Latest news with #Discover2025
The Hindu
28-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Meet Luisa Montalvo, the World Champion for Public Speaking 2024
In 2013, Luisa Montalvo says she remembers walking into a Toastmasters meeting in South Texas having seen a flyer put up on the door of a library. 'Everyone there immediately introduced themselves. It was very inviting, and an automatic warm feeling,' she recalled. While she had briefly been a part of a Toastmasters Club for a few years from 1989 at her workplace, the club wound up, and she did not join another club until 2013. 'I realised I should have gone looking for a club then, but once I walked into the library meeting, I knew I should be a part of this again,' she said. Recognised as the World Champion for Public Speaking by Toastmasters International in 2024, Luisa was in Chennai over the weekend to be a part of Toastmasters International District 120's annual conference Discover 2025. Comprising over 4,000 members from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, District 120 spans 175 community, corporate, and college clubs. The people in Chennai, Luisa said, were warm and receptive. 'What Toastmasters often winds up being without you noticing is that you become part of a family. You can go anywhere in the world and meet people, and when you come back the next year, all of you once again catch up and bond,' she said. Stating that the beauty of Toastmasters is how supportive they are as a group, Luisa said that they do not believe in shame, guilt, or embarrassment and instead, thrive in a positive environment. 'The reason most people join is to become a better public speaker and the best way to do that is to be able to practice in front of an audience and get constructive feedback. This is done in the Toastmaster club meetings, where the evaluators tell you about what you did great and where you can improve,' she said. 'While many people do think they will become a good public speaker and then leave, they never do. They end up becoming so much more,' she added. At the conference, several young members took up the stage, to participate in the finale of the district championships speaking contests in different formats. Luisa too emphasised on the positive impact this would have on youngsters, enabling them to build confidence and leadership roles. 'When you go job hunting with Toastmasters on your resume, it sets you apart since it tells the employer you are looking to improve yourself, she says. 'Whether you are a teacher looking to improve your confidence, or someone who wants to do presentations better at work, this will help any kind of fear with regard to public speaking,' she adds. The Hindu was the print media partner for this event
The Hindu
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Toastmasters International members from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry come together for ‘Discover 2025'
For the many members of Toastmasters International, getting up on stage and speaking to a large audience is hardly a daunting task. This in fact, is something they enjoy, and regularly come together to work on. A large contingent of members, from Toastmasters International District 120, which comprises Tamil Nadu and Puducherry will converge in the city from May 23 to 25 for their Discover 2025 annual conference. The three-day event has several eminent speakers taking the stage, as well as speakers from Toastmasters battle it out in the finale of their annual district championships. While it has been twenty years since Toastmasters clubs in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry began , the organisation has had a much longer legacy. Toastmasters International, a non-profit educational organisation headquartered in the US was founded by Ralph C Smedly 100 years ago in 1924, and has helped people work on their confidence by developing their communication and leadership skills. 'In Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, we currently have around 4,500 members spread over 175 clubs. These clubs are community clubs, corporate clubs and in colleges as well,' says G Mohanakrishnan, district director, District 120, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. At Discover 2025, Palanivel Thiagarajan, Minister of Information Technology and Digital Services, Luisa Montalvo, world champion of public speaking 2024, Innocent Divya, Commissioner of Technical Education, Fursey Gotuaco, world champion of public speaking 2024 finalist, Jahabar Sadique, CEO, Chai Kings, Sam Paul, chairman and managing director, Paulsons beauty and fashion, and Deepa Venkat, voice artiste and actor will take the stage. The finale for four different speaking competitions – humorous speech contest, evaluation speech contest, table topics contest and international speech contest will have 36 contestants participate. Awards will also be given to different clubs and members based on their performance through the year. With members from ages 18 to 80 years, Toastmasters clubs typically meet once a week, engage in discussions, deliver speeches and practice taking on leadership roles. For the conference, members as well as the public are encouraged to attend to hear the eminent speakers, as well as watch the finale of the competitions. Mohanakrishnan says that taking Toastmasters and their vision to young students has been something they are consistently working on. 'Around 30 colleges in Tamil Nadu have active Toastmasters clubs, and some colleges even have multiple clubs on campus. This way, youngsters will hone their public speaking skills early on, and work on better communication and leadership skills which will help with their campus placements,' he says. The Hindu is the print media partner for the event. Discover 2025 will take place from May 23 to 25 at IIT Madras Research Park. For registrations and more details, log onto .
