Toastmasters District Conference 2010

Well here I am in Tokushima, a lovely city on the island of Shikoku. I'm here for the spring district conference for Toastmasters International. The district conference is the national conference for Japan. All of the Toastmasters clubs in Japan come together at one location for workshops, presentations, and the international district speech contest.

Toastmasters is a club for learning public speaking and leadership skills. It was started in the 1920's in the USA by a teacher who wanted to give his young pupils a chance to become leaders and the ability to stand up in front of others and give speeches with confidence. A "toast" is a short speech given before clinking our wine/beer/softdrink glasses together in celebration of something. Toasts are very common at Japanese parties and at weddings and other celebrations in many countries around the world. Toastmasters has now become internationally known as a great place for non-native speakers of English to brush up their skills and get the confidence they need to speak in front of others on various occasions.

This morning, at the first workshop "How to be a fascinating presenter" I realized I had left my pen in my suitcase in the hotel room. I didn't have time to run back to my hotel, so I shyly asked the registration desk if I could borrow one. After the workshop I returned their pen with many apologies. Little did I know at the time, that forgetting my pen was about to lead me on an adventure in Tokushima . . .