District Conference Inspirational Contest
This blog will provide a brief glimpse of the top three speakers chosen in the International Speech Contest at North Carolina's Toastmaster Conference on May 5, 2018.
First-place Winner Kevin Johnson was not a paid professional speaker. He was trained to give counseling to those with a troubled past like himself. He opened in wearing a boxing glove and called audience members "fellow combatants." He told of having a learning disability in reading, being put in a special class, having others handing out insults, and of his being bullied. He'd gone to drugs and alcohol to alleviate the pain, been taught by a friend to go sober, taken up boxing, and gone two rounds with a four-time toughman contest-winner. Hiding behind his two gloves had defined his whole life of being guarded and being beaten. Then in a defining moment he dropped his guard to try to risk everything to deliver a haymaker in the third round. It'd caused the champion to stagger before "he beat the heck out of me." He felt a loser and dejected, but as he left the gym, the champion praised him and took him under his wing. He trained him to harness his power and not be afraid to go all out and lose the life he had. He went on to get a 4.0 on the way to his counseling degree. His speech was from the heart, exposed his vulnerability, and ended up being the Haymaker of the contest.
The third place speaker's photo is from a Dr. Kevin Snyder mailout. His speech message was that the only mistake is the one you don't learn from. That Kevin is very successful in promoting ideas and himself is attested to by his website: "(E)xperiencing life and living it to the fullest exudes in everything he does. His energy is contagious and it will inspire you to never take yours for granted. Whether you book Kevin for a keynote presentation or charter his sailboat for a cruise, you’ll feel more energized and rejuvenated than ever before. Through his speaker coaching program and book, PAID to SPEAK, he has coached over 100 speakers . . . . He has presented over 1,150 keynotes and leadership training workshops in all 50 states and several countries."
Another paid professional that presented a true work of art as a speech is second-place winner Ryspodii "Sporty" King. He began with a comical, fast-paced poem about stuff happening and then said 2007 had the toughest stuff to happen. We learned it was his mother's dying. His vocal expressiveness ranged from hushed tones to exuberance, with a great variety in pace, and very creative crafting of language. "My mom cursed a lot," he said as he provided testimony from funeral guests that would miss that and her encouragement. "When one door closes, go for the windows," he said. He also ended with a catchy poem.
First-place Winner Kevin Johnson was not a paid professional speaker. He was trained to give counseling to those with a troubled past like himself. He opened in wearing a boxing glove and called audience members "fellow combatants." He told of having a learning disability in reading, being put in a special class, having others handing out insults, and of his being bullied. He'd gone to drugs and alcohol to alleviate the pain, been taught by a friend to go sober, taken up boxing, and gone two rounds with a four-time toughman contest-winner. Hiding behind his two gloves had defined his whole life of being guarded and being beaten. Then in a defining moment he dropped his guard to try to risk everything to deliver a haymaker in the third round. It'd caused the champion to stagger before "he beat the heck out of me." He felt a loser and dejected, but as he left the gym, the champion praised him and took him under his wing. He trained him to harness his power and not be afraid to go all out and lose the life he had. He went on to get a 4.0 on the way to his counseling degree. His speech was from the heart, exposed his vulnerability, and ended up being the Haymaker of the contest.
The third place speaker's photo is from a Dr. Kevin Snyder mailout. His speech message was that the only mistake is the one you don't learn from. That Kevin is very successful in promoting ideas and himself is attested to by his website: "(E)xperiencing life and living it to the fullest exudes in everything he does. His energy is contagious and it will inspire you to never take yours for granted. Whether you book Kevin for a keynote presentation or charter his sailboat for a cruise, you’ll feel more energized and rejuvenated than ever before. Through his speaker coaching program and book, PAID to SPEAK, he has coached over 100 speakers . . . . He has presented over 1,150 keynotes and leadership training workshops in all 50 states and several countries."
Another paid professional that presented a true work of art as a speech is second-place winner Ryspodii "Sporty" King. He began with a comical, fast-paced poem about stuff happening and then said 2007 had the toughest stuff to happen. We learned it was his mother's dying. His vocal expressiveness ranged from hushed tones to exuberance, with a great variety in pace, and very creative crafting of language. "My mom cursed a lot," he said as he provided testimony from funeral guests that would miss that and her encouragement. "When one door closes, go for the windows," he said. He also ended with a catchy poem.
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