Toastmasters World Tour

Send us Fan Mail Given a high rate of recidivism, wouldn’t it be great if we could find ways to reduce re-offending when prisoners are released and avoid the “revolving door”? Monique Tonna, the Immediate Past International Director from Region 12, started a Toastmasters Gavel Club 7 years ago in a maximum security male prison which went on to charter as a full Toastmasters Club. The aim has been to teach and practice communication skills so they are better equipped and appropriate for life o...

Send us Fan Mail Do you want to feel more confident when speaking? Who better to get advice from than a Language Confidence Strategist. One with runs on the board. How can foreign language learners with limitations due to their linguistic level build language confidence and confidence in communication in general? Nick Godwin is a British Expat who lives in Japan and teaches English to Japanese speakers. He has travelled the full journey of a foreign language learner, from complete novice to f...

Send us Fan Mail If you could effect one change in a global organisation like Toastmasters, what would it be? I asked Denise Buckby, newly appointed to the International Board of Toastmasters International and in a strong position to help effect that change, what her number one would be. I also delve deep to find out just who is Denise Buckby and what passions drive her ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- for the ...

Send us Fan Mail Where does a world champion draw inspiration from? In this episode of Toastmasters World Tour, I conclude my chat with 2026 World Champion of Public Speaking, Dirceu Da Silva. We go beyond the trophy. Dirceu shares the lessons from his 10-year journey. He also reveals the one thing that stood out to him more than anything else about winning on the world stage. This is Part 2/2. Link to Part 1/2 here Didi's winning speech on youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBnc5n...

Send us Fan Mail What does it feel like when YEARS of dreaming, striving for your goal, comes down to ONE moment? This episode of Toastmasters World Tour I chat to 2026 World Champion of Public Speaking, Dirceu Da Silva and ask him what that moment was actually like for him when they called his name Didi's winning speech on youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBnc5nfl8ow **This episode has video version on Youtube here: https://youtu.be/1-RpXLrVJKg ----------------------...

Send us Fan Mail Where is Toastmasters heading over the next year? Meet the new Captain of our Ship, International President Stefano McGhee, DTM. Hear his thoughts on the role tech and AI could play in our organisation, and who ultimately controls our destiny... 🎥 WATCH the full video interview here: https://youtu.be/7zro3ZrtWps ......................................................................................................................................... Toastmaste...

Send us Fan Mail Did you know your Icebreaker speech doesn't have to be your whole life story? In fact, it's usually better if it isn't. It's better to just share something interesting about yourself to break the ice. If you want to hear an example of this in action, listen in to this episode where James employs the very interesting device of using song lyrics and applying it to lessons he's learn in his life. He uses the key lyrics to Kenny Roger's song "The Gambler": "You've got...

Send us Fan Mail Want to improve your public speaking but terrified of joining Toastmasters and actually doing it? In this episode, I chat to my very first Toastmasters World Tour podcast guest, my brother-in-law James Caldwell who DID end up joining Toastmasters, to find out how reality compared to his expectations we discussed in episode 1 Hear James Caldwell's expectations in January 2026 when he was considering joining ----------------------------------------------...

Send us Fan Mail Imagine being told repeatedly as a child that you’re “good for nothing” by a trusted adult — a teacher. It gets internalised. It gets believed. And it has lasting consequences. Consequences many don’t overcome. So what an extraordinary person is this episode’s guest, Gurmeet Singh, who overcame this to be awarded 2nd place in the recent 2026 World Championship of Public Speaking in Vancouver. Listen in to today’s episode to be inspired by Gurmeet’s humbleness, hu...

Send us Fan Mail Would you love to improve your public speaking but are still too young for Toastmasters? Parents and grandparents, have you ever considered what a Toastmasters-like club could do not only for your child's/grandchild's public speaking, but also for their confidence? Did you know such clubs exist? They're called Gavel Clubs and they cater for school-aged kids. In this episode, I chat to 12-year-old Gavel Club member Flick Norris to find out what Gavel Club is ...

Send us Fan Mail Can you bear the bare truth of what goes on behind the scenes at Toastmasters? Be warned this is my first PG rated episode as Nicky reveals all. What is it with Toastmasters and the number 3? Even at District Level we have "the trio" ! This is Part 2 of 2 of my chat with Nicky Jurd, fresh off her year as District 69 District Director from Cairns, Australia. Tune in to hear the bare truth of her favourite story from her time as District Director...if you dare...

Send us Fan Mail What can you learn from a Toastmasters International District Director at the end of her term? 1] You don’t need to aspire to the role to benefit. Nicky Jurd never originally planned to become District Director. Like many leaders, she ended up there. Profit from what she learned along the way. 2] Leadership lessons that go beyond Toastmasters. The approaches she used with her team, her district, and difficult conversations apply anywhere. 3] Unfiltered insights into Toastmast...

Send us Fan Mail Do you have a fear of public speaking? If you need inspiration for speaking to a large audience, look no further than 12 year old Charlie Priem. He recently performed the opening welcome address at our Toastmasters District Conference. Listen in to learn how he managed that at his tender age, and be inspired. I hope you have enjoyed this Podcast episode. I'd love to hear your feedback, and any ideas or suggestions for improvement. Your comments can reach me via my email...

Send us Fan Mail Would you be brave enough to take on the role of Convenor for a Toastmasters District level Conference? What about if you’d never even organised a club level contest, let alone Area or Division? How about it also required enticing a whole district to drive 2.5 hours from the nearest major centre, and much further for many others? Finally, would you ask your 12 year old son to open the Conference and would your son be brave enough to not only take on the task, but embrace it w...

Send us Fan Mail Want to know how a Toastmasters District Champion prepares for the International Speech contest at the World Championship of Public Speaking? Today’s guest, Kimberly Harpur, recently won the New Zealand North District 112 [District 72 since July 1st] International Speech Contest and the video of that speech was also successful at the Quarterfinals, and thus she has progressed to the Semifinals at the World Championship of Public Speaking, Vancouver, August 19-22 I hope you ha...

Send us Fan Mail Would you be game enough to agree to a Podcast interview if it was in your lunch break, impromptu, and you were brand new to Toastmasters? This episode's Toastmasters World Tour Podcast guest, Beryl Rachier is new to Toastmasters and, under no pressure, willingly agreed to a Podcast chat sprung on her with no warning at the end of an introductory mentor session. Let’s hear how she goes, her first impressions, and leave some encouraging comments for our brave beginner. I...

Send us Fan Mail Did you know you can visit Toastmasters clubs overseas and will be warmly welcomed? Just use “Find a Club” on the Toastmasters International Website and check the meeting times. Today's guest is the newly crowned District 69 Toastmaster of the year, Deb Barnett, who humbly discusses her surprise at receiving this prestigious award, and her recent Irish Toastmasters Club visits on her recent pre-crowning "Royal" tour of Europe. Toastmasters International find a club he...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever received unsolicited advice from a Toastmaster? How did you feel? Today’s guest, Heidi Hoynk recently competed in 3 Toastmasters District finals competitions, was 2nd place in 2, and was crowned District 69 Table Topics Champion. She shares her competition insights and also gives us reason to pause as she reflects on the potential impact of unsolicited advice immediately after competitions. I hope you have enjoyed this Podcast episode. I'd love to hear you...

Send us Fan Mail Should Toastmasters evolve and embrace technology? Or should it stick to it’s traditions? Today’s podcast guest, Óscar Nájera, is an experienced software developer. He’s developed an app to help improve the efficiency of Toastmasters contests which he’s generously willing to share at cost [not for profit]. While he eventually got approval to run a pilot in his own Area competition, which was successful, he has met with ongoing resistance to get wider approval. Listen in to he...

Send us Fan Mail What opportunities are you foregoing due to a lack of confidence in public speaking? You could either delay 10 years, like so many do, or Carpe diem ( Seize the day!!! ) and do something about it. We doctors learn so much from our patients. When David Simpson realised he’d been avoiding career opportunities due to his fear of public speaking, it was his patients’ suggestions of joining Toastmasters that finally prompted him to tackle this hindrance and conquer it. A Toastmast...

Send us Fan Mail Do you realise that learning the skill of giving a good evaluation doesn’t just make you a great Toastmaster, but can make such a difference in our interpersonal relationships both at work [in turn helping advance our careers] and in our personal lives? Who better to learn from than a current reigning Toastmasters District Evaluation Contest Champion. Listen in to the concluding half of the same chat started in the last episode with Nethmie Gala, a self described “true evalua...

Send us Fan Mail Young and want to turbo charge your career? I’ve met so many Toastmasters who say they wished they’d discovered Toastmasters decades earlier. Today’s guest, Nethmie Galla did join while young, joining while at University, and now at age 30 reflects on her career trajectory, attributing Toastmasters to expediting her career and landing her the job she loves. She was also the recent winner of the District 112 Evaluation Contest, and discusses how she got into Evaluations. ...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wondered what Toastmasters is all about and what it could do for you? As today's guest Urmi Hossain reveals, Toastmasters is about so much more than just public speaking. She has leveraged what she got from Toastmasters, and this has led to a lot of opportunities she didn’t expect. Growing up in Italy with Bengali Parents, Urmi overcame identity and interracial struggles to go on to succeed working in Montreal as a corporate Professional in Finance by day, and a se...

Send us Fan Mail Wouldn’t it be great if there was a public speaking guide book that was user friendly, can be read either cover to cover or in short spurts, with the ability to dive in at any point, and can be used as a reference? Now there is!! “Public Speaking from A-Z: The Speaker's Handbook for Powerful Presentations” written by Fursey Gotuaco. Fursey has spent most of his career as a teacher, teaching theatre arts and was a Finalist in the 2024 Toastmasters World Championship of Public ...

Send us Fan Mail Gifts! Who doesn’t love gifts? Aka points for improvement, these recommendations are gifts to the public speaker that the evaluator gives to help him/her improve. Listen in to today's episode for gifts Harriet Tinka [ 3 time District Evaluation Champion] also gives all prospective evaluators in the audience as she reflects on Episode 18’s Global Online Evaluation Contest. I hope you have enjoyed this Podcast episode. I'd love to hear your feedback, and any ideas or sugg...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wondered how a Toastmaster feels about the evaluation of their Speech? How it is received? Listen in to todays podcast to hear Anthony’s reflections on both the evaluations and judging of his test speech in episode 18, as well as the feedback on the first paragraph of his new speech I hope you have enjoyed this Podcast episode. I'd love to hear your feedback, and any ideas or suggestions for improvement. Your comments can reach me via my email toastmastersworldtour@gmail...

Send us Fan Mail Ever found the Judging of Toastmasters contests somewhat mysterious? Ok, well if you've ever judged there's no mystery, but if you've been a contestant you can be left wondering about how you were scored, where you did well and where you could have scored better. Official Toastmasters contests only give placings to the first 3. There's no feedback or points for improvement. Thus, I have organised an unofficial online Global Evaluation Contest which was conducted and recorded ...

Send us Fan Mail Sex, religion, and politics, sometimes erroneously believed to be taboo subjects at Toastmasters, can be discussed as long as it’s done tastefully. Thus, an upcoming meeting at Shilling Speakers online Toastmasters club will be purely dedicated to this theme of sex, religion and politics. Anthony extends an invitation to all the Toastmasters listeners of this podcast to visit his online club for this and other innovatively themed meetings. Also, listen in for an exciting Anno...

Send us Fan Mail Anthony has great tips on “How to Present Naked”, from his TEDx talk. Listen in to find out what he means by that and how it can help you in your presentations. He also makes a well founded case for a return of hybrid [combined in person face to face and online] World Championship of Public Speaking, to give better access to competitors that can’t make it there in person. What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments I hope you have enjoyed this Podcast episode. I'd ...

Send us Fan Mail In this concluding half of the same chat with Paul O’Mahony started in the last episode, Paul gives insights into: Live and impromptu opportunistic Podcasting; Networking; And Story telling as a vehicle to deliver a powerful message He also shares honest and open self reflections on connecting better with the audience thus gaining rapport, and on the dilemma of being in a Toastmasters leadership role in the difficult position of being required to address the matter of a membe...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wanted to hear an example of a Toastmasters Table Topic [impromtpu question and response]? Table topics, requiring a 1-2 minute response to a question the respondent has no prior knowledge of, is one of the 4 types of competitions at Toastmasters conferences and improves our impromptu speaking skills. In today's episode, I chat to an experienced Irish Toastmaster, Paul O'Mahony, shortly after St Patrick's Day about the Irish Toastmasters scene and his feedback on the Toa...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever dreamed of becoming a Tedx Speaker? Today's guest, C.J. MARKS, dreamt of becoming a Tedx speaker and started his journey to achieve that goal by joining Toastmasters after moving to Japan, ironically from the place of origin of Toastmasters, California. Listen in to today's podcast to learn how he not only achieved that goal in a remarkably short space of time, but also went on to become a coach of other Tedx speakers. He also discusses the recent launch of the ...

Send us Fan Mail 恭喜发财 [gōngxǐ fācái ; wishing everyone prosperity in this new year]. Shortly after Chinese New Year, the year of the horse, I chatted to Lele KE, a 3 time Olympic volunteer and English Major who is a Project Manager working on International Programs between China and the United Nations. Toastmasters International members and Toastmasters curious, listen in to todays podcast to get some insights into the Chinese Toastmasters scene through the lens of Lele's individual journey&n...

Send us Fan Mail Ever dreamt of winning the Toastmasters International World Championship of Public Speaking? On the long road home after completing yet another dog rescue mission, Luisa Montalvo was involved in a horrific motor vehicle accident, requiring rescue herself by “37 Strangers”. No heart beat for 6 minutes and left unable to walk, 2 years later she was on the World stage competing for the Toastmasters International World Championship of Public Speaking…and won!! Listen in to todays...

Send us Fan Mail Curious on what it takes to make it to the world stage and compete in the World Championships of Public Speaking? Join me on this episode of Toastmasters World Tour Podcast as I chat to Harriet Tinka, a Certified Practicing Accountant who came back from adversity and went on to share her story to help others. Listen in to her remarkable story and find out how sharing her story led her to eventually find herself on the world stage competing in the World Championships of Public...

Send us Fan Mail Can you imagine being a part of a record public speaking marathon? Today's guest helped power an event titled “Speaking Into History: 102 Hours, 1 Record, and Endless Coffee” 102 hours of non-stop virtual training, recognized by the Malaysia Book of Records to celebrate Toastmasters International 100 years anniversary in June 2024. Join me on this episode of Toastmasters World Tour Podcast as I chat to Eleos (ET) Theofilus Gandawidjaja [Toastmaster, Author, Keynote Speaker, a...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wondered what it takes to be a pioneer in your country and rise to the rank of a Toastmasters Regional Advisor? Join me on this episode of Toastmasters World Tour Podcast as I chat to Dunstanette Macauley, Economist, Diplomat, former International Director of Zonta International, Affiliate President of BPW International [Business and Professional Women], and Toastmaster extraordinaire. Listen in to follow her journey, get a global view of the organisation and be in...

Send us Fan Mail Interested in a novel way of improving your Spanish or English while improving your Public Speaking at the same time? Join me on this episode of Toastmasters World Tour Podcast as I chat to Bernado Cordero, President of Toastmasters Ecuador. Listen in to follow his journey and find out what opportunities are brewing for Spanish and English language learners… <---------------------------------------------------> Bernado's Toastmasters Club click here Online attendance al...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wondered about Toastmasters differences in different countries? Join me on this episode of Toastmasters World Tour Podcast as I chat to my first active Toastmasters member, Veniece Tse. Having joined Toastmasters in Australia, she's been living in Germany for the last 3 years and rose to Division Director. Listen in to find out what differences she's noticed between the 2 countries Toastmasters wise... <---------------------------------------------------> Have you ...

Send us Fan Mail Join me on this episode of Toastmasters World Tour Podcast as I chat to Herman Kizota KAJIRU, an aspiring Politician and one of the pioneers of introducing Toastmasters to Tanzania. Listen in to follow his journey and find out why he left Toastmasters and whether he'd consider re-joining <---------------------------------------------------> A few common Swahili words and phrases here Dar es Salaam Toastmasters Club here and their Facebook page here I hope you have enjoy...

Send us Fan Mail Join me on this episode of Toastmasters World Tour Podcast as I chat to my 3rd cousin Elaine Apel, a Toastmaster of 7 years experience. Listen in to follow her journey and find out why she left and whether she'd consider re-joining. <---------------------------------------------------> Toastmasters By The Sea here <---------------------------------------------------> I hope you have enjoyed this Podcast episode. I'd love to hear your feedback, and any ideas ...

Send us Fan Mail Join me on this episode of Toastmasters World Tour Podcast as I chat to a fellow Skin Cancer Doctor Educator, Shelley Walder. Listen in to find out what has fuelled her interest in Toastmasters. <------------------------------------------------------------------------> Geelong Toastmasters Club here: https://geelong.toastmastersclubs.org/ <------------------------------------------------------------------------> I hope you have enjoyed this Podcast episode. I'd ...

Send us Fan Mail Join me on this episode of Toastmasters World Tour Podcast as I chat to my bonus cousin Allen Higgins. What's the specific reason he's suddenly interested in Toastmasters? <----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------> Links to 2 episodes of Allen's Podcast related to Storytelling, here : https://shows.acast.com/design-talk/episodes/storytelling-for-learning and here: https://shows.acast.com/design-talk...

Send us Fan Mail Join me on my very first Toastmasters World Tour Podcast as I chat to my brother-in-law James Caldwell who is considering joining Toastmasters. What are his expectations? If they are different to reality, can we learn from that? If he does join, it will be interesting to chat to him again down the track and see how his Toastmasters experiences compare with his pre joining expectations. <---------------------------------------------------------------------------------...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to my Toastmasters World Tour Podcast. I’m your host, Brendan O’Sullivan. Come with me as I embark on a virtual tour of the world chatting to Toastmasters. My tour starts at home chatting to potential Toastmasters at the very start of their journey, contemplating their first Toastmasters club visit. It then takes off to explore the globe on a quest to seek out Toastmasters from all walks of life, from every continent, and from all levels of experience, from novices to...