Video Clips of Darren LaCroix

Darren's acceptance speech came to him one night in the middle of his preparation. He wrote it down, and never changed a word. He received as many compliments on the acceptance as he did on his winning speech. (Don't tell anyone he cried. Watch the blood rush to his head part way through. As he says he turns into a "Klingon.")

The World Championship of Public Speaking contest began in 1938. Darren is the first person from any New England state to win. It has been said that the 2001 contest was one of the most competitive in the history of the contest.

One of the most valuable resources is the World Championship of Public Speaking Contest videos. "I learned more in 77 days during the summer of 2001 than I had in ten years performing stand-up comedy. I was incredibly focused. I studied ten years worth of contest videos (9 contestants each year, 90 world-class speeches) to determine what separated the winner from the person who came in second."

Darren believes every Toastmaster club should have a resource library. This brings more expertise to members who never venture outside their own club. Darren receives no compensation from the sale of the contest video. He simply believes they are a valuable "and under-utilized" resource. Each tape includes all nine contestants, interviews, and the acceptance speech. (Those present that day in 2001 say "the video should be purchased just for the hilarity of the interviews by contest master, Gavin Blakey.")

Winning proved that Darren is a talented speaker. But he is most rewarded being considered one of the greatest "teachers" of presentation skills.

From The Path to Powerful Presentations: How I went from Chump to Champ

Behind the scenes - dissecting the winning speech

Creating a great presentation is a process. View one of Darren's practice speeches and see how it evolved. It's a real eye opener

Before and After

To order contest videos contact Bill Stephens Productions:
www.billspro.com

Learn from Darren's Teaching Resources!