London resident is semifinalist in the world’s largest speech contest

LONDON, Ontario - Aug. 15, 2014 - PRLog -- Rene Vander Pryt of London, Ontario outshined more than 650local participantstowin the District 86 level competition of the Toastmasters International Speech Contest April 5th, 2014 representing South-Western, Central and Northern Ontario.  Mr. Vander Pryt has qualified toadvance to the semifinal round of the contest being held at the Toastmasters International Convention Thursday, August 21 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and is vying for one of nine spots in the World Championship of Public Speaking (http://www.toastmasters.org/worldchampions)final to be held Saturday, August 23 at the same venue.

Mr. Vander Pryt, a member of ‘D+H Toastmasters’ in Mississauga, Ontario surpassed fierce competition to win the hearts of the audience and judges alike with his speech, ‘Sticky Pieces of Masking Tape’.  The speech touched on the theme of giving back to others through simple acts of kindness.  When it comes to connecting with an audience, he said, “The audience actually wants to be emotionally engaged when listening to a speech and it is up to the speaker to tap into that desire and bring them on that emotional journey.”

Ninety one winners from districts around the world advanced to the semifinal round after a six-month process of elimination through club, area and district speech competitions. Their five- to seven-minute speeches were judged on content, organization, gestures and style.

“Toastmasters speech contests are an amazing opportunity to build your confidence, because you sharpen your skills and speak to many different audiences” says Mr. Vander Pryt. “I am looking forward to competing on an international stage in Kuala Lumpur!” Mr. Vander Pryt is a Client Delivery Executive for D+H with offices located in Toronto, London and across Canada.  He joined Toastmasters in 2012 to become a better speaker and leader at work.

The Toastmasters International Speech Contest is the world’s largest speech contest, involving 30,000 participants from 122 countries. It culminates with the popular World Championship of Public Speaking held annually at the organization’s 2014 International Convention (http://www.toastmasters.org/Convention).

To interview Mr. Vander Pryt, learn more about the contest or Toastmasters club membership, contact Toastmasters International District 86 Public Relations Officer, Vitaliy Fursov. Follow @Toastmasters (http://twitter.com/Toastmasters)  International on Twitter (#TIConv14) to track Mr. Vander Pryt’sprogress.

About District 86

District 86 is one of 91 districts, which comprises more than224 corporate and community clubs in Ontario, Canada. To learn more about District 86, please visit:www.toastmasters86.org

About Toastmasters International

Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of meeting locations. Headquartered in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, the organization's membership exceeds 313,000 in more than 14,650 clubs in 126 countries. Since 1924, Toastmasters International has helped people of all backgrounds become more confident in front of an audience. For information about local Toastmasters clubs, visit www.toastmasters.org. Follow @Toastmasters (http://twitter.com/Toastmasters) on Twitter.