Ever started a class, a course, or a program and felt like it was designed for someone completely different from you? Pathways is Toastmasters International’s answer to the opposite problem — an education program built to bend around your goals, not the other way around.
It’s the curriculum behind everything you’ll do at Glen Abbey Toastmasters, from your very first speech to the moment you’re mentoring someone else through theirs.
How Pathways Is Built
You Choose Your Own Path. Rather than one-size-fits-all lessons, Pathways offers a selection of learning paths, each built around a different theme — from persuasive speaking to leadership development to motivating others. An online assessment helps point you toward the paths that best match your goals, though you’re always free to choose whichever one interests you most.
Five Levels, Always Building. Every path is structured the same way underneath: five levels of increasing complexity, so you’re constantly building on what you learned in the level before. It starts with mastering the fundamentals and works up toward genuinely demonstrating expertise.
Base Camp Puts It All at Your Fingertips. Pathways lives online in a system called Base Camp, where you’ll find project materials, speech outlines, evaluation forms, videos, and interactive tools. Prefer paper in hand? Select materials are also available in print. However you like to learn, the program meets you there.
What You’ll Actually Develop
Real Communication Skills. Each project in a path zeroes in on a specific, practical skill — how to structure a message, how to persuade an audience, how to tell a story that actually lands. You’re not memorizing theory; you’re practicing the exact things you’ll use in a meeting, a pitch, or a conversation next week.
Genuine Leadership Ability. Leadership, at its core, is the art of getting people to work with you toward something. Pathways builds this right alongside your speaking skills — you’ll practice organizing, coordinating, and guiding others, skills that carry directly into club roles, workplace projects, and beyond.
A Sense of Momentum. Because levels build on each other and completions are recognized along the way, you always know where you stand and what’s next. It’s a structured climb, not an open-ended slog — most members find that clarity keeps them motivated long after the initial excitement of joining wears off.
How Glen Abbey Makes It Easier
You’re Never Doing It Alone. New members are paired with a mentor for their first few speeches — someone to answer your questions and help you make sense of Base Camp before you’re navigating it solo..
Feedback From People Who’ve Been There. Every project you complete gets real, thoughtful evaluation from fellow members — many of whom have worked through the exact same projects themselves and remember what tripped them up.
A Club Built Around the Program. Our meeting structure — from Table Topics to prepared speeches to formal evaluations — exists specifically to give you regular, low-pressure reps at the skills Pathways is asking you to build. The program and the club work together, not as two separate things you’re juggling.
Your Path Starts With One Project
You don’t need to have your whole journey mapped out to begin. Most members start with a single project — often called the Ice Breaker — and let the rest of the path reveal itself as they go.
Ever wished you could speak up in a meeting without your heart racing? Or pictured yourself walking into a room and actually commanding it, instead of hoping nobody calls on you?
That confident version of you isn’t a personality trait some people are born with and others aren’t. It’s a skill. And at Glen Abbey Toastmasters, it’s one you build step by step, at your own pace, surrounded by people who genuinely want to see you succeed.
What Confident Voice Really Means
It’s Not About Being Loud. Confidence isn’t volume — it’s clarity. It’s knowing what you want to say and trusting yourself to say it, whether you’re in a boardroom, at a family dinner, or giving a toast at a wedding.
It Shows Up Everywhere, Not Just On Stage. The confidence you build here doesn’t stay in the meeting room. Members tell us it shows up in job interviews, difficult conversations, client pitches, and even just speaking up in a crowded room without the usual knot in their stomach.
It’s Built, Not Found. You don’t need to feel confident before you start. You need to start, and the confidence catches up. That’s the whole model — practice first, feeling follows.
Why Our Club
A Close-Knit Group, On Purpose. With around 20 members, we’ve kept things intentionally small. You’ll get real opportunities to participate and grow — nobody disappears into the back row here.
A Track Record That Speaks for Itself. We’ve proudly held President’s Distinguished Club status — the highest honor in the Toastmasters Distinguished Club Program — year after year. That’s not a badge we chase for its own sake; it reflects the quality of experience our members actually have.
Professional, Friendly, and Genuinely Fun. We’re known for a supportive learning atmosphere — the kind of place where it’s safe to try something, stumble a little, and grow from it. Nobody’s grading you against perfection.
How Confidence Actually Builds Here
Small Roles First. New members don’t get handed a speech assignment on day one. You’ll start with simpler roles — Table Topics participant, Quizmaster, Grammarian — low-stakes ways to get comfortable being “on” in front of the room.
Real, Constructive Feedback. After every prepared speech, a fellow member delivers a thoughtful evaluation. Not criticism — coaching. It’s this steady stream of honest, kind feedback that puts you on the fast track to real improvement.
A Structured Path Forward. Within your first few weeks, you’re introduced to the Toastmasters Pathways program, a self-paced curriculum that guides you from your very first “Ice Breaker” speech through increasingly ambitious projects — always at a pace that works for you.
Your Voice Is Already In There
You don’t need to arrive as a polished speaker. You just need to show up. The club, the structure, and the people around you do the rest — one meeting, one small win, one slightly-less-nervous moment at a time.
Glen Abbey Toastmasters kicks off our new season on September 2nd, and we’d love for you to be here. Whether you’ve been curious about Toastmasters for months (or years — no judgment) or you just discovered us, September is the perfect time to walk through the door for the first time.
We’ve got a calendar packed with themed meetings, speech projects, leadership opportunities, and yes, more than a few laughs.
What Actually Happens When You Show Up
No Pressure, Just Watch – As a guest, you’re welcome to simply sit back and take it all in. Nobody’s going to hand you a microphone before you’re ready.
Jump In If You Feel Brave – Curious what it’s like to think on your feet? Table Topics gives guests the option to try a one-minute impromptu speech. Totally optional — but a lot of people surprise themselves.
A Room Full of People Who Get It. With around 20 members, we’re intentionally close-knit. You won’t get lost in the crowd, and you won’t be the only new face for long — September brings a whole wave of newcomers just like you.
Making It Official
Attend Up To Three Meetings For Free. Lots of time to check us out before you deciding if we are the right club for you.
Getting Started Is Simple. Once you become a member, our Vice President of Education will help you find your footing in the Toastmasters Pathways program right from week one.
A Mentor Has Your Back. Once you do join, you’re paired with a mentor for your first few speeches — someone to answer questions and cheer you on as you get your footing.
Your Confident Voice Is Waiting
September 2nd isn’t just another meeting on the calendar — it’s a natural on-ramp. A whole club of people who once felt exactly the way you might feel right now, standing at the door, wondering if they should walk in.
Glen Abbey Toastmasters held the Club International Speech and Table Topics Contests on February 4, 2026. The evening was filled with engaging speeches, quick thinking, and great energy. The contests were led by our Contest Chair, Zakaria Sekhri.
International Speech Contest
We had three contestants in the International Speech Contest and heard a range of eye opening, thoughtful and humorous speeches on diverse topics. The speakers demonstrated strong storytelling, clear messaging, and confident delivery.
The first- and second-place winners will advance to compete at the Area Contest.
International Speeches are original speeches lasting 5–7 minutes and may be delivered on any subject. They can be serious, humorous, or inspirational. The International Speech Contest is held at the Club, Area, Division, District, and International levels.
Congratulations to the winners! 🥇 Vijay Luxmi | 🥈 Lori O’Grady | 🥉 Pramela Nair Panthallore
Table Topics Contest
The Table Topics Contest challenged contestants to think on their feet as they responded to an impromptu question. Each speaker delivered a concise and engaging response, showcasing clarity, creativity, and composure under pressure. The first- and second-place winners will advance to the Area Contest.
Table Topics responses are 1–2 minutes in length. All contestants answer the same question, making this contest a true test of impromptu speaking skills. The Table Topics Contest is held at the Club, Area, Division, and District levels.
Congratulations to the winners! 🥇 Kathy Bullock | 🥈 Nilumi Vinodahewa | 🥉 Lori O’Grady
Join Us for Our Club Speech & Table Topics Contests 🎙️
We are excited for the Club’s International Speech Contest and Table Topics Contest, an evening that celebrates clear thinking, compelling ideas, and confident delivery.
Experience the excitement of fast-paced Table Topics, where speakers think on their feet, followed by prepared speeches designed to inform, inspire, and move the audience. Each speech reflects a key milestone in a Toastmasters journey and offers valuable takeaways for everyone attending.
Whether you’re competing, cheering on a speaker, or simply curious about Toastmasters, we invite you to join us and experience the energy, growth, and camaraderie firsthand.
Get Ready for the Area Tall Tales Contest – May 21!
Mark your calendars! The laughter continues at the Area Tall Tales Contest happening on May 21 at 7:30 PM at the Tarafalgarh Community Centre.
Join us for an evening of over-the-top storytelling, creative exaggeration, and unforgettable performances by top speakers from across our area—including our very own Lori O’Grady and Jing Chen, winners of the GATM club contest!
Come cheer them on, get inspired, and enjoy a night of fun and fellowship.
What a night of wild imagination and laughter! Congratulations to Lori O’Grady, our 1st place winner, and Jing Chen the runner-up, for their outstanding storytelling performances!
Both Lori and Jing will represent GTAM at the upcoming Tall tale area Contest—let’s cheer them on! Huge thanks to all participants and volunteers for making this event a tall-tale success!
Glen Abbey Toastmasters held the 2024 Evaluation and International Speech Contests on November 27, 2024. With a full house of members and guests, the contest was a great night of listening to evaluations and speeches. Contest Chair Zakaria Sekhri led the evenings two contests.
International Speech Contest
We had three contestants for our International Speech Contest, and we heard amazing speeches about Why Not Me, Time Travel, and Mistaken identities. First and second place winners will compete in the Area Cotnests in January 2025.
International speeches are original speeches of 5-7 minutes. They can be given on any subject, and can be serious, funny, or inspirational. The International Speech Contest is held at the Club, Area, Division, District, and International level, and as it goes all the way to the International level,
Congratulations Kathy Bullock 1st Place – 2024 International Speech Contest
Congratulations Krista Rowan 2nd Place – 2024 International Speech Contest
Evaluation Contest
Thanks to our Test Speaker for the Evaluation Contest – Doug Flowers from Horizon Toastmasters. First and second place winners will compete in the Area Cotnests in January 2025.
Evaluations are 2 to 3 minutes in length. All of the evaluation contestants must evaluate the same speech, so a test speaker from outside the club is brought in to present one speech to the entire group. The contestants are then taken from the room and given five minutes to prepare their evaluations. Then they come back into the room, and one by one, deliver their evaluations. The Evaluation Contest is held at the Club, Area, Division, and District level.
Congratulations Pramela Nair Panthallor 1st Place – 2024 Evaluation Contest
Congratulations Niti Goel 2nd Place – 2024 Evaluation Contest
In October 2024, Toastmasters International turns 100, helping people from around the globe become better communicators and leaders.
You can learn all about Toastmasters turning 100 at the Toastmasters Centennial History Site. In honor of this historic milestone, each issue of theToastmaster Magazine this year will show historical facts, photos, throwback articles, or recaps of Toastmasters firsts.
Toastmasters History
Glen Abbey History
Chartered on March 30, 1992, Glen Abbey Toastmasters has been a vibrant part of the Oakville community for 30 years. Our club has consistently achieved President’s Distinguished Club status in the Toastmasters International Distinguished Club Program every single year since 2003. It is the highest achievement possible for any Toastmasters club and is the marker of a successful club.
Glen Abbey Toastmasters helps people improve their communication and leadership skills through a proven approach that focuses on self development and self confidence in public speaking. We are known for its professional, friendly, supportive, and fun learning atmosphere.
We’re back and better than ever! After a refreshing summer break, our Toastmasters club is excited to resume meetings in hybrid mode—alternating between online and in-person sessions. This format offers the best of both worlds, making it easier for everyone to stay connected and engaged.
Whether you’re joining us from the comfort of your home or experiencing the thrill of in-person speeches, it’s time to bring your energy, ideas, and enthusiasm to the table. Let’s make 2024-25 a year of growth, connection, and powerful storytelling. Get ready, roll up your sleeves, and let’s inspire one another!
We are excited to announce that Glen Abbey Toastmaster’s very own Lori O’Grady took first place during the Mary Heary Tall Tales Contest held at the Oakville Toastmasters Club. She had the audience captivated and laughing along as she delivered her speech titled “Amen”. Congratulations Lori!
This past November, Glen Abbey Toastmasters held our club level speech competition. For our International Speech Contest, members Krista Rowan & Zehra Raza placed first and second, respectively. For our Table Topics Contest, member Zehra Raza placed first and Krista Rowan placed second.
They both qualified and competed in the Area Speech contest. We are thrilled to announce that Zehra placed first in the International Speech Contest and third in the Table Topics Contest! She will go on to compete in the Division level in March.
We are so proud of both Krista and Zehra, as well as all the Glen Abbey Toastmasters who competed. As well, we would like to extend our gratitude to all of our members who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the various competitions ran smoothly.
It was a SPOOK-tacular evening this past Wednesday at Glen Abbey Toastmasters as we hosted our annual Halloween meeting! It was the first time in 4 years that the meeting was held in-person.
It was a fun evening filled with speeches, sweet treats, and a best costume contest! First place went to Tina who dressed up as Snow White. And our runner-up was Chris dressed as Sherlock Holmes! We also had the privilege of hearing from HR expert Ellen Zhang, who held a workshop on interview and salary negotiation tips.
A special thank you to Toastmaster Gordon for hosting the special evening. As well, thank you to all of our members who showed up in their Halloween costumes!
Who says Toastmasters is just speeches? Not at Glen Abbey Toastmasters! This past week we had Lucy Martins, an expert human resources professional from Halton Healthcare, and previously a Glen Abbey Toastmasters member, drop in to lead an educational session. She conducted a mock interview with one of our members, where we had the opportunity to listen in as she went over most commonly asked interview questions and how to best answer them. At the end there was a Q&A session to answer any further questions members had.
Thank you Lucy for educating us and sharing your time! As well, thank you to our President Chris for organizing these sessions.
The first in-person meeting of Glen Abbey Toastmasters kicked off with a bang! With almost a full house, members and guests alike came to practice their public speaking skills. Those in attendance were treated to unique speeches such as How to Build a Campfire, and the 4 Different Communication Styles. As well, there was an impromptu Table Topics session held where members were chosen at random and given a prompt, and asked to speak for 1 minute on the prompt.
All in all, members and guests had an exciting time. And we’re just getting started! We’d love to have you join, and come to meetings for the remainder of the year.
Interested in visiting our club to check it out? Click this link: BE OUR GUEST
As summer rolls to a close, Glen Abbey Toastmasters looks forward to welcoming new members and welcoming back returning members.
We hope you have had a great summer, and are excited for the year ahead.
We’ve got a great 2023 / 2024 season planned with a mix of in-person meetings and virtual zoom meetings. Plus a number of special themed meetings to enhance your learning journey.
First meeting of the season is online on September 6, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Interested in visitng our club to check it out? Click this link: BE OUR GUEST
The theme was “Around the World with Glen Abbey Toastmasters.” The map showed 14 countries our members hail from. The food gave us a taste of Persian dip, samosas, khaman dhokla [chickpea], zongi [rice dumpling], shrimp balls, jollof rice, liang pi noodles, chili, Australian coleslaw, apple strudel, and not to forget the locals – Timbits. The dress was Arab, African, Canadian, and Indian.
Past President, Krista Rowan opened the meeting with a reflection on how our club is family and community as well as a space for learning leadership and public speaking. Our guest speaker, Jamie Dinsmore, reminisced about how Toastmasters launched him into a career that has landed him at Microsoft. Elvis Gregov, table topics master, tested our “around the world” impromptu speaking skills. Event committee member and Club Secretary, Emilia Wang, allowed us to share a favourite quotation in our native language along with an English explanation. Chris Zhou, VP-ED and incoming President, gave a slideshow overview of our 2022-23 year.
Outgoing President Jeethan Tellis presented Katherine Bullock with the Toastmaster of the Year Award. He thanked his executive team and introduced the incoming executive team. And we thanked him for his leadership this year, which brought us President Distinguished Award Status and the Shooting Star Award. We said teary goodbyes to those who cannot return next year. And wished everyone a “Happy Summer!”
The Honorable Anita Anand, MP for the riding that Glen Abbey Toastmasters (GATM) calls home, has recognised us for our 30+ years of communication and leadership training.
Over the past three decades, we’ve helped countless members transform from nervous to confident speakers.
Thank you to every member, past and present.
Here’s to many more years of growth, learning, and success together!
Location: Trafalgar Community Centre
Time: 7:30 – 9:30pm, Feb 4th 2026
![GATM End of Year & 31st Anniversary Party [2023]](https://www.glenabbeytoastmasters.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/cover-gatm-party-1080x675.png)
