KŌRERO | PUBLIC SPEAKING

The surprising things I've learned at Toastmasters

Toastmasters

Toastmasters International is a non‑profit educational organisation that helps members develop their public speaking, communication, and leadership skills. It has roughly 13,800 clubs worldwide, including around 280 in Aotearoa New Zealand.

I joined Toastmasters in 2014 and currently belong to two clubs. Some of my Toastmasters highlights include:

Winning a Toastmasters video competition in 2020, sharing the surprising things I had learnt (click play on the right to watch the video), put together with only basic video editing software.
Serving as an Area Director in 2019 and 2023, supporting five clubs throughout the Toastmasters year to achieve excellence.
Building my skills in feedback and evaluation, winning the District 72 Evaluation Contest in 2018 and placing second in 2024 and 2025.
Being MC for the 2023 District 72 Toastmasters Conference.
Running evaluation workshops for the Toastmasters community.
Co‑founding Kura Kōrero Toastmasters, supporting learners of te reo Māori me ōna tikanga, and managing the club’s Facebook page and promotion. See the live Facebook feed for more information.

Toastmasters is my space to grow as a speaker, a team member, and a leader. It is also where I contribute to my community, it is a place to connect, build whanaungatanga, and support others on their own public speaking journey.