12/03/2026
The road to becoming a better communicator starts with showing up!
At our recent Victoria Park Toastmasters Club Open Day, 30 members and guests came together to practise speaking, support one another, and take the next step in their communication journey.
A special thank you to Drew, our Sergeant-at-Arms, for ensuring everything ran smoothly behind the scenes, and to Eugene, our Toastmaster of the Evening, who guided us through an engaging programme centred on the theme “Courage.”
Congratulations to Mariana Paliu for achieving her Level 4 certificate in the Persuasive Influence Pathway. A remarkable milestone in her Toastmasters Journey.
A highlight of the evening was Rekha JS’s Icebreaker speech, “Finding My Voice,” delivered with sincerity and courage.
We also enjoyed Karen Passamani’s dramatic and entertaining speech, “My Knights in Soggy Clothes,” recounting a moment when two unexpected “knights” in rain-soaked clothes came to her rescue.
Sahar Kavousi’s powerful speech, “When Nervous Means It Matters,” reminded us that confidence is not the absence of fear, but the willingness to act despite it.
In his inspiring talk, Jagan Rama Sendren shared a simple framework for building confidence through speaking up: T – Turn Up; B – Believe; A – Articulate.
We also heard from Coelus, whose speech “The Power of Pausing” showed how a well-timed pause can strengthen a message and help audiences absorb meaning.
A Toastmasters meeting would not be complete without constructive feedback. Thank you to our evaluators Mariela Calizaya, Drew and Denise for their thoughtful insights to help our speakers grow.
Our lively Table Topics session, led by Mariana Paliu and evaluated by Keith, gave members and guests the chance to practise speaking off the cuff.
We were also delighted to welcome Tony Herbert, Deputy Principal of Canning College. Tony and Mariana Paliu are exploring opportunities to support young students in developing communication and presentation skills.
Events like this demonstrate that Toastmasters is not just a public speaking club, but a supportive community where people encourage each other to grow.
If you’ve ever thought about becoming a more confident speaker or leader, we warmly invite you to visit Victoria Park Toastmasters Club – a fast growing club of passionate speakers from diverse backgrounds. Send us a message! We’d love to hear from you.
