Luisa Montalvo has been extensively preparing for her World Championship of Public Speaking competition. On Tuesday, District 55 Director Yiting Liu’s husband and daughter met with Luisa at the John Wayne Airport to receive her after her journey from South Texas. She appeared excited and ready; however, in the car on the way to the Toastmasters International Convention hotel in Anaheim, CA, she spoke of staying up virtually the entire prior night at home, receiving the support of friends who were extensively helping with last minute preparations.
Today (Thurs. Aug. 15) Luisa competed in the Semifinals. Slated as the sixth out of seven speakers in the round, she was met with serious but friendly competition. All speeches conveyed heartfelt stories about personal life lessons. Luisa’s message was about rediscovering at an older age her repressed childhood passion for drumming, and the importance of making that passion recognized by others without the need for appearing perfect. She was among a couple other contestants who used props during their presentation, opening and closing her speech with a series of ominous beats to drive her points about the passage of time and the feelings of loss when one waits too long to actively pursue interests and passions. Luisa positively connected with the audience through humor and vocal variety, evoking the highest levels of response among all contestants.
Speeches were followed with a time for each contestant to be asked a question about their speech, process, or motivations in joining Toastmasters. This provided an opportunity for the audience to learn more about each contestant and the writing of their speeches. Luisa was asked about her interest in joining Toastmasters, and she spoke about her desire to compete. Each contestant was then presented a certificate of participation.
Finally, the time came when the two winning contestants would be announced; these contestants would then proceed to compete in the Finals. Whether audience members were rooting for their own district’s contestant, or appreciating several favorites, the moment of hearing the winner announcements was intense. While the announcement for the first winner was speedy, Luisa, her supporters, and all in the room who enjoyed the entire event appeared to be sitting on the edge of their seats, waiting for the second winner to be announced. At that moment, Luisa’s name was spoken, and she excitedly sped up to the stage to receive her award. Conference attendees from District 55 joined Luisa for high-spirited photographs and offered words of congratulations.
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