The Toast of Stuart - Toastmasters

06/16/2026

Another Great Morning at Toast of Stuart Toastmasters!

This week, members of the Toast of Stuart Toastmasters Breakfast Club explored the theme "Shifting the Lens," discussing how changing our perspectives can improve leadership, communication, and problem-solving.

Featured Speaker Sean Bovinett presented an engaging speech titled "Just Culture," introducing the concept of balancing accountability with learning when mistakes occur. Drawing from healthcare practices, Sean encouraged members to focus on understanding the root causes of mistakes and improving systems rather than simply assigning blame. Members reflected on how these principles can strengthen leadership in any profession.

During Table Topics, participants challenged themselves to think differently about customer perspectives, business innovation, and lessons learned from mentors and supervisors throughout their careers. As always, members demonstrated courage, creativity, and a willingness to grow through impromptu speaking.

Join us next Tuesday, June 23, as we explore the theme "Building the Future."

"Community is not just where you live, it's what you build together." — Anonymous

Through prepared speeches, Table Topics®, and supportive evaluations, we'll focus on how communication and leadership skills help us strengthen our workplaces, organizations, and communities.

Looking ahead to June 30, we'll continue our journey of growth with the theme "Precision and Polish."

"Details matter. They create the depth, and the depth creates the beauty." — Keith Urban

We'll focus on refining speeches, leadership strategies, and communication skills because the best leaders and communicators are continually learning and improving.

Stuart Public Library
111 Front Street, Stuart, Iowa

Every Tuesday | 8:00 – 9:00 a.m.

Guests are always welcome! Whether you're interested in becoming a more confident speaker, developing leadership skills, or connecting with others focused on personal growth, Toast of Stuart provides a supportive and encouraging environment to learn and grow.

We hope to see you at an upcoming meeting!

06/09/2026

Another great morning with the Toast of Stuart Toastmasters Breakfast Club!

Today's meeting focused on "The Power of Alignment" and featured a thought-provoking speech by Chris Siebrasse exploring the historical evolution of voting rights in the United States. Members also enjoyed lively Table Topics led by Karen Varley, sharing stories about favorite foods, memorable meals, and even a few adventurous culinary experiences!

A special thank you to:
Alan Wedemeyer for serving as Grammarian and introducing our Word of the Day: Convivial, is an adjective used to describe a person, atmosphere, or event that is friendly, lively, enjoyable, and fond of good company, food, and drink. It translates to a warm, festive, and sociable vibe.

Becky Gibson for bringing smiles as our Joke Master (she had to leave before our group photo!)

Katelyn Bovinett for keeping us on track as Timer
Sean Bovinett for providing a thoughtful and encouraging speech evaluation

One of the best parts of Toastmasters is the supportive environment where we grow as communicators, develop leadership skills, and build meaningful connections with one another.

Interested in improving your public speaking skills, becoming a more confident leader, or simply meeting a great group of people? We'd love to have you join us!

Stuart Public Library
Tuesdays, 8:00 – 9:00 a.m.

Guests are always welcome!

06/02/2026

Another great morning at Toast of Stuart Toastmasters!

This week's theme was "Embracing the Stretch" and our members certainly did just that.

We enjoyed an inspiring prepared speech from Karen Varley, an entertaining joke from Nate Westre, and a thought-provoking Table Topics session led by Chris Siebrasse that challenged us to imagine what career we might pursue if we couldn't do our current profession.

Our Word of the Day was "Innate," and members did a great job incorporating it throughout the meeting.

One of the best parts of Toastmasters is watching people step outside their comfort zones, develop confidence, improve communication skills, and support one another's growth. Every meeting is a little different, but there's always plenty of learning, laughter, and encouragement.

Thank you to everyone who joined us this morning!

Interested in improving your public speaking, leadership skills, or simply becoming more comfortable speaking in front of others? We'd love to have you visit.

Stuart Library/City Hall
Tuesdays, 8:00–9:00 AM

Guests are always welcome!

05/27/2026

Yesterday morning, the Toast of Stuart Toastmasters Breakfast Club held another engaging and encouraging meeting at the Stuart Public Library.

Our theme for the meeting was “Reading Between the Lines,” and members enjoyed:
• A powerful and intentionally inspirational speech from Alan Wedemeyer about growth, perseverance, and the lessons we can learn from agriculture and seed development
• A fun and creative progressive Table Topics session led by Karen Varley
• Great evaluations, humor, leadership discussion, and fellowship

We also held a special election and congratulate Sean Bovinett on being elected to another term as Vice President of Public Relations.

Thank you to everyone who attended and participated. Every meeting continues to build confidence, communication skills, leadership, and community connections.

Interested in improving your public speaking or leadership skills in a supportive environment? Join us Tuesday mornings from 8:00–9:00 a.m. at the Stuart Public Library.

Guests are always welcome.

05/19/2026

Toast of Stuart Toastmasters is proud to share the results of our recent Area Director visit from Toastmasters International!

We are honored to have received an overall rating of “Far Exceeds Expectations” with Exceptional scores for both Meeting Observation and Club Experience.

Highlights from the report included:
“Always so chipper and excited to see each other”
“Great club camaraderie”
“Always well organized and the meeting is run on time”
“Always on time and on schedule”
Recognition of our commitment to Pathways education, welcoming guests, and continued growth

This recognition belongs to every member who helps make Toast of Stuart such a positive, encouraging, and growth-focused club.

If you’ve ever thought about improving your speaking skills, leadership abilities, or confidence in a supportive environment, we’d love to have you visit!

05/19/2026

What a great morning at the Toast of Stuart Toastmasters Breakfast Club!

Today’s meeting was packed with leadership, learning, creativity, and plenty of laughter.

Highlights included:
A thoughtful and informative prepared speech from Warren Varley on public health awareness and pesticide notification concepts

A creative and unconventional Table Topics session led by Jodi Bassett, inspired by Odyssey of the Mind

Supportive evaluation and feedback from Sean Bovinett

Word of the Day: Intentional (which was used well throughout the meeting!)

A major highlight of the morning was our 2026–2027 officer elections, with a few close races, a runoff vote, and even some spirited Rock-Paper-Scissors tie-breakers!

Congratulations to our newly elected leadership team:
Karen Varley – President
Matt Funk – Vice President Education
Katelyn Bovinett – Vice President Membership
Nate Westre – Vice President Public Relations
Amanda Schwantes – Secretary
Becky Gibson – Treasurer
Lisa Sherman – Sergeant at Arms

Thank you to everyone who participated and continues helping build this club into a welcoming place for communication, leadership, and personal growth.

Interested in becoming a stronger speaker, leader, or communicator? Come join us on Tuesday mornings at the Stuart Public Library!

05/13/2026

Anyone else want to hear some great storytelling?

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04/18/2026

The Toast of Stuart held its first speech contest today! Thank you to Rose Acre Farms for sponsoring and Stuart Library for hosting!

04/14/2026

Great energy at this morning’s Toast of Stuart Breakfast Club!

We had a full room with strong participation, plenty of laughs, and some great growth moments. A highlight was Jodi Bassett’s Icebreaker speech, where she shared her story in a way that was both engaging and inspiring.

Table Topics brought out some creativity as members tackled fun questions like:
What superpower would you use at work?
What’s your most random skill?
What’s something that’s changed the way you think?

We also focused on today’s theme: The Power of Follow-Through
It’s not just about making decisions, it’s about sticking with them.

Reminder: Our local Speech Contest is this Saturday at 10:00 AM at the Stuart Public Library. Stop in and see what Toastmasters is all about!

If you’ve ever thought about improving your communication, building confidence, or just connecting with a great group of people, we’d love to have you join us.
Tuesdays | 8:00–9:00 AM
Stuart Public Library

Come check it out.

03/18/2026

Amanda Schwantes led us through this week’s meeting where Katelyn Bovinett delivered a psychology lesson that combined academics with personal insight. An expert evaluation by Alicia Penton multiplied the learning. We enjoyed an occupational-hazard joke from Sean Bovinett and memorable impromptu thoughts on luck from Ms Lisa and Dr Chris, proving that an hour with The Toast of Stuart - Toastmasters is always well spent. And that’s no grandiloquence, says grammarian Jodi.