TACOMA, WA – April 21, 2016—Canadian Entrepreneur and International Director for Regional 1 Toastmasters Margaret Page will keynote the April 29 to May 1 conference of District 32 Toastmasters, which will take place at LaQuinta Inn, Tacoma. The conference is open to the public.
Through self-paced educational programs, Toastmasters shed their fear of public speaking, while gaining organizational and leadership skills that help them progress in their professional and personal lives. District 32 encompasses Western Washington from Federal Way to Chehalis as well as the Kitsap, Key and Olympic Peninsulas, as well as clubs throughout Alaska.
In addition to her Toastmasters role, Margaret Page is an award-winning entrepreneur who has owned or co-owned nine companies within six industries in Canada and the United States. Her leadership and entrepreneurial skills have attracted invitations to use her time in government, charity and volunteer roles – which caused her to develop the following set of criteria for how she will invest her time, she said:
- Does this opportunity align with my principles? Will this work bring deeper meaning to my own life or the lives of others? Creating better opportunities aligns with my personal principles, so that question was important to me. I choose to work with organizations and agencies whose missions were close to my own vision, purpose, and view of the world.
- Will I work with people I enjoy? A good team of fellow volunteers can be the difference between a position you loathe and a position you love. Are your colleagues friendly, courteous, accountable? Are they respectful and open to new ideas or exploring their responsibilities in a different way? If you can imagine spending the entire day with your colleagues enjoying a board meeting, you might have found your team.
- Will I learn something or have a new experience? I love to learn — new experiences make life richer and more interesting. Tackling tasks and responsibilities you have never attempted helps you grow in ways that you might never have imagined.
- Can I make a difference? I don’t want to join a committee or board where I can’t provide something unique to the organization. If other community members or leaders have the same perspective, experience and contacts, what value would I be? I only agree to serve when I can bring a unique perspective or set of skills to the team. I feel my time is better spent that way and I believe others feel the same way as well.
Ms. Page has achieved the highest level of Toastmasters’ educational program, Distinguished Toastmaster. She led British Columbia’s Toastmasters District 21 from 2012 to 2013. She is serving as International Director of Region 1, which runs from Nebraska to Alaska, from 2015 to 2017.
Attendees at next week’s conference will be able to choose educational workshops on improving speech and leadership skills. The conference also will include a district business meeting, with International Speech and Evaluation contests in the evening. To register or find more information on District 32 Toastmaster visit d32.toastmastersdistricts.org. To find a club near you, visit www.toastmasters.org.