The Toastmasters Podcast

 [18:50] Distinguished Toastmaster Harry Yan had the unique opportunity to participate as a cast member in videos produced as part of Toastmasters' revitalized education program (REP). Harry provides a behind-the-scenes look at the video production process. He shares what he enjoyed about the process, what surprised him, and how he believes the REP will benefit members.

[26:58] Ellie Kay, ACS, ALB, is now one of only 67 Accredited Speakers (AS) in the world. Ellie received the prestigious AS designation at Toastmasters’ 2015 International Convention in Las Vegas. Greg and Ryan speak with Ellie about her unique and varied career as a speaker and author, her decision to pursue the AS designation, and about how Toastmasters fits into her life today.

 [23:15] On August 15, 2015, Mohammed Qahtani of Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, District 79, became Toastmasters’ 2015 World Champion of Public Speaking with his speech, "The Power of Words," delivered at the Toastmasters International Convention in Las Vegas. In our milestone 100th episode, Qahtani speaks with Greg and Ryan as he shares his struggles with a speech impediment and provides a behind-the-sce...

[19:00] Bo and Greg speak with Jim Kokocki, DTM , who is an entrepreneur and business consultant residing in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. As a volunteer, he is a member of the board at L’Arche Saint John, part of a worldwide network of communities for people with intellectual disabilities. He also serves as Director of Business Development for Mudge Engineering Associates. Kokocki previously...

In this episode, Arrington shares her experience as a REP Ambassador; what she's learned in the role; her thoughts about the upcoming changes to the educational program; and advice for Ambassadors and others interested in the program.

Kristin Arnold, a meeting facilitator, moderator, trainer and keynote speaker discusses best practices for moderating a panel discussion.

Part 2 of our convention sneak preview, featuring Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE; Darren LaCroix, CSP; and Alex Malley.

[31:27] In this episode, you'll meet four of the speakers scheduled to present at the 2015 Toastmasters International Convention in Las Vegas next month, including: Marilyn Tam; Dana LaMon DTM, AS; Judy Carter; and Tim Gard, CSP, CPAE.

[22:13] Greg Gazin speaks with Shelly-Ann Lovell, the executive chef and operator of Firewood Food Stop, a Cajun and Creole restaurant in Trinidad. She's been a Toastmaster for two years with the Nepuyo Toastmasters in Arima. Chef Lovell, whose photo graced the cover of the May 2015 issue of Toastmaster magazine, discusses the importance of displaying leadership in the high-pressure environment of...

John Lente, DTM discusses how he used the High Performance Leadership (HPL) program to take on a challenge in his community and make a lasting impact.

[19:00] Greg speaks with Peter Kossowan, known as “Mr. Toast”—a master club-builder who has chartered 164 clubs and counting. Peter is a Distinguished Toastmaster and Past District 42 Governor from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He is also the recipient of two Presidential Citations from Toastmasters International. Peter has volunteered for over 80 nonprofit organizations, but his greatest passion is...

Greg speaks with three of the 14 Chief Ambassadors (one from each region) who were interviewed in the March 2015 edition of the Toastmaster magazine. We get to meet Distinguished Toastmasters Jan Vecchio, Region 12, District 70, from Sydney, Australia; Carl Duivenvoorden, Region 9, District 45, from New Brunswick, Canada; and Pamela McCown, Region 3, District 56, from Pasadena, Texas. All three sh...

[24:10] How can participation in Toastmasters help authors and aspiring authors develop and hone content for publication? Published author John Lesko, DTM, a past district governor, joins Bo and Ryan to discuss this unique topic.

[22:57] Greg speaks with Greg Van Borssum, filmmaker, inspirational speaker, former bodybuilding champion and Toastmaster. Van Borssum is co-founder of Australia-based Team Infinity, three self-described “ordinary Aussies” with “extraordinary stories” of success. He's also the fight choreographer and weapons advisor for the forthcoming movie Mad Max: Fury Road. Van Borssum, who was profiled in the...

[19:30] Expressive Leadership Coach and fellow podcaster Jonathan Li of theexpressiveleader.com joins Bo and Ryan from Hong Kong. Jonathan shares his story of going from an anxious, agitated speaker to a calm and comfortable communicator. He also talks about how listeners can benefit from what he calls the Expressive Leadership Model.

Bo, Ryan, and Greg finish up the year of Toastmasters Podcasts by each sharing something they learned in 2014 as members.

[19:40] Nita Patel, DTM, is a Toastmaster from New Hampshire who works as an engineer and is active as a board member and leader in various professional societies. Ms. Patel was profiled in the December 2014 issue of the Toastmaster magazine, and she joins us to discuss the importance of clear communication in the workplace and beyond. Ms. Patel also touches on her experience as a female in a male...

[19:43] Greg speaks with Paul Clark, a historian and author who has researched early Toastmasters history, some of which he shares with us to commemorate the organization's 90th year. Paul talks about Toastmasters founder Ralph Smedley as well as the formation of the first Toastmasters club. He also discusses Toastmasters-related historical documents that he discovered in a Southern California lib...

Meet the 2014 World Champion of Public Speaking, Dananjaya Hettiarachchi

[23:45] Mohammed Murad, DTM, was elected as Toastmasters’ 2014–2015 International President this past August at the International Convention in Kuala Lumpur. Murad, a resident of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is an entrepreneur and Managing Director of three companies. He holds an MBA and a Master of Quality Management degree from the University of Wollongong in New South Wales, Australia. He is al...

Greg's columns appear at Canoe.ca, G4TechTV Canada, GadgetGreg.com, GadgetGuy.ca and others. He's also appeared on a number of TV and radio programs, including CBC's Blue Sky, CTV NewsChannel Express and CITY TV Breakfast Television. Greg  recently published his first book: Corey OutSMARTs the Butterflies.

Meet presenters who will be speaking at the Toastmasters International Convention in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in August.

Jeremey is Chief Marketing Officer of American Management Association (AMA) International. AMA is the world’s leading nonprofit, membership-based management development, research and publishing organization. Prior to joining AMA, Jeremey served as Group Vice President of Marketing at Gartner Inc., the world's leading information technology research and advisory company. During his career, Jeremey...

[22:14] Vikas Jhingran is a speaker, author and corporate leader with a strong interest in helping people and teams reach their full potential. As an engineer with Shell Oil Company in Houston, Texas, he uses his leadership and communication skills to manage multi-million-dollar projects. Vikas advocates an emotion-based approach to verbal communication, which he explores in his book Emote: Using...

[18:37] Cara Wasden, a member of Toast of Petaluma Toastmasters in California, was diagnosed in high school with Tourette syndrome, a neurological disorder characterized by involuntary movements and sounds called tics. In this short interview, Cara scratches the surface of what it's like to live with Tourette's—every individual with this disorder lives with a variety of symptoms—and shares her exp...