The Toastmasters Podcast

[43:05] In this first of a two part series, Greg, Ryan and Bo speak with four of the presenters who will grace the stage at the 2018 International Convention, August 22–25, in Chicago, Illinois:      - Steve Gilliland: Follow Me (Keynote)      - Lars Sudmann: The Innovative Toastmaster: Spice up your leadership and communication skills with practical innovation strategies     - Eldonna Lewis Fernandez: Think Like a Negotiator – Ways to Create Win-Win Results     - Michelle Tillis Lederman: How to Get What You Want: Influencing Others Into ActionRegister for the convention today by visiting: https://www.toastmasters.org/Events/2018-International-Convention/Registration-Options

[26:21] In this episode, Greg speaks with Toastmasters Past International President Pat Johnson, DTM. In 2017, Johnson held the honor of host district convention chair for the International Convention in Vancouver, Canada. Johnson, a coach and Toastmaster since 1983, shares her experience about the role as chair and why she said yes to taking on such major endeavor; what was involved and her experience putting together and working with such an incredible team. We learn about her leadership journey, what she learned, the skills she used, and hear advice for people thinking of taking on a major leadership role. Johnson happily reminisces about her first convention (Chicago 1989) and offers an insight on how leadership as a conference chair differs from International President. 

Marc Williams, ACS, ALB, witnessed an unspeakable tragedy at three years old, when two intruders broke into his home, and murdered his thought-to-be-father. The son of an illiterate, single mother who could not help him with his homework, Marc rose above his struggles, and went on to earn a master’s degree in speech communication from New York University. He left a job as an assistant principal at Brooklyn Technical High School to become the principal and turn around an underserved school in danger of closing. Today, as a speaker, mentor, and education consultant, he remains committed to helping all those he encounters realize their potential.

[26:31] In this episode, Greg and Ryan speak with Myles Drake, CC. Drake is an adventurous young man from Ontario, Canada who after nearly failing out of school, eventually landed his dream job as a design engineer building cars for the Subaru Rally Team USA after touring the facility. Less than two years later and with the skills he’s gained from Toastmasters, his adventurous journey has taken him from beyond his comfort zone to the stage where he’s been having an impact on students and young audiences which often number over 1000. Drake is featured in the Q & A section of the January 2018 issue of the Toastmaster Drake shares how he discovered Toastmasters during the Q & A portion of a Brendon Burchard, High Performance Academy presentation. This helped earn him a position with the team of Live Different, a non-profit organization that tours across Canada delivering motivational & inspirational presentations in front of young people as well as organizes the building of homes in places like the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Mexico.Listen as Drake  explains the difference between empathy and sympathy, and details how his need for fulfillment and passion caused him to leave his dream job for an opportunity to make a difference in young people’s lives.Myles Drake can be reached on Facebook.

In this episode, Manek joins Greg and Ryan to discuss how being a Toastmaster made her better at her craft, and how she approaches her work like a doctor.Manek also shares how stand-up comedy taught her about vulnerability, why we shouldn’t apologize and how bombing on stage reinforced the importance of making sure to get other people’s name right. You can learn more about Meera Manek by visiting www.manekmonday.com.

[24:34] On Friday evening August 25, 2017, Manoj Vasudevan of Singapore, District 80, became the 2017 World Champion of Public Speaking. His contest speech, "Pull Less, Bend More" was delivered to an audience of nearly 2,500 people from around the world during the finals of the Toastmasters International Speech Contest in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Vasudevan, a management consultant and leadership coach gives us his insights on his journey to the world stage, including how he came up with the idea for the humorous tale about his own marriage, taking sage advice from his Mother. He also shares how his family helped him through the process, how and why he made some last minute changes to adjust to the contest being held on a Friday night instead of the typical Saturday afternoon. Manoj also offers tips and ideas on how anyone can improve their speeches and more.Manoj Vasudevan can be reached at ThoughtExpressions.com.You can catch Manoj's winning speech, his semi-final speech along with the entire competition at Toastmasters-On-Demand.

Now a Toastmaster, Mabry works as a director at a substance abuse treatment center, and hosts High Sobriety a weekly podcast featuring high-profile recovery advocates including musicians, models, authors, doctors and celebrities.

On August 26th, 2017 at the 86th Annual Toastmasters International Convention in Vancouver, Canada, a record six Toastmasters earned the Accredited Speaker (AS) designation bringing the total number of designations to 75. In this second part of a two-part episode, the hosts speak with the final three newly-designated Accredited Speakers: Robert Cravalho, DTM from Honolulu, Hawaii (left); Donny Crandell, ACS, ALB from Reno, Nevada (right) and Clare Crowther, ACS, ALB from Elloughton, Brough, UK (lower center). Listen and learn about these three extraordinary individuals, their AS journey and a few choice tips they learned from their presentations.  Click on the links to visit the individual AS Speaker spotlight page where you can learn a little more about each speaker and how to contact them. You can also watch the Accredited Speaker finals in its entirety at Toastmasters On Demand. Learn more about the Accredited Speaker program.: Robert Cravalho, DTM; Donny Crandell, ACS, ALB; and Clare Crowther, 

In the first part of a two-part episode, Greg Gazin speaks with three of the six, who are all from Canada: Angela Louie, DTM from Vancouver, British Columbia (left); Freddi Dogterom, DTM, from Lethbridge, Alberta (lower center) and Joe Grondin, ATM-G, ALB from Moncton, New Brunswick (right). You'll learn about these three extraordinary and fascinating individuals, their AS journey and a few choice tips they learned from their presentations.  Click on the links to visit the individual AS Speaker spotlight page where you can learn a little more about them and how to contact them. You can also watch the Accredited Speaker finals in its entirety at Toastmasters On Demand. Learn more about the Accredited Speaker program.

In 2011, Arunasalam helped establish an English course for Rural Voices Unlimited, a project designed to educate youth in rural Sri Lanka. The U.S. Embassy in Colombo recognized him for this ongoing work with youth. Arunasalam holds an advanced level General Certificate of Education from Trinity College in Kandy, Sri Lanka, and is earning a master’s degree through the Australian Institute of Business Administration. A dedicated Toastmaster for 28 years, Arunasalam is a member of two clubs, including his home club Colombo Toastmasters. A distinguished leader, Arunasalam has held numerous offices from club through international level: He served as International Director 2011 to 2013 and Second Vice President 2014-2015 and First Vice-President 2015-2016, Toastmasters International. He holds the Distinguished Toastmaster designation—the highest level of educational achievement in Toastmasters International. As International President, Arunasalam is a “working ambassador” for the organization. He works with the Board to develop and support the policies and procedures that guide Toastmasters International in fulfilling its mission.