The Toastmasters International Nashville Convention was like no other that I have attended. The last in person convention was in Denver in 2019. The previous two years have been online only. This year it was a hybrid one. There were 700 in person and 1000 online attendees. It was wonderful to reconnect with people I have not seen for several years. It was evident by the excited chatter that others felt the same way. The convention officially starts on Wednesday evening but the afternoon events were well attended. Many people enjoy hearing the board briefing and recognise the outgoing international directors for their contribution.
The opening ceremony dress code was your national costume. Matt Eyles and I were the only two Aussies to get with the program! The koala I carried was a draw card. You really have to be there in person to feel the hum and excitement of the flag ceremony and the singing of the Stars and Stripes. It is moving. This was followed by the keynote speaker, Jim Cathcart, a leader in the field of success motivation and personal development. There was plenty of time afterwards to network and take a photo or two with Toastmasters in their amazing national costumes.
A long time tradition is the sing-along from 10 – 12pm. It was started by Past International President (PIP), Ted Corcoran about twenty-five years ago. Unfortunately Ted was unable to make it from Ireland so Dilip Abayasekara PIP, assumed the reins. There are usually about thirty people who come along. Of course I never sing! However, there are many talented Toastmasters who have amazing voices. Sometimes we just sit there and look at each other in amazement. It’s a bit like The Voice for Toastmasters!
On Thursday, there was much excitement as this was the day of the semi-finals. Region 12 had two representatives – Jody Dontje, District 73 and Mathew Eyles, District 69. Neither Jody nor Mat proceeded to the finals. However, they were brilliant and I was so proud to be an Aussie. They both have amazing attitudes and are so thankful for the opportunity. They are fun to be around too! Kevin and I tried to be a massive cheer squad of two. We were excited to have managed front row seats.
What I am going to say about the hybrid speech contests is my opinion (oh and maybe a few other people too!). The contests were in a hybrid format with some judges and contestants being online. My first thoughts were that in person contestants would have an advantage. My learned friend and Program Quality Director, Kevin Broughton DTM, disagreed. He was right considering the results.
There were four semi-finals. In total, six out of twenty-eight semi-finalists were online yet four out of the six made it to the finals. What does that tell you? There is a definite advantage in presenting online. The contestant is able to use the camera to magnify their facial expressions and use props adroitly. Meanwhile the camera for the in person contestants is fixed. There is no zooming in on their faces. It will be interesting to see if any changes are made for the 2023 convention.
Being a hybrid convention, there were many more educational sessions available online only. The in person workshops were all broadcast. They were “The Three C’s for Managing Unconscious Bias” by Author/Leadership Specialist/Speaker Dima Ghawi, “The Phenomenon of Impostor Syndrome and Mental Health” by Psychologist/Researcher/Professor Kevin Cokley, “Leadership 2030 and Beyond: New Skill Sets, Mindsets, and Competencies We Will Need” by Golden Gavel honouree, Shirley Davis and Sam Horn with Tongue Fu. Sam was my favourite, She was warm, engaging, funny and spoke at a pace most people could follow. My other favourite was Kevin C Snyder who was an Accredited Speaker candidate. Kevin was hugely popular and I am glad to say he passed the judging to become Toastmasters 90th Accredited Speaker.
At the Candidates Showcase, candidates for International Director participate in an interesting form of Table Topics. They come into the room one at a time and answer a series of questions. They do have an opportunity for an opening and a closing statement. Many only give a closing statement. The district trios usually interview all of the candidates in advance and I would imagine that if they were unsure of who to vote for, the biography and this showcase would help them decide. It certainly is nerve wracking for the candidates.
The new International Directors (ID) were elected at the Annual Business Meeting. There were tears of celebration and of commiseration. The successful candidates serve a two year term. A long time ago, candidates spent a small fortune on a hospitality suite and give-aways. Now all of that is forbidden. I don’t think they can even give away a pen. These restrictions allow more people to stand for ID. It’s still expensive to run though. The new ID for Region 12 is a young man by the name of Ben McCormick DTM from District 69 in Queensland.
The Annual Business Meeting was the first I attended where delegates voted using their smart phones or laptops. It was a different process to what I witnessed in Nashville. All of the twelve proposals were approved with very little debate. The results of the International Director elections were made after the ABM had concluded. It must have been an agonising wait for the candidates.
It’s amazing how quickly the days pass. Saturday arrived and you could feel the excitement about the World Championship of Public Speaking. All eight speakers were amazing and winners in their own right. Cyril Junior Dim from District 108 won with his speech entitled, “Ndini.” Cyril was born in Zimbabwe, lives in Poland and speaks with an English accent. We truly are an international organisation! You can watch the winning speech at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvYu29BpenY
Saturday evening celebrated the inauguration of the new International President, Matt Kinsey DTM and the other Executive committee members and International Directors. The final event is the gala dinner with plenty of camaraderie and dancing.
There is usually quite a contingent of members from District 73 but this year it was just Kevin Broughton DTM, Jody Dontje and partner Melvin and myself. However, we enjoyed each other’s company and unexpectedly ended up sharing another day together after huge flight delays.
The venue for the convention was the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. It has 2,888 rooms and nine acres of indoor gardens, making it the largest non-casino hotel in the continental U.S. Yes, it was huge!!! We certainly racked up many steps each day and some extra ones for me when I would get lost. The venue is close to The Grand Ole Opry which is devoted to Country and Western Music. Kevin and I attended a concert there on the Tuesday night and it certainly was a highlight for me. Downtown Nashville is also known for live music. Walking down Broadway, you are assaulted with a cacophony of music as the sounds belt from every bar and restaurant. One odd thing I noticed was that there were no convenience stores or telcos on the main street, just places to eat, drink and listen to music.
The announcement that the 2023 International Convention is being held at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar in Nassau, The Bahamas was met with whoops of excitement. Hopefully by then travel will be more affordable and comfortable and covid is no longer a threat. I hope to see you there!
Judy Murphy DTM