Toastmasters is the mainstay for sailor's speaking career

PICKERING, Ontario - Oct. 1, 2018 - PRLog -- Intrepid adventurer Richard Hudson has sailed in some of the roughest seas in the world, through the Northwest Passage, across the Drake Passage, and in terrifying Atlantic storms. With 80,000 nautical miles under his sails, it's understandable that Richard has a few tales to tell.

If only he could find the words to tell them.

"I've endured challenging adventures that people want to hear about," he says. "However, I quickly realized that I didn't know how to talk, especially in front of large groups of people."

That's when Richard decided to join Toastmasters, to learn how to spin his experiences into interesting stories that held audiences captive and yearning for more.

He joined his first Toastmasters club in 1988 in Toronto and through his travels has belonged to clubs in England, Ireland, New York, Vancouver and now Pickering where he lives aboard his schooner at Frenchman's Bay Marina.

There are 215 Toastmasters clubs in Toronto, Durham region and east to Belleville, with many hosting open houses Oct. 15 - 21 to let the public experience a Toastmasters meeting first-hand.

"I used to be an analytical speaker, factual, precise and unemotional. My presentations were not interesting," Richard laments. "Toastmasters taught me how to turn those factual accounts into interesting stories and to express my personal feelings, to recount the fear I felt in the midst of a near-death situation."

It's his ability to teleport audiences aboard his schooner through graphic word descriptions and honest emotions that has elevated Richard to a sought-after speaker in the sailing circuit and among other thrill seekers.

Volunteering as an executive officer in his Toastmasters club also honed Richard's leadership skills. "My sailing crew are all volunteers and serving as a club officer taught me a lot about managing a crew."

The Toronto native is as close to home as he may ever be. He plans to winter at Frenchman's Bay and attend meetings at Ajax-Pickering Toastmasters Club, a friendly and safe place to practice public speaking and garner constructive feedback.

About Toastmasters International Toastmasters International is a worldwide nonprofit educational organization that empowers individuals to become more effective communicators and leaders. Headquartered in Englewood, Colo., the organization's membership exceeds 357,000 in more than 16,600 clubs in 143 countries. For information about local Toastmasters clubs, visit http://www.TorontoToastmasters.com.

Contact:
Richard Hudson 437-345-1704 or email rhudson@issuma.com
Aneeta Pathak, District 60 Toastmasters, Public Relations Manager
416-721-4715

District 60 Toastmasters http://www.TorontoToastmasters.com