Toastmasters International -

Morag Mathieson, DTM

In August 2023, at the start of my term as International President, I encouraged everyone to rediscover who we are as Toastmasters, how we best serve the members of our clubs, and how we can be empowered to fulfil our potential.

The year has flown by and we have faced those opportunities. The Board of Directors has been exploring what Toastmasters International is in a post-pandemic world and guiding us toward a future where we are building on Dr. Smedley’s vision.

There are always highs and lows. Thankfully the lows have been few and far, outweighed by the highs.

I have joined club meetings around the world, both online and in person, including one where they asked me to read aloud my own Viewpoint article! I have seen members thrilled to win speech contests and others take bold steps into leadership, and I’ve seen others face disappointment when their plans didn’t work out. I’ve met guests and new members who saw the potential of Toastmasters and longtime members who had devoted much of their life to their development and service in Toastmasters.

Kindness leaves an impression on our hearts.

On visits to District conferences, many members rediscovered the joy of fellowship. I met a woman in Sri Lanka in her 80s who is one of the members testing our Pathways enhancements. For me she epitomizes the Toastmasters spirit: dedicated volunteers giving of themselves to ensure each member gets the best experience.

I was also struck by the kindness of our members: Allegra who drove me everywhere in Georgia; the District team in Sri Lanka who welcomed me at the airport in the middle of the night with flowers; Fiona in New Zealand who opened her home and let me do laundry; and Ian in Australia who had a bagpipe player bring the sound of my native Scotland to make me feel at home.

Acts of kindness are all around us.

Dorothy from the United Kingdom told me how she declined the invitation to be Area Director as she didn’t drive, and the clubs were not easy to reach. A club mate said they would drive her wherever she needed to go and so she became an Area Director.

Kindness leaves an impression on our hearts and makes us want to extend the same to others. Let us be kind whenever we can.

Thank you to all Toastmasters around the world, for the honor of serving as your International President. Let us shape the future of our world as we rediscover and develop ourselves, as we serve with kindness.