Articles tagged: LaShunda Rundles

A few minutes ago, I received the following email from Angie Key (a fellow public speaking blogger and Toastmaster):

I know your blog has a significant readership … and especially since you did an interview with LaShunda recently, I wanted to share this with you:

Newest World Champion Fights for Her Life

Please check Angie’s blog for news and updates.

If you don’t recognize LaShunda’s name, you may wish to read more about her in the interview she recently did with Six Minutes where she kindly offered insights on her World Championship victory, her speaking career, and her remarkable life story.

Please include LaShunda in your thoughts.


LaShunda Rundles was selected as the 2008 World Champion of Public Speaking a few weeks ago at the Toastmasters International convention in Calgary, Alberta.

As reported earlier, LaShunda was one of 10 finalists to compete in the world championship speech contest.

One of my colleagues noted that “she delivered the best speech I’ve ever heard — a speech that moved my soul.

I am honored that LaShunda made the time to answer several questions about her victory, her speaking career, and her remarkable life story. I am delighted to share this inspirational interview with you.

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One of these 10 people will be crowned the new World Champion of Public Speaking on August 16th, 2008 at the Toastmasters International convention in Calgary, Alberta.

Update (August 16): LaShunda Rundles is the 2008 World Champion of Public Speaking. K. Loghandran placed 2nd, and Katherine Morrison placed 3rd.

Each year, over 230,000 members in over 11,000 clubs in 92 countries around the world have the opportunity to participate in this contest where competitors deliver 7-minute speeches judged on core message, speech development, language, and delivery techniques.

The club contest is the first of six stages which culminate in the World Championship of Public Speaking contest. The 10 speakers left standing have each out-spoken and out-inspired fellow competitors at five previous contests. [Back in May, I bowed out in the quarter-finals.]

Here are the 2008 finalists for the World Championship of Public Speaking. As you can plainly see, there is no single “speaker mold”: they bridge four countries, both genders, numerous ages, and diverse backgrounds.

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