The Perpetual Student

Category: Toastmasters

  • Toastmasters Elite Triple Crown Recipient

    Toastmasters Elite Triple Crown Recipient

    Excited to share that I’ve been awarded the Toastmasters Triple Crown for the 2023–2024 year – a milestone that celebrates my dedication to growth in communication and leadership.

    Toastmasters District 57 Elite Triple Crown Recipient for Duane Leem

    What is the Toastmasters Triple Crown?

    The Triple Crown is a recognition awarded by Toastmasters International to members who complete three or more educational achievements within a single program year (July 1 to June 30). For the 2023–2024 year, I earned this award by completing multiple Pathways projects focused on both communication and leadership. It reflects the consistent effort I’ve put into improving as a speaker, a leader, and a lifelong learner—both inside and outside the club.

    How Do You Earn the Triple Crown?

    To earn the Triple Crown in Toastmasters, a member must complete three or more educational awards within a single program year (July 1 – June 30). These awards are part of the Pathways learning experience, which includes various paths focused on public speaking, leadership, and personal development.

    Each path is made up of multiple levels, and each level has specific projects—such as giving speeches, leading meetings, mentoring others, or managing projects. Completing a level counts as one educational award. So, when a member completes three levels (or a mix of levels across different paths), they qualify for the Triple Crown.

    It’s not just about checking boxes—it reflects consistent effort, goal-setting, and active involvement in club and district activities.

    Why the Triple Crown Matters

    Earning the Triple Crown isn’t just about completing projects—it’s a milestone that reflects commitment, consistency, and growth. It shows that a member is actively working to sharpen both their communication and leadership skills.

    It also often means stepping outside of comfort zones: delivering speeches, taking on leadership roles, mentoring others, and leading initiatives within a club or district. The Triple Crown is a recognition of someone who’s not just participating in Toastmasters—but truly thriving in the program and pushing themselves to grow.

    For many, it’s also a sign of momentum toward bigger goals, like becoming a Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM), taking on district leadership roles, or becoming a professional speaker or trainer.

    ✉️ Contact Duane
  • Hybrid Clubs: Essential Portable Tech

    Hybrid Clubs: Essential Portable Tech

    I’ve held various leadership roles across multiple groups and faced a common challenge: how do we set up a hybrid club?

    In this blog post, I’ll share the equipment used by each of the clubs I’ve supported, organized by club.

    Toastmasters Club w/ Monitors

    This Toastmasters club has a great facility. It’s located at a large corporate office. We are given the opportunity to use their largest conference room which included two large TV’s.

    At each meeting, we have the following we bring with us at minimum:

    For the best experience, when I can make it in-person I bring the additional tech separately as a bonus:

    • 1 Computer
    • 1 iPad Pro

    I will describe these items in each section.

    Computer

    Our Configuration

    The computer we use at the podium is a Macbook Pro 16. Though, it could be any laptop that has the capacity to use Zoom.

    We place the laptop right on the podium so that the speaker can also look at the audience on Zoom and also everyone in-person.

    If you’re looking for a laptop, check out the following for great deals:

    Speakers

    Our Macbook Pro 16 speakers are so loud the entire conference room can hear. This helped us decide that we did not need an external speaker.

    iPad

    Seeing Audience Members

    We can see the speaker with no problem, but how about the audience members?

    In addition to having a laptop, we bring an iPad as well. The goal using the iPad is to capture our audience. We position the iPad at the back of the conference room. It enables our Toastmasters on Zoom to see not just the current speaker, but all of the audience in the room.

    This setup doesn’t necessarily require an iPad, it could be an Android device. More importantly, as long as the device can log on through Zoom and broadcast that out on the Internet, that’ll work.

    Here are several sources you could get an inexpensive iPad or other tablets that will do just fine:

    AI Zoom-In and Auto-Follow

    When I can make it in-person, I bring my iPad Pro. An awesome feature that the iPad Zoom application can do is use AI-features, such as following the speaker and automatically Zoom in. It’s not available on all iPads, but certainly available on the newer models.

    Microphone

    We use 2 wireless lavalier microphones that are connected to their USB base.

    PQRQP 3 in 1 Wireless Lavalier Microphones

    Click here if you want to buy the same lavalier microphones we use.

    Configurations

    Under $400

    The following portable configuration for under $400

    TitlePriceDescription
    Laptop$199HP 15.6 inch Windows Laptop Intel Processor N200
    Lavalier Mics$29.99PQRQP 3 in 1 Wireless Lavalier Microphones
    Tablet$169.99Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+

    The Total: $398.98 (not including tax)

    There’s not much horsepower with this setup. However, this will work as long as you set up your equipment 20-30 minute in advance before your meeting.

    Successful Hybrid Clubs

    Clubs I have attended who have nailed this down successfully:

    Contact Me

    If you have any questions or suggestions to enhance this post, I’d love to hear from you.

    Contact Duane
  • Achieved Distinguished Toastmaster

    Achieved Distinguished Toastmaster

    I am thrilled to announce that I have earned the Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) designation, a milestone that marks the culmination of years of dedication and growth.

    How It Began

    From the start, I recognized the importance of mastering public speaking, especially as I took on leadership roles. In 2018, a friend introduced me to Toastmasters, and I saw it as the perfect avenue to enhance my communication and leadership skills.

    Since joining, I have embraced every opportunity to grow, serving in all Toastmasters Club Officer roles and stepping into challenging positions such as Area Director and Division Director. These experiences pushed me beyond my comfort zone and allowed me to lead and inspire hundreds of fellow Toastmasters on their own journeys.

    With the support and guidance of many mentors and fellow Toastmasters, I reached significant milestones along the way, culminating in the achievement of the Distinguished Toastmaster designation.

    Milestones Achieved

    Throughout my journey to achieving DTM, I’ve accomplished the following, among many other milestones:

    • Served all Creating Communicators Club Officer Roles
    • 3 Toastmaster Pathways
      • Innovative Planning
      • Persuasive Influence
      • Team Collaboration
      • Distinguished Toastmaster
    • Speech Craft Coordinator
    • Area Director
    • Division Director
    • Club Coach for Swift Plaza
    • DTM Project (Program Phoenix) – See our project website
    • Mentored several Toastmasters
    • Provided officer training at District Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) Events
      • VP of Public Relations
      • VP of Membership

    Looking Ahead

    I am deeply grateful for the experiences I’ve had and the many people who have supported me on this path. While earning the DTM designation is a significant accomplishment, I know there is still much to learn.

    As a new Distinguished Toastmaster, I am eager to apply the skills I’ve developed to excel in all areas of my life. I am committed to paying forward the guidance and support I’ve received by helping others achieve their goals.

    Thank you to everyone who has been part of my journey. Your support has been invaluable, and I look forward to continuing this journey of growth and contribution.

    Connect with Duane

  • Our New 2023 Word Weavers Officers

    Our New 2023 Word Weavers Officers

    In my esteemed role as the Division B Director for Toastmasters District 57, I was bestowed the distinguished honor of inaugurating the new cadre of Club Officers for Word Weaver Toastmasters. This esteemed occasion marked the start of an exciting chapter in the club’s journey towards excellence.

    • President -Suzanne Yorkunas
    • VP Ed – Duayne Weiler
    • VP Membership – Vince Gregory
    • VP PR – Ana Boa-Ventura
    • Club Treasurer – Marc Ventura
    • SAA – Matt Zajek
    • Secretary – Paul Yearby

    Word Weaver Toastmasters convenes both physically and digitally, embracing a hybrid meeting format. To learn more about their gatherings, I encourage you to explore their official website at:

    https://400.toastmastersclubs.org/

  • Toastmasters VP of Membership Training

    Toastmasters VP of Membership Training

    A heartfelt thank you for your active engagement in the Toastmasters District 57 Leadership Institute’s Vice President of Membership session! To facilitate your continued learning, we have curated and attached resources related to today’s discussion topics right here for your easy reference.

    About the Toastmasters VP of Membership

    Platforms & Tools

    These are platforms you can use to interact with your potential members:

    Membership Kits

    Give the following to potential members.

    Membership Communication

    Membership Building Activities

    Work with your VP of Education and Public Relations

    Payment Providers

    Typically the Treasurer processes the payments. However, you need to be able to offer the convenience of payments using modern payment method tools. I’ve listed several that can help you and your Treasurer.

    Artificial Intelligence Tools

    The following AI tools can help you build content for your role:

    Additional Resources

  • Cybersecurity Awareness: Hardware Two-Factor Authentication

    Cybersecurity Awareness: Hardware Two-Factor Authentication

    This is a supplement to the presentation I have just given at Toastmasters. In this blog post I will provide the presentation and as well as the links mentioned from my speech.

    Have You Been Hacked?

    See if you have been hacked from

    Check at: Have I Been Pwned

    Password Managers

    Below are Password Managers I’ve used. I have personally used the first two from the list:

    Hardware Two Factor Authentication

    In my presentation I have shown the Titan Key. However, there is also Yubikey which is also excellent.

    Links to Resources

  • District 57 Speakers Bureau Website

    District 57 Speakers Bureau Website

    I am absolutely thrilled to announce the successful completion and deployment of the District 57 Speakers Bureau website. This milestone was achieved through months of hard work, creative thinking, and a deep commitment to the Toastmasters ethos of enhancing communication, leadership and fostering positive change.

    This website stands as a testament to the collective efforts of the District 57 Speakers Bureau committee members who have put in countless hours, providing insightful feedback, crafting engaging content, and giving careful thought to the design to ensure it’s both visually appealing and user-friendly. Their collective efforts have allowed us to create a platform that truly represents our Speakers Bureau and its values.

    The final version of the website showcases not only the diverse and dynamic members of the Speakers Bureau but also acts as a resource for potential guests, prospective members, and organizations who are keen on engaging with our highly skilled speakers. We trust that this platform will further enable our Bureau to extend our reach, showcase our talent, and continue to promote excellence in public speaking and leadership.

    So, it’s with great pleasure that I extend my deepest gratitude to all those who contributed to this project. Your time, talent, and dedication have truly paid off. As we continue to evolve and grow as a Bureau, I have no doubt that this website will serve as a crucial tool in our mission.

    Once again, thank you, and I invite you all to explore our newly launched website and witness firsthand the results of our shared efforts.

    District 57 Speakers Bureau Website

  • Toastmasters Pathways Persuasive Influence 5 Completion

    Toastmasters Pathways Persuasive Influence 5 Completion

    I am so excited to share that I have finished the Toastmasters Pathways Persuasive Influence 5 journey 😊

    My High Performance Leadership (HPL) project was to manage an Area Contest for B27. I needed to gain the appropriate stakeholders to help me succeed in running a great event.

    I am very grateful for all those who helped me in my project and also all my fellow Toastmasters who helped me go through the this Pathway. It was a fun journey.

    I’m looking forward to my next Pathway and journey at Toastmasters. I have learned so much in communication and leadership skills.

    Thank you Toastmasters!

  • Completed Innovative Planning Pathway

    Completed Innovative Planning Pathway

    I finished the full Innovative Planning Pathway from Toastmasters!

    I remember starting on the Toastmasters education on May 2018 at Creating Communicators (Antioch Lone Tree Kaiser). I started looking to improve my public speaking skills. Mainly, I felt I didn’t have the courage to be in front of so many people.

    Along the way I have made public speeches in several cities and meetups. Toastmasters has helped me improve so much. I will continue to improve and help others as well at Toastmasters.

  • Innovative Planning 4: Manage Projects Successfully

    Innovative Planning 4: Manage Projects Successfully

    I’ve just completed a Toastmasters speech on my level 4 project in the Pathway project: Manage Projects Successfully

    I’ve reported to my club on the current project status. I have that currently conveyed from the following handout:

    Speech Handout on 20190702
    Project: Responsive Website

    During my speech, I’ve covered the following:

    • Project Phases
    • Software Engineers involved.
    • Theme template that will be used with the project.

    I received positive feedback. There are some additional items I need to work on (such as ensuring that everyone understands the technical aspects of the project). I will be incorporating this in future speeches.

    For full information about this project, please visit the project status page.