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Mark Brown Interview
What’s Mark Brown, winner of the 1995 World Championship of Public Speaking, talking about? You’ll find out today – on the table.
Today we're talking to Mark Brown, winner of the 1995 World Championship of Public Speaking. Good morning, Mark.
Mark L. Brown: Good morning, Kim.
Kim Krajci: How are you today?
MLB: I am feeling so great and I'm honored to be able to spend some time with you todya.
KK: Thank you. Where are you right now?
MLB: I'm home in a little town called Lizella, Georgia, some two hours south of Atlanta, having returned last night at 1 a.m. from a week of speaking in Colorado.
KK: Colorado, and you're going to be in Cleveland. You must travel a lot.
MLB: Actually, I travel close to 100 days a year on the job because I am a full-time professional speaker at the moment, so yes, I do travel quite a bit.
KK: How long have you been in Toastmasters?
MLB: Wow, I've been in Toastmasters for about 22 years. I became a member in the spring of 1993.
KK: And you won the world championship in 1995? You must have come in with some pretty amazing skills.
MLB: Well, you know, I often get that question, but I think I was blessed and fortunate with some basic skills. But I really appreciate the Toastmasters program. I took to it right away and actually found myself in the World Championship in 1994 after being in only 14 or 15 months. And then I went again in 95, on my second round. I was able to win the World Championship. It has been quite a ride for the last 20 years. I can't believe it's been 20 years, but I tell people I did win in the previous millenium, and I have the old VHS videotape to prove it.
KK: Technology has certainly changed.
MLB: Indeed it has, yes.
KK: Looking back, have you seen the World Championship's type of speech has changed?
MLB: Since I've competed back in 1994 and 95, one of the most significant changes, I think, has been the use of humor in Toastmasters' speeches to win contests. I have found that most contestants do their best to incorporate humor. They want you to think, to feel, to laugh, to have an emotional response and also a call to action - all in seven minutes. The addition of humorous content is the most significant change I've seen since I first began to compete 21 years ago. The other thing I think may be coming down the road is that there may be an increased use of props. The most popular prop I've seen in Toastmasters speech contests has been a chair. It has been used for various reasons, in various ways, and used by contest winners as well. I think with the advent of technology, I will not be surprised if, in the near future, we don't see Powerpoint or some other electronic visual aid being used in speech contests down the road.
KK: That's really interesting. It presumes there's going to be availability of that sort of thing at the various levels of the contests. That there will be a Powerpoint project at area, and at division and at district. I don't know that we've got such things, but it's an interesting thing to think about.
MLB: The reason that I say that is I actually had a discussion about this, in a Facebook group recently, where it was raised by fellow Toastmasters, and they said, the consensus seemed to be that the way things are these days, it will not be a surprise. I'm also a member of the National Speakers Association. Quite recently, I've noticed several presenters using Powerpoint slides. At Toastmasters conventions and at conferences, speakers, including keynote speakers or guest speakers come with a laptop and a remote control unit...
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What’s Mark Brown, winner of the 1995 World Championship of Public Speaking, talking about? You’ll find out today – on the table.
Today we're talking to Mark Brown, winner of the 1995 World Championship of Public Speaking. Good morning, Mark.
Mark L. Brown: Good morning, Kim.
Kim Krajci: How are you today?
MLB: I am feeling so great and I'm honored to be able to spend some time with you todya.
KK: Thank you. Where are you right now?
MLB: I'm home in a little town called Lizella, Georgia, some two hours south of Atlanta, having returned last night at 1 a.m. from a week of speaking in Colorado.
KK: Colorado, and you're going to be in Cleveland. You must travel a lot.
MLB: Actually, I travel close to 100 days a year on the job because I am a full-time professional speaker at the moment, so yes, I do travel quite a bit.
KK: How long have you been in Toastmasters?
MLB: Wow, I've been in Toastmasters for about 22 years. I became a member in the spring of 1993.
KK: And you won the world championship in 1995? You must have come in with some pretty amazing skills.
MLB: Well, you know, I often get that question, but I think I was blessed and fortunate with some basic skills. But I really appreciate the Toastmasters program. I took to it right away and actually found myself in the World Championship in 1994 after being in only 14 or 15 months. And then I went again in 95, on my second round. I was able to win the World Championship. It has been quite a ride for the last 20 years. I can't believe it's been 20 years, but I tell people I did win in the previous millenium, and I have the old VHS videotape to prove it.
KK: Technology has certainly changed.
MLB: Indeed it has, yes.
KK: Looking back, have you seen the World Championship's type of speech has changed?
MLB: Since I've competed back in 1994 and 95, one of the most significant changes, I think, has been the use of humor in Toastmasters' speeches to win contests. I have found that most contestants do their best to incorporate humor. They want you to think, to feel, to laugh, to have an emotional response and also a call to action - all in seven minutes. The addition of humorous content is the most significant change I've seen since I first began to compete 21 years ago. The other thing I think may be coming down the road is that there may be an increased use of props. The most popular prop I've seen in Toastmasters speech contests has been a chair. It has been used for various reasons, in various ways, and used by contest winners as well. I think with the advent of technology, I will not be surprised if, in the near future, we don't see Powerpoint or some other electronic visual aid being used in speech contests down the road.
KK: That's really interesting. It presumes there's going to be availability of that sort of thing at the various levels of the contests. That there will be a Powerpoint project at area, and at division and at district. I don't know that we've got such things, but it's an interesting thing to think about.
MLB: The reason that I say that is I actually had a discussion about this, in a Facebook group recently, where it was raised by fellow Toastmasters, and they said, the consensus seemed to be that the way things are these days, it will not be a surprise. I'm also a member of the National Speakers Association. Quite recently, I've noticed several presenters using Powerpoint slides. At Toastmasters conventions and at conferences, speakers, including keynote speakers or guest speakers come with a laptop and a remote control unit...