Economics, Business Studies, and life skills. Her motivational book “LIVE LIFE LIKE NEVER BEFORE” and newly published “The MOJO of Relationships” have received enormous positive feedback from readers. As a passionate Toastmaster, she has visited TM clubs in many countries, taken roles in many TMI Conferences and has inspired toastmasters world-wide.
To review a recording of Shukla’s workshop click here.
