Interview with TM Tiruneh A. : The Journey of Excellence

I joined Toastmasters intending to stay for two or three years at most because I thought the game was finite. However, after I joined and started to see what lies beneath the surface, I have decided to stay longer and continue pushing my limits.

In my early days as a Toastmaster, my goal was to complete projects and participate in contests. I used to think that if I constructed my message based on principles and made a point, I could easily engage my audience. I planned to continue with the traditional way of understanding principles, memorizing them, and passing them on to others. But I discovered that audiences can easily access such information from many other sources if they need it, and they are right. What they truly value is hearing our perspectives and personal experiences when we make a point. This was my first eye-opener on my journey toward excellence in Toastmasters.

Life continues to be exciting and rewarding through the pursuit of excellence. Excellence gives life to the things we do and enriches our lives in the process. Every time I discover an area for improvement, I try to understand it deeply, learn how to apply it, and practice it until it becomes an integral part of my content development and delivery.

To me, excellence is about constantly asking for more of myself and never settling. It is the desire to become a better version of who I was yesterday. Excellence is not a destination but a basic need that I cannot live without.

Contests in Toastmasters are uplifting. To me, they are challenges in a controlled environment, pushing me out of my comfort zone to where real growth happens. When you decide to take part in Toastmasters contests, the pace of your self-paced learning journey changes. It is no longer only about the progress you are making, but also how well you are prepared compared to others based on the judging criteria.

Contests help you connect with others beyond your club. They bring unique dimensions of support and collaboration between members at every level, from club to district and all the way up to the World Champions of Public Speaking.

In Toastmasters contests, participants are always winners; there is no losing. Fear of losing is what holds most of us back from taking part in contests. However, simply showing up is already winning over fear of loss or imposter syndrome. Taking part means performing at a higher level with your A game. As a contestant, you enter contests with what you have, but you leave with more than what you came with.

I am the kind of person who finds joy in applying the knowledge I acquire. I am humble, hungry, and competitive. I joined Toastmasters with these virtues, and I was welcomed into a very supportive group of positive and encouraging individuals who helped me unleash my potential. This combination, I believe, made the biggest difference.

The learning and practice opportunities I got by attending different club meetings and TEACON 2024 and 2025 also accelerated the process.

I joined Toastmasters in July 2023 and started participating in contests in the same year. I have participated in all four categories every year for the past three years now. I didn’t win first place in two contest categories in the first and third year and in one category in the second year at the club level. I also didn’t win first place at the division level three times.

I manage my expectations and decide on my level of preparation by making honest evaluations of myself and my contests. In some categories, I take part not only to win, but to grow and improve. When I don’t win, I focus on what I could do better next time. I remind myself of what I am becoming and where I am headed.

More importantly, I receive feedback from fellow Toastmasters who attend the contests to understand what I didn’t excel at and what others did well. Because intention and impact can sometimes diverge or may not always align the way we intended.

Success is sometimes like a comfort zone, and at times it can also become a reason for failure. However, setbacks and losses are teachers; they show us new perspectives and our blind spots. They prepare us not to fail, at least for the same reasons again. Questions like what else could have I done and how could have I done it better often follow losses.

This perspective has been shaped strongly by my own contest experience in Toastmasters.

I failed to win first place 10 times in the last three years. Whenever I do not win first place and fail to progress to the next level, I evaluate what I have done and what others did better. I am brutally honest with myself during my self-reflection on my preparation and delivery, to stay grateful for the progress I make and to be clear about what needs to improve.

Failure is painful and difficult to accept. The pain pushes me to do something about it. I review my video, replay my performance in my mind, ask for feedback from different people, and decide what I should improve.

Most of the time, when people give feedback, they base it on what we already have. Because of this, my analysis of my competitors’ performances, both past and present, gives me additional insights into what I should add to my skill set.

The first step I take is to decide on the message I want to communicate. In my approach, the message dictates the story or topic to use. Once I am clear about the message and convinced of it, I start looking for a strong story, because we should not make a point without telling a story.

Stories happen every day, whether we are writing a speech or not. Thus, I always try to write down stories in my notebook, and I pick the one that best fits the message. Finally, I will write the introduction and conclusion.

I start preparing for contests right after the annual district conference. What changes is the intensity of preparation. Once contests start, I refine my content and delivery by evaluating what went well and what needs to change. I ask for feedback from fellow Toastmasters and use the support of coaches. Attending different club meetings and contests, watching YouTube videos, practicing with different groups, and working on maintaining the right mindset are things I do during my preparation.

I used to write and deliver my speeches without a story. They were full of principles and facts that anyone could find through research. It was very much like a common university lecture. My speech evaluators encouraged me to include personal stories, but I was not buying it. After delivering four or five speeches, while researching how to develop a strong speech, I came across the principle: “Do not make a point without telling a story, and don’t tell a story without making a point.” This principle changed how I craft my speeches.

To handle Table Topics, I train myself in two areas: techniques (structure and delivery) and widening my perspectives.

For the techniques, I use resources and insights from the Toastmasters International website, books, and YouTube videos. Over time, I have developed a few methods that I adapt depending on the topic.

• What, so what, and now what method – useful when the topic is about persuasion or selling an idea. It helps me clarify: what am I selling or trying to persuade others? Why is it important to the audience? What action should they take?
• What, why, and how method – when I am explaining a concept, I focus on what it means, why I see it that way, and how it can be applied in practice.
• PEEP (Point, Explanation, Example, Point) method – when I am sharing my opinion. I start with a point, explain it, support it with an example (preferably from personal experience), and circle back to reinforce the idea.
• Problem, solution, and benefit method – when promoting a product, idea, or sharing my view on a decision, I outline the problem or challenge that needs to be addressed, suggest a solution or an idea that can be applied, and highlight the benefits that can be achieved.

In addition, I get guidance from coaches, learn from others’ Table Topics reflections, and gain practical experience from the training I do with fellow Toastmasters and my daughter.

Making sure that I stay relaxed and confident, while treating every impromptu speaking opportunity as a learning experience, is what helps me with delivery.

To widen my perspectives, I read books or listen to book summaries, study strong Table Topics responses, and challenge myself by reflecting on topics I was not invited to reflect on.

I will take on administrative roles and contribute to the growth of our District over the next one to three years, while continuing to work on my public speaking skills to represent our District and win the World Championship of Public Speaking by 2035. Almost 10 years, as I aim to hone my storytelling, speech development, language command, and delivery, including theatrics.

In parallel, what I consider equally important is helping others in my network find their voices and live a life of significance and contribution.

My wish is to see not just those who volunteer, but every member competing in Toastmasters contests. For those of you who are planning, I advise you to stick to your plan and not let anything get in the way or make you change your mind. Competing is uncomfortable and stressful, but it is rewarding, and the benefits outweigh the sacrifices you make.

If you are participating in all categories, or planning to take part in some, start preparation early. Find a coach who will guide you, do your own research, and learn from others by keeping yourself humble and hungry. Competing in Toastmasters contests is one of the best gifts you can give yourself, and not winning first place is the best experience that you will have.

Those who are not planning to compete are like people who buy a three- or four-bedroom house but do not use one or two of the rooms for anything. Contests equip us with unique skill sets, or help us sharpen the ones we already have. Trust me, you will not regret it; you will surely love it.