HONORING WONDERFUL WOMEN
As I type this, I’m sitting in the lobby of Ellsworth Elementary Middle School in Ellsworth, Maine, having just spoken at two middle school assemblies.
I was hired by principal April Clifford, a delightful leader with a sign on her desk that reads 'CHAOS COORDINATOR.'
Ellsworth School Department Superintendent Amy Boles, and her Assistant Superintendent Nicole Chan attended and I told them both how much I appreciate women in leadership.
Lest anyone think that I am being condescending, I am not. In the past, I have been misunderstood. I truly value women in leadership, having worked under the leadership of women for significant portions of my professional career, and seeing my late mother display leadership all her life.
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Meeting these wonderful women immediately brought to mind the 2023 Toastmasters International Convention held in The Bahamas earlier this month. The convention left me both exhausted and excited.
Exhausted because I wore several hats during the 4-day event:
·?????? Voice of God/Announcer
·?????? Roundtable Panelist
·?????? Showcase Moderator
·?????? Interviewee
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More importantly, I’m REALLY EXCITED because WONDERFUL WOMEN took center stage at the event.
·?????? Morag Mathieson from M?hrendorf, Germany was elected International President.
·?????? Radhi Spear of Piscataway, New Jersey, USA was elected International President-Elect.
·?????? Aletta Rochat of Cape Town, South Africa was elected First Vice President.
·?????? Yolett McPhee-McCuin ‘Coach Yo’ received the Golden Gavel, Toastmasters most prestigious award, presented to an individual distinguished in the fields of communication and leadership.
·?????? Lisa Nichols, author, speaker and entrepreneur, delivered the Keynote Address.
领英推荐
·?????? THREE women earned the Accredited Speaker designation, an indication of subject matter mastery and professional speaking skills. From left to right:
·?????? ?????? Dale Rees-Bevan of Australia
·?????? ?????? Stephanie Angelo of the USA
·?????? ?????? Verity Price of South Africa
·?????? Women took the top three places in the World Championship of Public Speaking.
·?????? ?????? 3rd – Maryam Ganni from Canada (left)
·?????? ?????? 2nd – Nisha Shivram from Qatar (right)
·?????? ?????? 1st – Jocelyn Tyson from the USA (center)
This is the first time that this has occurred since Toastmasters was founded in 1924!
TRULY HISTORIC!
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I admire, respect, and applaud them ALL!
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No doubt the accomplishments of all these wonderful women will inspire young women from all over the world to stand up, speak up, and stand out.
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And THAT excites me!
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TEDx Speaker/Coach| Empowering Leaders to Communicate with Impact | Author
1 年This was a wonderful interview with tons of insight into what goes in to creating those winning speeches. Excellent!
Lori Robertson I think you will appreciate this article. ??????
Professional Speaker, Communications Catalyst & Coach, Mentor, Motivator
1 年Thank you, Mark,for highlighting all these women achievers. So good to see them winning solely because of their outstanding abilities and talents.
Kathy Draper Coaching - Professional Speaker??, Coach ??and Presenter??
1 年Thank goodness for the leaders ahead of us help us to grow!! I loved the amount of women but the diversity also. It was delightful to finally meet you Mark and also meet many of these amazing women!
I encourage people to find their voice and use it to change their lives and the world!
1 年It was beautiful and so inspiring to witness! ??????????????????