TI Convention

My 1st day at Toastmaster International 2018 Convention 

Checking in

Preparation is outstanding. Marriott Hotel have great conference rooms and several rooms to run semifinals simultaneously. People at registration provide help desk services trying to be nice as possible: sweat and really helpful. 

Unfortunately, missed flags parade, which were on the 1st day, I arrived on 2nd.I could hold my country flag on this parade.

Semifinals

The official competition started from introducing all participants in the main hall. Then I had an opportunity to listen 10 speakers in another hall. There were 4 halls before noon and 3 after, however in the afternoon we had two rounds, each having 10 speakers. Contest chair before noon at my room was super confident and fast. He asked Sergeant-at-Arms to check the doors and close them till the speakers end speeches, asked to turn phones on silent mode, and started almost immediately. In a matter of two minutes we started with the first “speaker name-tilte-title-speaker name” - nothing unusual. But still very exciting!

The level of speakers

No words, awesome and terrific! Practice speech till it shines like diamond - that will be my main suggestion. I definitely never want to be a judge of speakers with such high level, it’s unbelievable hard to determine a winner. However some speakers reminded stories of previous winners in terms of structure and message, but again each speaker has their own story.

Forum

Convention have also several special speakers to enforce your leadership skills - felt myself like on the paid speaker forums. Speaking for one hour without loosing interest from speakers requires big practice. I believe all speakers were professional speakers, at least for which I was present in.

Networking

This one was hard for me as most participants of the event come in a group, not-the-first-time and know each other, most bounded by districts and...much older than me. 

Additionally, most was representers of district level. Sometimes the were not so interested in knowing people from far-far-far away land, but always friendly. Yet one person stood apart!!!!

In front of the registration there is a place for all flags (but Kazakhstan 🇰🇿 is not there 😟). And during my blindly walking around one sweet Japanese lady asked me to take a picture of her and her husband. Mr. Tamura, DTM, former district governor was really eager to chat and welcome me in TI 2018 convention. We had good short conversation, there he invited me to watch the representative of they district - 76. Japan has they own district with 170 clubs as I recall, can you believe it?

As I have no one to be in favor of I gladly accepted invitation. And we headed in different directions. I thought that they were very nice couple and the first people who were really wanted to know me. That turned to be true, because I went out something around 5 pm as I wanted to eat, stopped on the street, not sure there to sit down. Suddenly Mr. Tamura showed up, and invited me to join them. I met one more person, Kiti Yamado, from their district and we had a great time.That was awesome. It was a destiny to meet them

After that I definitely wanted to see the speech of their district winner and that was one of the unusual one in terms of structure and stood apart from others. Of course, the speech itself as a performance on the stage was on the highest level. Yet that was not enough to go through it 😟 Hope, next year... team district 76, go for it!

P.S. districts in Toastmasters really sounds like “districts” in “Hunger games”)))