Who are MY top 10 Toastmasters World Champions of Public Speaking?
Ladies and Gentlemen, here are my top 10 picks since the year 1990
Machedo MAX pick at number 10
At number 10 you have, 2007 - Vikas Jhingran with the speech titled ‘The Swami’s Question’.
He is an MIT doctoral candidate in Mechanical and Ocean Engineering.
The speech was about finding himself through meditation and getting into the college of his dreams through meditation – the MIT
BONUS INFORMATION
What made his stand out – well the 1st ever Indian Contestant to win the world Championships.
And yes – the accent was so thick, even most of the Indians found it hard to understand what he was saying.
Machedo MAX pick at Number 9
At number 9 you have the only man to ask you ‘The Ultimate Question. 2005 Lance Miller won the world championship of public speaking. What made him stand out – well he was the only one to use ‘sound’ as a prop to reinforce his message. (which was ‘CHAAACHING’)
Oh yes, and it turned out that his victory was an inspiration for many as a he later on admitted being a ‘loser’ for 17 years as a competitor who never made it through the club level only to win the championship in the end.
BONUS INFORMATION
His educational material is by far the top rated educational material you will ever get your hands on.
Machedo MAX pick at Number 8
At number 8 you have Mr. Ed Tate with his speech titled ‘One of those days’. He was the only person to win a speech contest by using ‘Audience Participation’ throughout his speech.
What I felt made him stand out was also the fact that he has a very unique style of story telling, which was rather really cool, candid, composed and compact with humor.
BONUS INFORMATION
His educational material is also really classy and I highly recommend anyone listening to all 3 speeches of his that took him to the world championship.
Machedo MAX pick at Number 7
What happens when a good speaker give a bad speech?
What happens when a good speaker gives a bad speech but then has to see his family in tears because he lost?
Finally, What happens when a good speaker gives a bad speech but then has to see his family in tears because he lost and after all that you get David Brooks coming up to you and asking you if you would like to be his mentee and try again for the next world championship?
Ladies and Gentlemen, you get Mark Brown, the 1995 World Champion of Public speaking with the speech titled ‘A second chance’
What made him unique – He sang a song and after he sang it…..well that was the magic moment in his speech – watch it to understand it.
BONUS INFORMATION
He is a very active supporter of the any program that is in connection to Children and benefits to them through the power of his communication.
Machedo MAX pick at Number 6
What do you do when you have qualified for the world championship finals but you don’t have a speech 4 days before the championship?
Friends, welcome 1996 World Champion of Public Speaking - David Nottage with his speech titled ‘Get up’
His speech was the ONLY speech which had excessive movement, excessive vocal variety, excessive humor and excessive drama – But in the end – well he pulled it off.
BONUS INFORMATION
What made his speech one of a kind – well after the 3rd minute he forgot everything he was supposed to say and deliver.
How he survived – He had the longest on the spot table topic the World Championship finals has ever encountered.
Machedo MAX pick at Number 5
Imagine this.
You have just witnessed a speaker deliver one of the greatest speeches anyone can deliver.
You know for a fact he is going to win it.
And then, you have Craig Valentine walk up to the stage and deliver ‘The Key to Fulfillment’.
In the year 1999, this young man made history by delivering what the Toastmasters World called and still calls – ‘The LONGEST pregnant pause’ ever to end a speech.
The manner in which he ended it, well lets put it this way – if audience suspense was as thick as the air we breathe, well given the effect of the speech, you could slice it with a knife.
BONUS INFORMATION
No one until this date had witness vocal variety to the extent Craig Valentine had pushed it. The rate of speaking was the fastest ever heard to date.
Machedo MAX pick at Number 4
You are blind.
You take part in the world greatest speaking contest.
After making it all the way to the finals, you come in 2nd place.
You lose. So what do you do?
Simple .
Come back the following year and win it.
In 1992 Dana Lamon delivered the speech ‘Take a chance’ and touched the lives of everyone who was watching the most amazing speech contest.
BONUS INFORMATION
He was the 1st blind person to win the world championship of public speaking and proved you don’t need eye contact to win a championship.
Machedo MAX pick at Number 3
There are very few people who amazes me as much as this man does.
1997 Wille Jones delivered a speech ‘A warm boot’
What I loved about his speech was the spontaneity, enthusiasm, energy and life that he put into his speech.
But what shocked the hell out of me was this - He is the ONLY contestant in the history of TMI who went and delivered a speech – without having a written script!!!
Now try pulling out a stunt like that and I would be impressed!!!
BONUS INFORMATION
What Willie Jones did was nothing short of what an EMCEE does on stage. He had charisma that no one could ever match and audience connectivity that would steam roll anybody.
Machedo MAX pick at Number 2
By far no one matches the gut-wrenching determination of Jim Keys.
He took part the first year – He was the 1st speaker. Everyone felt he should have won until they saw the champion who won it.
The next year he took part – Everyone knew for a fact he would win it. There was no doubt he would win it. It was impossible he would lose. And he finally got it – The second place that shocked the speaking world.
Finally the third year, he took part all over again. Came to the finals, all over again. Gave his best, all over again and it was a moment everyone would shed a tear.
In 2003, Jim Key cruised to the championship with a speech titled ‘Never too late’
BONUS INFORMATION
Though he was the first ever speaker to win by using sign language in the end, the most amazing part of the whole experience was, when he delivered his after winning trophy acceptance speech.
2000 people were in the audience.
And not a single dry eye was present.
Must watch speech.
Machedo MAX pick at Number 1
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So we come down to the number 1 spot. And the man who takes away all the glory
Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the 2001 World Champion of Public Speaking - Darrex Lacroix with the speech titled ‘OUCH’
What made his stand out?
He is the:
1st speaker to fall down on the stage and stay there for more than 10 seconds
1st speaker to have the most innovative way of wishing the contest chair
1st comedian to win the TMI championship
1st speaking champion to win the championship with a speech that timed 7:48 seconds.
BONUS INFORMATION
His educational programs are worth its money in Gold.
Great article. Thanks for the quick infos about each of your favourites.
ReplyDeleteGreat Champions. I've had the pleasure of meeting 4 of them (including 3 of your top 10) - what makes them so awesome, on top of their talent and journey, is that they are still surprisingly approachable and human despite their international fame.
Man, I didn't even make the top 10! Great article! I found this on a Google search these many years AFTER you wrote it.
ReplyDeleteDave Ross WCPS 1991