Eden Prairie Resident Wins District-Level Toastmasters Speech Competition

With an inspiring speech titled “Wake-Up Calls”, Kenny Ray Morgan, a Toastmaster from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, placed first in the District 6 Toastmasters Speech competition on Saturday, May 6 in Bloomington, MN. This win qualified him to compete in the semifinal round of the Toastmasters 2013 World Championship of Public Speaking on Thursday, Aug. 21, in Cincinnati, OH.

Morgan, a member of Noontime Talkers Toastmasters club, (District 6), has won the semifinals round for the past 2 years, progressing through a six-month process of elimination the world’s largest speech contest, reaching the top nine finalists from a pool of 30,000 competitors.

“I’m hoping the third time’s a charm!” said Morgan. Since becoming a member of Toastmasters in 2006, Morgan has noticed improved communication skills. “I've improved my grammar, pronunciation and diction. Also, I'm very conscious of not using "filler words" when speaking, such as ums and ahs. The candid and constructive feedback I've received over the years from fellow Toastmasters, has been invaluable in my development as a better communicator.”

The speech contest highlights the annual four-day Toastmasters International Convention, which draws a capacity audience of some 1,500 people from around the world. Contenders in Toastmasters clubs from 116 countries enter the contest on a local level, progressing through club, area, division and district competitions.

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About District 6 
District 6 is one of 88 districts around the world. It comprises more than 270 corporate and community clubs in Southern, Central and Northeastern Minnesota, and West-Central Ontario, Canada. To learn more, please visit http://www.d6tm.org/.

About Toastmasters International 
Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs. Founded in October 1924, the organization currently has more than 280,000 members in 13,500 clubs in 116 countries. Each week, Toastmasters helps more than a quarter million people of every ethnicity, education level and profession build their competence in communication so they can gain the confidence to lead others. For information about local Toastmasters clubs, please visitwww.toastmasters.org. Follow Toastmasters International on Twitter @Toastmasters.