Kory May of Iowa City, IA recently competed in the semifinal round of Toastmasters World Championship of Public Speaking in Las Vegas, NV on Aug. 13, 2015. May won second place in his semi-final heat, which placed him in the top 20 competitors worldwide for this year.
Each year, approximately 30,000 Toastmasters in 135 countries try for a spot at the World Championship of Public Speaking at the Toastmasters’ International Convention in August. This year, 96 semifinalists competed on August 13, from which ten finalists were chosen. The finalists then competed on Aug. 15 for the title of Toastmasters’ World Champion of Public Speaking.
May won Toastmasters speech contests at the area and division levels before taking the top spot at the District 19 contest this summer with his speech, Silhouettes.
“The speech focuses on seeing the human being and not their silhouette,” said May. “It was a great experience to represent Iowa and compete against the best speakers in the world. They taught me a great deal. Toastmasters is the best, most cost-effective method to learn leadership and communication skills that I know of. Don’t be afraid to drop into a club and see what it’s all about.”
District Director Paul Wood had the opportunity to watch Kory’s speech in Las Vegas and said, “Kory gave a wonderful heartfelt speech in a very professional way. His passion for his subject and Toastmasters was plain to see.”
Club Growth Director Jeanne Heil also had the opportunity to watch the speech in Las Vegas. “District 19’s Champion, Kory May, did a fabulous job during his semifinal round – and he has the trophy to prove it! Every single member of the district should look up to him, and strive to achieve the level of public speaking skills that Kory has attained. He is an inspiration to all of us!”
May works for Procter and Gamble of Iowa City, a Cincinnati, OH based- company that is the world’s largest consumer products company. He is a member of Affirmationists Toastmasters Club; Crossroads Storytellers, an advanced Toastmasters club in North Liberty; River City Toastmasters, also in North Liberty and Quad Cities Advanced Toastmasters , an advanced Toastmasters club in Davenport, IA. May represented Crossroads Storytellers at the World Championship of Public Speaking.
Members of Crossroads Storytellers welcome Kory back from the airport after competing in the World Championship of Public Speaking
We congratulate Kory on a job well done!