by Denise McConnell DTM District Director A Toast to a Champion: Celebrating Elaine Royal District 25 is incredibly proud to celebrate the remarkable journey of Elaine Royal, our Outstanding member of the month, who represented our district as a finalist in the 2025 World Championship of Public Speaking. Her incredible achievement is not just a…
by Elaine Royal World Champion of Public Speaking Finalist I can still smell the muggy scent of the rain on the streets of Philadelphia. The night before my flight was delayed, my Uber driver dropped me off at the wrong hotel, and I missed my opportunity to have a hot cup of black coffee during complimentary breakfast…
by Jesse Ford DTM IPDD Have you ever had that feeling when you meet somebody that you just instantly thought to yourself… “Oh man this is going to be good.” I don’t want to seem cliché, but in Toastmasters it seems to happen a lot. If you look around at any district event you will…
by Elaine Royal D25’s 2025 International Speech Contest Winner I cheated! That’s right, I cheated! After barely winning at the club level and competing with two seasoned Toastmasters, I started cheating in this contest. Cheat means to act dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage, especially in a game or examination. The Friday before…
by Kelly Pelky DTM Conference Chair Vision. Inspiration. Passion. That’s what the 2025 D25 Conference was all about! From start to finish, this event was packed with unforgettable moments, incredible leadership, and a community that truly embodies the Toastmasters spirit. VIP Leadership in Action We celebrated our Distinguished Toastmasters—the leaders who inspire by example—and welcomed…
July 16, 2024 Dear District Leader, As the 2024-2025 program year begins, there are a few important speech contest updates for you to be aware of. These changes are reflected in the 2024-2025 Speech Contest Rulebook, along with other updates. Speech Contest Format To help accommodate for limitations due to COVID-19, the Toastmasters International Board of Directors…
by Emily Murray DTM Program Quality Director I’m a Toastmaster and not often at a loss for words, but WOW is the best I can give you. The Semi-finalists for the World Championship were that good. There were 28 of them – they competed in 4 sessions of 7 each – unfortunately, they held concurrent…
by Fursey Gotuaco, DL2 It began with the club-level contest and ended with the Semi-Finals of the World Championship of Public Speaking …. In between, I zoomed in and out of Toastmaster clubs around the world. What an amazing experience!!! COVID 19 changed the landscape of the international speech contest. It took away the warm…
Okay, it’s a bad adaptation. The point is, that our very own Fursey Gotuaco will be representing District 25 in the upcoming semi-finals of the World Championship of Public Speaking. This year’s contests are all virtual so while we can’t attend in person to support and encourage him, we can still show him we’re behind…
