The Toastmasters Podcast

[24:21] W.C. “Bobby” Blackmon lost his eyesight at the age of five. While living without eyesight presents inherent challenges, Bobby has elected to conquer a plethora of additional challenges throughout his life. Learning braille. Playing the trumpet. Writing poetry. Shot put, track, and wrestling. Powerlifting. More recently‚Äîrecording music, writing books, and motivational speaking. Although Bobby no longer has eyesight, he has something even more powerful: mind vision.

[25:03] Visiting a Bilingual Toastmasters Club is a fun, safe, and encouraging way to have an awesome time and practice a second (or maybe even a third!) language. In this episode, Greg and Ryan speak with Gwenydd Jones, DTM an experienced translator, course creator, copywriter, and member of Toastmasters Sevilla in Seville, Spain. Gwen, originally from the UK, shares her experience and offers tips on how to make the most out of attending a bilingual Toastmasters club. Some of her tips come from her recent article: "7 Tips to Attend a Bilingual Toastmasters Meeting (How to have a great time and practice your second language)" in the April 2022 issue of the Toastmaster magazine.

[32:15] David JP Phillips, spent seven years and studied 5,000 speakers to identify and distill the core skills and subskills of communication. On today’s show, he shares the results of his research, how many skills he discovered and how he uses them to coach speakers to improve as efficiently as possible. Imagine making one simple tweak—such as adjusting the volume of your voice—and having it cascade, improve your performance in several related areas. This is just one example. Through David’s process, such effects are not just possible—they are predictable.

[22:26] When two giants - Toastmasters International and Rotary International create a strategic alliance a certain kind of magic happens.  Today’s guest is Kate McClare who tells us a little about the strategic alliance formed back in 2019 shares some of the magical moments of collaboration from those who made them happen. Kate also explains how Toastmasters and clubs can get involved.

[27:56] On this 200th episode, we introduce the winner of the Pitch Us Your Podcast Idea contest, Rashmi Ketha! Rashmi is from Ledgewood, New Jersey, and is a member of Parsippany Toastmasters. She’s a Product manager at Verizon, and as an advisor to the Harvard Business Review. Rashmi’s podcast pitch idea is for a show called The Experience Passport, about the benefits of hobby sampling and taking a "generalist" approach to life.

[29:50] Video technology and not being tied to a particular physical location or boardroom has opened the doors for common-interest or specialty-themed clubs that bring members even closer together in their pursuit of improving communication and leadership skills. Our guest today Megan Preston-Meyer has done some research in that area and enlightens us on how these unique clubs can also help you become a better photographer or chef (amongst other things) while having a whole lot of fun with like-minded individuals.

[28:03] Social Media seems to be the natural goto for clubs as a method for marketing and recruiting members. For some it’s the only thing they use. Our guest today, David F. Carr speaks with hosts Greg and Ryan and offers some compelling thoughts and advice on a sometimes overlooked but critical component: Club websites.

[28:42] Are you truly engaging your audience or merely speaking to them? If you want to increase your platform effectiveness, today’s guest will show you the way. Cathey Armillas shares the mindset and techniques needed to break through that "invisible wall" to help you powerfully connect with your audience.

[30:08] On today’s episode, we discuss Virtual Reality (VR)‚Äîwhat it is, why it’s important, and how communicators, speakers, and professionals can use VR to enhance their communication, connection, and careers. You’ll meet Melanie Stark, a Toastmaster and VR enthusiast who has facilitated events in VR with members of both Toastmasters and Rotary International. You’ll also meet NYC-based entrepreneur Roberto DaCosta, the founder of CONINVR, a company that hosts weekly VR Networking and monthly trade shows in virtual reality.

[25:57] This past August at the 2021 Toastmasters International virtual convention, Forrest Tuff completed the last step of the Accredited Speaker application process, and was subsequently awarded the prestigious Accredited Speaker designation. Tuff is only the 89th individual to do so since the program began in 1981.