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It is the World Cup of public speaking, the Olympics of oratory. On Saturday morning, Aug. 25, nine articulate Toastmasters will vie for the title of World Champion of Public Speaking at The Hilton Anaheim. The speech contest is one of the highlights of Toastmasters' Annual International Convention (Aug. 22-25), which is expected to draw more than 2,000 Toastmasters from 70 countries.

Each year more than 10,000 members of Toastmasters International compete in this speech contest. The competition begins at the club level with winners advancing to area and regional contests, and it culminates each August during the International Convention where nine finalists contend for the top honor.

The contest speeches are five-to seven minutes long, with no restrictions on topic selection. Contestants will be judged on content, speech organization, voice quality, gestures and delivery.

Last year's World Champion of Public Speaking title went to Ed Tate of Aurora, Colorado. A senior trainer for the Denver Rocky Mountain News with five years' experience in Toastmasters, he commanded the stage during his seven-minute speech, "One of Those Days," a humorous recollection of a true-life event involving a missed airplane flight and lessons learned from observing others in similar predicaments.

Through its worldwide network of clubs, Toastmasters International has helped more than four million people develop their communication and leadership skills since the organization's founding in Santa Ana, California in 1924. Today, Toastmasters International has nearly 180,000 members in 70 countries, including 189 clubs in Orange and Los Angeles counties -- 10 in Anaheim alone.

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SOURCE: Toastmasters International

Website: http://www.toastmasters.org/