Posted by Dorothea Stuart
Julian D'Sa went to the Toastmasters 77th International Convention in Calgary, Alberta, Canada in August. His mission to learn as much as possible and report back to The London Speaker. Here are his first thoughts on what was clearly a great experience.
First some background:
How long have you been a member of Toastmasters? And why did you join? I joined London Athenians in May 2007 and did my icebreaker speech a year ago. My main reasons for joining - to combat shyness and overcome my fear of public speaking.
How have you benefited? My confidence has increased hugely in all aspects of my life. I am getting on and doing all sorts of things I won’t have done before. I’m just back from a charity fundraising trip climbing Mount Fuji ...over night! I am proud that we raised £10,000 for Playpumps who provide wells in Africa. And proud that I took a risk and joined in.
Why did you decide to go to Calgary? I went to the London Division B International Speech and Evaluation Contests last October at Canary Wharf. The atmosphere really drew me in. I found it very uplifting. When I heard about the International Convention it seemed too good an opportunity to miss. I saw it as a chance to learn and challenge myself to do better with my own speeches. And I could combine it with a visit to relatives in Canada.
What were your first impressions of the Convention? On the first night I went to the Interdistrict Contest B. This is one of the final heats for the winners from Districts outside North America - including our UK & Ireland (District 71) Champion Sultan Nazir. I was in the middle of a huge international crowd. The conference room was beautifully equipped, television cameras projected prominently from the platform. The whole room quivered with nervous energy and excitement.
I was surprised just how emotional the occasion was. When the Toastmaster appeared the crowd exploded into raucous applause. I had the feeling all the speakers were giving their very best - propelled by the rocket fuel of international competition.
What did you learn from attending? I learned a lot from the first evening and talking to the contestants afterwards. Chris Smith from Australia immediately engaged his audience. He reached out to us every step of the way with his humour and energy. His personal stories of family life bringing up two sons were something we could all relate to. He described himself as "an ordinary bloke". He joined Toastmasters two years ago and loves the adrenalin of competition. Just shows how much you can progress in a short time.
Azuma from Hong Kong gave me some great tips. 1. Take the plunge and enter contests - the experience will always benefit you. 2. Keep positive and focus on someone in the audience who is radiating positive energy towards you. Ignore anyone who appears not to be enjoying your speech. 3. Try different things. His final preparation was to stroll in a nearby park and give his speech to complete strangers.
I especially enjoyed the performances by Loghandran Krishnasamy who finally placed second in the World Championship of Public Speaking. His two speeches were very different but each prompted laughter. He seemed to "wow" the audience at every turn. Again he used family experiences, personal stories.
Loghandran emphasised the importance of speech evaluation. A new Toastmaster told him his speeches seemed rather aloof. He learned that an audience senses very quickly if a speech patronises them or is set up to include them - inclusion is a very important motivational tool. This is also why having a strong opening to hook your audience is so important.
From our District 71 Champion, Sultan I learned how to make the most of the Convention. He seemed to be whizzing around and talking to as many people as he could! He did us proud in the contest giving a warm and engaging speech.
How about our new World Champion Lashunda Rundles? From the moment she stepped onto the stage Lashunda projected herself brilliantly. She was electric, energetic and grabbed our attention. For a tiny person she has a voice that easily fills a room. Her speech was a tribute to her mother. We got a powerful sense of how she supported her family and made sure she had a strong, proud daughter. I was in awe!
Did you go to the Workshops? Yes. The one that stood out most for me was led by Vikas Jhingran (2007 World Champion of Public Speaking). His subject was the power of emotions in a speech. He showed how to tap into an audience's emotions and build them to a crescendo as your speech progresses.
Vikas demonstrated four approaches using emotive music, images, scents and life stories. He had us on the edge of our seats. Rather than telling us what we should think he left us to draw our own conclusions. We had plenty to ponder on.
How would you summarise your experience of the International Convention? It was everything I imagined and more. The contests, the guest speakers, workshops and social events...I felt I was immersing myself in the world of public speaking. I got a real sense of the worldwide scale of Toastmasters.
I've come back with new friends as well as lots of tips. Importantly I feel more confident about projecting my own style and finding ways to make my speeches interesting to an audience.
Would you go again? Definitely. I met a lady who had been to every Convention for 25 years. If they're all as good as this one I can see why.
Thank you Julian! We look forward to hearing more about the impact your trip has on your speeches.
You'll find more information on next Toastmasters International Conventions on Toastmasters International website. 2009 Mashuntucket, Connecticut. 2010 Sydney, Australia.
It's good to see London Athenians will be holding an Evaluation Workshop on Tuesday the 30th. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced evaluator you can learn from one of London's most experienced Toast-Masters Adam Ginalski, the workshop leader.
