It Takes A Village ? and Great Storytelling

Washington speaker takes runner-up spot in Toastmasters International World Championship of Public Speaking

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - For Albert Mensah (Aamensah@aol.com) and 32 others from Ghana, Africa, it took a village to open a bank account.

When this black man with a strange accent and traditional African garb first arrived in the U.S. in 1978, he faced a lot of prejudices. Specifically, he was turned down by dozens of bankers when he simply wanted to open a bank account. Once he finally got connected with a bank associate willing to help, 32 others from his African village stepped forward to open accounts, too. It was a windfall for the bank ? and a great story about overcoming obstacles.

Mensah told his story to an energized crowd of 1600 people at Toastmasters International's World Championship of Public Speaking, a highlight of Toastmasters' 68th Annual Convention. This young man who, until the age of 10, walked barefoot eight miles a day to retrieve water for his family, won second place in the contest. He touched many hearts telling tales of "conquering America" and sharing how he brought his dreams to life.

Held August 21 in Chicago, Toastmasters' most prestigious contest featured nine competitors representing eight regions in North America and one from aboard. They earned a place in the spotlight by winning contests at the club, area, district, division, and regional levels. A panel of 25 judges critiqued each presentation on such factors as composition of speech, value of the message, originality, and creativity.

In his presentation titled "Underneath," Mensa revealed a smart business suit under traditional Ghana dress to show that, though people have many differences, underneath we're basically the same. "Albert instinctively knows how to bring listeners both to laughter and to tears while getting across basic truths of life," said Susan Niven, a member of Toastmaster International's Board of Directors. Juan Egusaona, a Conference attendee, was moved to action by this award-winning talk. He emailed Albert saying, "I went to work the following Monday and confronted one of my co-workers whom I had never spoken to in two years. We were finally able to talk things out."

Commented Niven, "Albert had just joined Toastmasters in Washington last October and barely completed the requirements to enter this contest at the club level. He has achieved a lot in a short time." Albert recently launched a career as a professional speaker encouraging people to turn adversity into success. Toastmasters International, sponsor of the World Championship of Public Speaking, has 8,800 clubs around the world. Since 1924, this non-profit organization has trained millions of people to improve their communication and leadership skills through public speaking.

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