Voice of our (ex) members interview : Emilie

Can you introduce yourself and tell us how long you have been a member of the Toastmasters CN Collaborators club?

My name is Emilie. I am french and I love traveling and discovering places through food. After a first experience discovering Quebec during an student exchange program, I decided to settle down in Montréal in 2016. I joined the CN Collaborators Toastmasters club in January 2018.

Can you tell us what particular aspects of the club appealed to you when you chose a Toastmasters club ?

I wanted to take my time in order to chose the right club, so I visited several clubs. My choice was a no-brainer, I chose the last club I visited : CN Collaborators Club. The club met several criteria I had in mind : located downtown Montréal, bilingual, professionalism, welcoming. I still remember the warm welcome I received from Sabrya, the clear explanations from Simon, Loic’s humor, and Daniel’s charisma. (i.e. current and ex members of the club)

Do you have any surprising or funny anecdote that you recall from your time with our club ?

So many anecdotes to chose from… I still laugh thinking about Benoit’s speech about learning salsa dance, Loic’s improvisation describing a mysterious object from Sabrya’s laboratory or our Halloween party with our last minute costumes. I also remember one of Daniel’s speeches titled “No”, it was very inspiring.

You also held an executive role with the club ? Can you tell us a bit about the role you took ? What does the role consist in ?

It was an honor to have been VP Public Relations for our club. My role consisted in promoting our club towards our potential members and the Toastmasters community. I was in charge of the content for our club’s Facebook page and website. I also got the opportunity to organize several events for our club members. These events were the results of a great collaboration with our then VP Membership, Sabrya.

How would you describe your experience as an executive officer ?

The role came naturally to me, as I work as a communication professional. But I also learned a lot from my role with the club. I discovered some formalities in an non-profit organization, how to conduct a executive committee. I really enjoyed collaborating with the other executive officers, striving toward the club’s excellence.

Can you tell us about elements you found helpful in your personal or professional life, as a result of your Toastmasters experience with our club ?

At first, when one joins Toastmasters, the main objective is to improve our public speaking skills . However there is much more in store. I learned a lot with the evaluation roles. This allowed me to provide much more “diplomatic” and constructive feedback  to my peers.

To our club’s guests or readers, what piece of advice would you like to tell them about the Toastmasters experience ?  

Go for it ! In any case, you will learn something from your Toastmasters experience. What’s more, you will meet some extraordinary persons along the way.

And what about our club ?

At the CN Collaborator’s club, you will discover a multicultural club with members coming from very diverse backgrounds (science, IT, finance, artistes, etc.) . Being welcoming and kind are two of the club’s main values .

Last question : any message you would like to share with current CN Collaborators Club ?

CN Collaborators Toastmasters is and will always be my favorite club. I love your mindset and the atmosphere you can feel every monday evening. Keep it up !

Thank you Emilie !

 

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