Author Archives: Vancore Toastmasters
Time’s Up
In the old days of variety shows, they gave you the hook. At the Oscars, they cue the get-off-the-stage music—and then if you keep going they cut the power to your mike. At VanCore, longwinded speakers are “clapped down” if … Continue reading
Toast of the Club
The “toast” is becoming a lost skill, almost a relic from another era, like the battle’s-eve speech to the troops or a sales pitch for gaslight. Toasts are still part of Toastmasters, of course — we’d have to change our … Continue reading
End of joke: laugh here
We all appreciate people who can reliably bring the funny. Most of us can bring the funny ourselves, occasionally. But humour is like a bird in the wild. It sings when it thinks it’s alone. When it knows it’s being … Continue reading
Senses Working Overtime
Angela was wearing big groovy sunglasses as she stepped up to run Table Topics this week. Turns out this was more function than fashion: she was recovering from eye surgery. “It’s amazing how when you take away vision your other … Continue reading
“Moments Of Truth”
Announcement Please note that the Vancore Toastmaster’s meeting held on Sept. 11th will be devoted to a Moments of Truth session and will not be a typical meeting, for those looking to attend as guests. What is Moments of Truth? … Continue reading
Live from Maple Ridge, it’s Lorne
Lorne, Vancore’s new secretary, once got a tweet from Steve Martin — that Steve Martin. Lorne was chuffed, until he realized there had been a mistake. The comedian thought he was tweeting Lorne Michaels. You could say this was the … Continue reading
“Why Are You Here?”
It all started with tears – a meltdown by Niki’s young child that led to temporary chaos, a forgotten briefcase, and a forced last-minute change to the regularly scheduled programming. The result was that Niki showed up to this week’s … Continue reading
Guts. Glory. Nick.
“Who here has seen the film Anchorman?” asked Nick from the podium. A few nods of ascent, one muttered affirmation of “Classic!” from Lorne. “So, for those who haven’t, Will Ferrell jumps in to a bear pit to sort out … Continue reading
When Opportunity Knocks…
At busy Toastmaster Clubs like VanCore, the speaking roster often fills up quickly. You snooze, you lose. But that doesn’t mean spaces don’t sometimes open up at the last minute. It’s like getting a call back from the restaurant French … Continue reading
Meet Your Executive
As this week’s meeting wound up and another VanCore election was in the books, our fearless new leader Katherine (Kate) Hallanzy announced she was heading over to Murchie’s for tea and who would like to join her? “Looks like the … Continue reading
VanCore Toastmasters 