Two weekends ago marked a significant milestone in my public speaking journey as I attended my first Toastmasters District Conference. The experience was nothing short of transformative, and I'm excited to share the insights and lessons I gained from this incredible event.

Day 1

Walking into the conference venue, I was immediately struck by the energy and enthusiasm of fellow Toastmasters. The sense of community was palpable, with members from various clubs coming together with a shared passion for communication and leadership development.

We had a packed agenda, including the District International Speech contest, District Speech Evaluation contest, a Keynote talk by Lance Miller (the 2005 World Champion of Public Speaking), two workshops, and various ceremonies.

The contest, workshop, and keynote talk by Lance Miller captivated me the most, which I'll go into further detail below.

The Contests (International Speech & Speech Eval.)

The main reason I wanted to attend the conference was for the opportunity to witness and learn from incredible competitors. I've attended/competed at the division and area level competitions beforehand, and those experiences helped me grow tremendously to be a better communicator. My club has great speakers too, but at these competitions the best speakers from each club are showcasing their skill level.

The district level competitor absolutely blew me away. As each competitor took their turn, I personally graded their performances and captured any golden nuggets I thought they executed well at. I wanted to see if my judgement on these performances aligned to how the judges graded them. I didn't get the winner correct on either competition, but I was able to recognize 2 of the top 3 competitors for each.

During the contests, I would discuss with other members in the audience what we thought of the performances, where I'd pick up other gems.

  • "I don't think the intro was so strong. He should have paused a bit more."
  • "What could have Joe executed better on? I think the story was all over the place."
  • "Did you think that speech was a bit performative? It was funny, but I didn't take anything away."
  • "Oh, Drew's message and delivery felt so relatable - he's going to win."

All these small comments with different members helped shape my perception of a strong public speaker, which I'll be taking with me on my public speaking journey.

The Workshops

There were two workshop sessions, and each session you had to make the tough decision between 4 workshop offerings for that session. I chose Hacking the Brain and 5 Steps to a Beautiful Voice.

Hacking the Brain

I chose this workshop because I am curious how I can better understand the brain to help facilitate my growth as a communicator and what to be mindful of in my future years.

A lot of information was covered, but the host elaborated on the default mode network, the science behind getting unstuck, why thinking is so habitual, how information is being manipulated by data scientists, and changing how we think or how to hack the brain.

This presentation was a masterclass, with the instructor demonstrating their training public speaking skills to keep the workshop engaging, memorable, organized, and fun.

5 Steps to a Beautiful Voice

I chose this workshop because some of the most repetitive feedback I get relates to either my pitch or my tone. This is something I want to work on in my future speeches and presentations. It felt like this workshop was made for me.

First thing to know is your voice box is a FERRRRAARRIII that needs to be trained and tamed. The key components to a beautiful voice are breath, volume, pitch, pace, and tone. A key takeaway I had with pace is to write a 5 minute speech, say it in 7.

For tone, it's a challenge as you wish to relay the emotion behind the words you are saying. Actors recall an emotion to unlock their performance. What emotions can you recall if you want the audience to understand you're sad, angry, happy, or mad? Adding to this, people remember how they feel from your speech, and tone helps bring out the emotion beyond the material in your speech.

I found this presentation to be unbelievably well organized and engaging. Similar to the previous workshop, the instructor was a master at delivering a wonderful presentation. My voice will be taking this into the future.

FERRRRRAAAAAARRRIIII.

A Keynote by Lance Miller

I've been subject to many keynotes, and more times than not I find them a bit dull, boring, just waiting for them to end. However, Lance Miller put all those fears aside and I couldn't believe how he, a stranger to me, could captivate an audience and keep them engaged the entire hour.

If you don't know who Lance Miller is, I encourage you to watch his championship winning speech here. It'll change your life, I guarantee it.

Something I found Lance displayed incredibly well was his ability to relate to the audience with anecdotes, life experiences, and jokes. Lance spoke on his incredible journey to becoming a world champion speaker, the trials and tribulations, and the journey that continues to unfold since.

Though during this talk, similar to the contests, I kept an analytical eye on how Lance used vocal variety, gestures, and structure to deliver a masterclass keynote presentation. It is much different than spectating a 5-7 min speech, as Lance held the floor for almost an hour.

It felt like he could tell the audience was studying him. Lance would talk about keeping an audience engaged, and then effectively demonstrate the techniques he'd use in real time. It was like watching Beethoven play the piano.

Day 2

Thankfully Sunday was only a half day event. Saturday went over 12 hours and it was incredible to still see attendees with just as much energy as they had yesterday. We had the District Table Topic Contest and a workshop from Lance Miller in store for us.

Table Topic Contest

In the past two table topic contests I've competed at I've had the displeasure of going last. Table Topics is all about impromptu speaking, which means developing a 1-2 minute answer as you see the table topic for the first time. This would be the first time I'd get to witness someone from outside of TELUS House of Speakers showcase their impromptu speaking ability.

The prompt was, "To be is to do."

This was a tough prompt. However, like the previous contests, these competitors showed why they belong to compete at the district level. I took note how they took command of the stage, utilized their vocal variety, and incorporated humour effectively.

Finally, I was able to agree with the judges on the winner. His win was decisive, and it would later be revealed the winner also won on Big Brother - a reality competition tv show. As an aspiring Survivor player, it demonstrates to me I need to be at his calibre as a communicator to stand a chance getting on Survivor.

The main takeaway I took from this competition is to read a lot of books, because you never know what domain of knowledge you need to tap into.

Plenary Workshop: Lance Miller

This workshop was extremely powerful. This seminar addresses the practical steps to finding speaking messages within you, that are connected to you and that you believe in. Lance Miller demonstrated that anyone can discover inspiration and motivational messages hidden within all of us.

This was a repeat workshop Lance delivered in the past, inaugurating it in 2010. And boy, did I take notes. How can you be authentic with the audience? How do you play off the audience? How do you drive emotional connections with the audience? What are the messages in your speech? How can you find the extraordinary out of the ordinary?

All these questions Lance answered. What I appreciated about his answers is he demonstrated how he would deliver his answer as if he was in your shoes. He showed us how we can tap into ourselves to find our inner excellence.

His best advice though? Speak like you are going to lose.

Key Takeaways

  • Advanced Speaking Techniques: The workshops on advanced speaking techniques opened my eyes to new ways of engaging with audiences and delivering impactful messages.
  • Leadership Development: The leadership sessions provided valuable insights into effective team management and organizational skills.
  • Networking Opportunities: I connected with experienced Toastmasters who shared their journeys and offered valuable advice for my own path forward.

Inspiring Moments

The highlight of the conference was undoubtedly the International Speech Contest. Watching these masterful speakers deliver their messages with such passion and precision was both humbling and inspiring. It gave me a clear vision of what's possible with dedication and practice.

Moving Forward

This conference has reinvigorated my commitment to my Toastmasters journey. I've set new goals for my speaking development and am excited to implement the techniques and strategies I learned. The experience has shown me that there's always room for growth and improvement in public speaking.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to have been part of this transformative event and look forward to attending more conferences in the future. The connections made and lessons learned will undoubtedly shape my public speaking journey for years to come.

Stay tuned for more updates on my Toastmasters journey!