The Toastmasters Podcast

You’ll also discover what a public run-through is, how you can use it, the value of vulnerability from his personal experience and a whole lot more.

Read more about this topic in Don’s article in the January 2023 issue of the Toastmaster magazine entitled: “Clowning Around: Discover three easy techniques for adding some good-natured fun to your presentation.” 

Some of our discussion also includes material from Don’s book  Wink: Transforming Public Speaking with Clown Presence.

Don Colliver is a trainer and professional speaker living in the San Francisco Bay area in California. You can reach him on LinkedIn or at www.winkpublicspeaking.com. 

A student of the topic, Ryan shares his thoughts and favorite insights from the emerging field of future-self science, citing psychological researchers and other experts. Some of the experts referenced in Ryan's article include, organizational psychologist Benjamin Hardy, Ph.D; Dan Gilbert, Ph.D., of Harvard University; Hal Herschrielf, Ph.D. from UCLA; German academic and psychologist, Gabriele Oettingen, Ph.D ; and Austrian psychiatrist and author, the late Victor Frankl, MD, Ph.D.

Today's episode offers practical suggestions for applying these concepts and concrete steps we can take today to help us realize our potential.

Ryan Levesque, DTM is a freelance writer, transformational public speaking coach, and a Toastmasters for nearly two decades. Based in Massachusetts, Ryan writes for companies in the blockchain, cryptocurrency, and Web3 space. 

You can find Ryan on LinkedIn or at WordsOnChain.com.

[28:32] Dr. Kevin Snyder completed the last step of the Accredited Speaker application process at the 2022 Toastmasters International hybrid convention and was subsequently awarded the prestigious Accredited Speaker designation (AS). Kevin is one of only 90 individuals to receive accreditation since the program began in 1981. 

Kevin has presented to over one million people through over a thousand audiences in all 50 states and around the world. He is the author of several books, with a best-seller titled 'Think Differently to Achieve Success.'

Outside of speaking and writing, Kevin’s personal “claim to fame” is that he lived his childhood dream of meeting Bob Barker and winning big on the television game show, The Price is Right. We'll hear about that in the interview along with a taste of his incredible journey.

Kevin is profiled in the January 2023 issue of the Toastmaster magazine. Find him at KevinCSnyder.com. You can also find his AS presentation in its entirety on YouTube.

Learn more about the Accredited Speaker program. 

[27:25] Take the power of Toastmasters, combine it with the power of podcasting, apply it to Cristóbal Colón and you get one individual whose life has been transformed. In this episode we hear about an incredible journey how Cristóbal took his passion for both and transformed himself from quiet engineer to podcast host. He shares about how and why he started the podcast, and how living through Puerto Rico's Hurricane Maria factored into his decision to finally start his podcast.

Cristóbal also enlightens us about how Toastmasters has helped in on this journey and how podcasting has improved his skills and how certain aspects help improve those skills and more.

You'd never know by listening that Cristóbal was once a shy introverted man who at one time felt invisible.

Cristóbal Colón, DTM is a member of Elite Advanced Speakers and Puerto Rico Toastmasters Club in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He is the host of Nos Cambiaron los Muñequitos! a podcast he started in 2018 in Spanish, his native language, amongst others.

Cristóbal also earned Honorable Mention in the Pitch Us Your Podcast Idea contest last year. Cristobal wrote an article about his journey that appeared in the November 2022 issue of The Toastmaster entitled: The Power of Podcasting—How I transitioned from a quiet computer engineer to a passionate podcast host.

You can reach Cristóbal Colón at his website: CristobalColon.net. You can also reach him on LinkedIn,  Twitter and Facebook. His dedicated sites for his podcasts are at: www.losmunequitos.com and www.lapalabraprecisa.com.

[25:07] When used effectively, metaphors are magic spells of communication, visual eye candy that cements the connection between you and your audience while doubling as powerful tools of persuasion. In this episode, we speak with speaker and author Oscar Santolalla who enlightens us on how and why we can use metaphors in our presentations.

You'll also learn how to create your own metaphors using the four-step method Oscar describes in his article entitled, Metaphorically Speaking: Use visual language to build a bridge between you and your audience in the March 2022 issue of the Toastmaster.

Originally from Peru, Oscar Santolalla lives in Helsinki, Finland. He is a speaker, author, coach, and Sales Engineer and Trainer for Ubisecure. His mission is to help people in technology companies present better, inspire others, and sell more.

Oscar has authored 2 books:  Rock the Tech Stage (which includes a section on Metaphors) and Create and Deliver a Killer Product Demo.  He also hosts Time to Shine, a podcast about public speaking, as well as his company's podcast, “Let’s Talk About Digital Identity.” 

Oscar is a member of two Toastmasters clubs, Finlandia Toastmasters and Northern Stars. 

Find Oscar at RockTheTechStage.com or on LinkedIn.

We’ll better understand why some people do not correct others when they hear their name said incorrectly, and hear of an emerging trend among those moving from non-English speaking countries related to maintaining their actual names rather than adopting an Anglo-Saxon name.

We also hear how Fiona came across Toastmasters and how it has helped her on her journey.

Price founded Globalise Consulting after completing her PhD in cross-cultural psychology. Since then, she's developed and presented training programs and lectures on cultural diversity issues in Australia, India, New Zealand, and the USA. 

Her publications in the field include the 2007  ‘Success with Asian Names’, and the 2015 ‘The HarperCollins International Student Survival Guide,’ for which she was the Australian co-author.

Fiona is from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and is a member of Williamstown Toastmasters Club in Williamstown, Victoria, Australia. She can be reached at Globalise.net.au, which offers additional resources.

You can also read Fiona's article: What's in a Name? Knowing how to pronounce names correctly makes a world of difference, in the November 2022 issue of the Toastmaster.

[30:07] 2022 marked Toastmasters International’s first-ever hybrid Convention, which included the organization's first hybrid World Championship of Public Speaking. This year’s winner from Wroclaw, Poland is Cyril Junior Dim. At only 24 years old, he’s the youngest winner ever.

Cyril rose above 30,000 participants to be crowned World Champion on Saturday, August 20th in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

Cyril was born in the United Kingdom, grew up in Zimbabwe, and today lives and works in Poland as a software engineer. This past February, he graduated from Wroclaw University of Science and Technology with a degree in Computer Science. 

In this episode, we get to meet and hear from Cyril. He shares about the journey that led him from Zimbabwe to Poland, to Toastmasters, and then to the world stage. We also hear about his winning speech, "Ndini" (translated: This is Me) and hear some of the unique, non-traditional ways he practiced, rehearsed, obtained feedback, and more.

You can watch Cyril's winning speech on YouTube and read the profile on the 2022 WCPS in the November 2022 issue of the Toastmaster magazine.

Cyril Junior Dim can be reached on his LinkedIn profile, by e-mail at "CyrilTheSpeaker AT Gmail.com" and at his future website, CyrilJuniorDim.com.

[31:22] Ted Corcoran has left an indelible impact on the history of Toastmasters. Not only did he serve as an International President, but he helped originate what became known as the Distinguished Club Program, and introduced a lively "underground" tradition to the annual International Convention that is now a part of the official agenda – and we'll hear about this and many other stories in a light and entertaining fashion. At age 79 and after 37 years, Ted continues to contribute to the Toastmasters community in his home District 71 (parts of the UK, and Ireland), and to districts and members the world over. 

Ted Corcoran was featured in the September 2022 issue of the Toastmaster, in an article titled "The Irish Oracle: Ted Corcoran’s wisdom and generosity uplift members around the world."

Ted's Books >

The Leadership Bus: How to be a Truly Effective and Successful Leader

Hiring a Car and Walking After It: A little book of life lessons

Contact Ted via email: corcoran.ted @ gmail dot com

In today's episode, Greg & Ryan discuss Collette's inspiration, her experience as a Toastmaster (and speech contest competitor), and the similarities and differences between Toastmasters and Speechmakers. Collette also shares what she learned from attending the 2019 Toastmasters International Convention in Denver, CO, and how that experience informed the novel.

In addition to writing fiction, Katherine Collette is a podcaster and engineer. She lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband and two children. Her debut novel, The Helpline, was published in the US, UK, Germany, and Italy. She co-hosts a podcast about books called The First Time.

Toastmaster magazine featured Katherine Collette and The Competition in August 2022.

Follow Katherine Collette on Instagram.

Order The Competition: https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-competition-katherine-collette/book/9781922268068.html

Listen to Katherine's podcast, The First Time: https://thefirsttimepodcast.com/

Joel Schwartzberg  is based in Chatam, New Jersey and is the senior director of strategic and executive communications for a U.S. national nonprofit, a presentation coach, and author of The Language of Leadership: How to Engage and Inspire Your Team and Get to the Point! Sharpen Your Message and Make Your Words Matter.

He is also a frequent contributor to the Toastmaster magazine. A recent contribution appears in the July 2022 issue called “7 Ways Leaders Can Listen More Effectively.” 

Joel is based in New Jersey and can be reached at JoelSchwartzberg.net.

Joel returns to the show in #268: Stop Talking, Start Connecting: The Cure for Overspeaking.