Patience Chisanga-Mayer took a clean sweep at the Division M Toastmasters International Speech Contest winning the contest in all three categories making her one of the few Zambian Toastmasters to proceed beyond Division level and compete at the District 74 Toastmasters International Speech Contest.

Lusaka, Zambia- April 6th, 2022/ In a statement issued by the Division Director for Division M Toastmasters International, Billy S. Mwape explained that the Division contest is the third stage of the World championships of Public Speaking. The round had the top speakers emanating from Madison, Eagles, NHIMA , Zambezi, Innovation Hub, CIMA , Lusaka Executive, Entrepreneurs, Eloquent, Blantyre, Lilongwe  and SBM Toastmasters, all competing for an opportunity to represent Zambia and Malawi at the District 74, Southern African championships of Public Speaking.

“Each year, Toastmasters’ members compete in the Humorous, Evaluation, Table Topics and International speech contests — a major event on the Toastmasters’ calendar. The competition begins at  Club level and winners advance to respective Area contests, then Division and District levels respectively. We are proud of Mrs Patience Chisanga-Mayer, DTM who is moving on to the next phase and she is one of the few  Zambians to compete at that level. We wish her all the best in the District 74 Toastmasters International contest.

Since joining Toastmasters she has been a dedicated member to her club. She has shown her leadership prowess and this is backed by her track record of chartering 2 clubs in Zambia. This win shows her commitment to taking on a challenge. I also want to thank every member who competed in this contest. You are all winners. Let me take this opportunity to encourage every individual and organization to join this rich network for personal and organizational development. This is an open call.” said Division Director Billy S. Mwape.

“I am thrilled and humbled to have emerged the best speaker at the Division contest after competing against prolific fellow Toastmasters in Zambia and Malawi. Toastmasters is the worlds’ best kept secret for anyone wanting to improve their public speaking, communication and leadership skills. Contest season is my favorite season in Toastmasters International. I last competed in 2019 when I won the Zambian contest and had to compete against Toastmasters in Zimbabwe. I did not go beyond that stage and therefore this is such a big win for me to be crowned the Champion in these two Africa countries and proceeding to the Southern African Championships. I am excited as this really feeds into my quest of becoming the best version of myself as a Speaker and Trainer. Participating in a contest takes your public speaking to a new level where you are competing with the best speakers in your club, area, division or district, region and the world”- Patience Chisanga-Mayer, a Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) who joined the public speaking organization in 2019 said.

Mrs Chisanga-Mayer will next compete in May, during the District 47 conference. Her five- to seven-minute speech will be judged on content, organization and delivery. Other participants will hail from Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mauritius, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

Winners of the District level International Speech Contest proceed to the region quarterfinal level. Following region quarterfinals, winners advance to the semi-finals for a chance to take part in the World Championship of Public Speaking.

The Division results were as follows:

International speech contest:

1^st  Patience Chisanga-Mayer, Madison Toastmasters

2^nd  Dr Clinton Kadochi, Lusaka Executive Toastmasters

Impromptu Speech Contest (Table Topics):

1st Patience Chisanga-Mayer, Madison Toastmasters

2^nd Liseli Muyenga, Zambezi Toastmasters Club

Evaluation contest:

1st Patience Chisanga-Mayer, Madison Toastmasters

2nd Solomon Mulanda, Lusaka Executive Toastmasters

3rd Lauretta Chitope-Mwale