Toastmasters International -Speech Titles From the Past

Evelyn Jane Burgay, DTM at podium delivering speech

Evelyn Jane Burgay, 1976

From Early Club Meetings:

“New and Old Methods in Farming”
“Corn Is King”
“The Hog, His Nature and Values”
“Good Roads in Our Country”
“The Hen and the Egg”
“Organizing the Farmers”

Overseas Taped Speech Contest:

“Nation of Sheep”
“A Blessing and a Curse”
“The Importance of the Sender and Receiver in Communications”
“The Multi-Nationals in Our Time”

Theme of California:

“Save the Redwoods”
“Finding Makers for Our Products”
“Wasted Wealth in Water”
“Building More and Better Highways”
“Capitalizing on the Tourists”

1940 Inter-Club Speech Contest:

“Leadership”

“Men of Science”

“The Heart of a Nation”

“Be It Ever So Humble”

WWII POW Club:

“How I Handle My Monday Bread Ration”

“Red Cross Recipes”

“The Greatest Act of Kindness I Have Seen”

“My Happiest Moment”

“What I Shall Do When I First Debark in the U.S.”

Roy Fenstermaker, DTM, 1983

World Championship of Public Speaking®:

Mildred Lawrence, 1952: “What Time Is It?”

John Nydegger, 1965: “Dare We Fail?”

Bennie Powell, 1974: “Who Am I? Where Am I Going? Why?”

Evelyn Jane Burgay, 1976 (first female winner and first blind winner): “A Tool for Survival”

Roy Fenstermaker, DTM, 1983 (oldest winner at age 70): “Retirement–Never!”

Dana LaMon, 1992 (blind member who became the first World Champion, Distinguished Toastmaster, and Accredited Speaker): “Take a Chance”

Titles With Impact

Can a one-word title convey the essence of a speech? LaShunda Rundles showed this was possible with her winning 2008 WCPS speech, “Speak!” as did 2001 first-place winner Darren LaCroix with his simple yet effective “Ouch!”

And then there’s taking speech titles to the max. In 2016, Aaron Beverly placed second in the World Championship with what could be one of the longest speech titles the judges have ever seen. While Beverly went on to win first place in 2019, he’s still known for this 57-word title:

“Leave a lasting memory using as few words as possible and strive with every fiber of your being to avoid being the type of person who rambles on and on with no end in sight more likely than not causing most listeners to sit and think to themselves oh my goodness can somebody please make this stop.”

Some speech titles can also carry a deeper meaning. Like in 2022, when Cyril Junior Dim became the World Champion with his speech “Ndini,” a word in the Shona language of his native Zimbabwe that means “this is me.” And this year, at the 2024 championship, Luisa Montalvo earned first place with her speech titled “37 Strangers,” a nod to the medical personnel who saved her life after a car accident.

In honor of Toastmasters International’s 100th anniversary, this is the tenth in a year-long series of articles commemorating historic milestones.