First Impressions Toastmasters Hamilton

11/10/2026

Things I've learned along the way... Toastmaster Genevieve led a fabulous meeting on Thursday 8 October. She shared some key learnings from thought leaders who have influenced her, including Brene Brown, Carl Jung, Marcus Aurelius and Aristotle. We also had a fabulous speech from Donald about brain plasticity and how we can develop new skills through intentional practice. Selwyn also jumped in with an amusing musing that entertained us and reminded us what a great club we have! No wonder we had three guests coming to visit, hopefully they will join as members too! Congratulations to our winners.

03/10/2026

🐾 Lessons from our dog Daisy!

What can our four-legged friends teach us about how we live, work and connect with others?

At our October 1st meeting, Nanise challenged us to think about the lessons we can learn from Daisy — including one simple but powerful question:

What if we greeted everyone the way our dogs greet us every single time they see us? 🐶

Wouldn’t that change the way we connect with people?

We were also entertained and challenged by a thought-provoking speech from Eloise: “What if Gen Z is right?” Not politically right, but right about the way they often prioritise life, relationships and what really matters.

And in a Toastmasters first for us, every person at the meeting participated in Table Topics! From confident speakers to those still finding their feet, everyone had a chance to have a go. 🎤

That’s what we love about our club — a supportive place to practise, learn, laugh, challenge yourself and grow in confidence.

✨ Curious about Toastmasters? Come along next week and see what we're all about. You might be surprised by how much you enjoy it!

26/09/2026

The fringe benefits of ageing. Toastmaster Laura led us through a wonderful theme for the week of 24 September, reminding us of the perspective we have as we age. Laura shared some profound thoughts of things she's learnt on her journey, and pointed out the many positive things to celebrate about having the wisdom of experience in our lives.

We were also entertained by two similarly themed speeches: Jude Gallagher spoke about "I'm sending you a meta-message" and Tania Ratu delivered "Communication and charisma".

So much valuable content to learn and grow from - if you're thinking of coming along as a guest, now is the time, this is your sign! Don't wait until you've aged, join us on your next available Thursday morning!

21/09/2026

How to hook your audience was the theme of the week for 17 September. Amin lead the group as toastmaster, sharing 5 useful tips related to making your content engaging.

14/09/2026

Another example of a powerful speech.

This one was delivered by the Headmaster of St Paul’s Collegiate School in Hamilton. It’s about having something meaningful to say and connecting with your audience.

14/09/2026

Ombudsman John Allen spoke at Tūrangawaewae during Koroneihana on September 3rd. He delivered an impassioned speech in an environment that was unfamiliar to him, showing that it’s not about getting everything perfect. When you speak with genuine heart and conviction, your words can be powerful.

John Allen, Chief Ombudsman, NZ, speaks at Turangawaewae, the Koron...

13/09/2026

Table Topics Tips: What to say when your brain says nothing! That was the topic for this week's Toastmaster. We had three fantastic speeches including two icebreakers from our newest members. The tips we focused on to help with finding things to say were these three:
💡 The question is a prompt, not an exam question. You don't have to give the answer you think is expected — find a connection and take the audience somewhere interesting.

💡 Narrate the blankness. When your brain goes completely blank, say so! A little humour or honesty buys you time — and often gets your brain moving again.

💡 Tell a story, don’t give a report. Facts and opinions are fine, but a story gives your audience something to picture — and something to remember.

The aim isn't to have the perfect answer. It's to give your audience something worth listening to.

05/09/2026

HOT DRINKS! ☕️ Things got a little steamy at our latest Toastmasters meeting.

Our theme was “Hot Drinks”, and Kelsey certainly brought the heat.

There were plenty of hot topics, warm welcomes and two rather brew-tiful speeches by Ian and Suresh. Kelsey raised the stakes by offering a prize for the best hot-drink-related pun — lots of people gave it a chai, but Amin had it in the (tea)bag with:

“You mean a latte to me.” ☕️😂

The awards went to Ian (speech) Jude (words) Nanise (evaluation), Warren (table topics) and Donald (achiever)

23/08/2026

CONTEST WEEK! This week we held the humourous speech competition, and Table Topics contest. We had two hilarous speeches by Selwyn and Geoff, and five contestants for the Table Topics. Congratulations to everyone who got out there and gave it a go! Selwyn and Eloise are our winners who advance to the next round! It was a great experience for the contestants, as well as all those who played roles in hosting, time-keeping, judging and score-keeping. All of the practice in these positions is great experience and life skills.

16/08/2026

SORTED! August is Money Month, and Eloise lead us on an informative theme based around the ins and outs of making money work for you! We also had three fabulous speeches which reminded us how rich and special our club is. Jude shared a profound icebreaker speech, unpacking the idea, "Who am I?". Nanise explored her thoughts around perspectives, and Geoff shared some inspirational words including how thoughts are clouds that come and go, and we can practice mindfully noticing them without being affected by them. What a way to start a Thursday!