1995 World Champion Speaker Mark Brown Inspires at Fall Conference

by Paul Peterzell, ACB, Division D Reporter

Mark Brown, DTM
1995 World Champion

For those who attended the Fall Conference November 1-2 in Daytona Beach, a highlight was hearing the keynote address delivered by Mark Brown, the 1995 World Champion of Public Speaking.

Mark spoke of his upbringing in Kingston, Jamaica and how he moved to the United States with less than $75 in his pocket.  He chronicled his rise to success as a world class public speaker and presenter. 

At 20 he returned to Jamaica, married his wife Andrea, and moved to New York. After some time, they settled in Lizella, Ga., where they raised their three children.   His children have been a constant source of joy; he humbly gives his wife credit for their looks and achievements of becoming an attorney, a teacher and a rapper and music producer.

Mark has travelled the world giving speeches to a wide array of audiences for the past 18 years.  Throughout Mark’s speech he energized the crowd with examples of how to build confidence as a public speaker.  “You need to get out of your comfort zone,” he exclaimed.  Many Toastmasters will be asked to make speeches and deliver them to audiences outside of the club; he urged everyone to have speeches other than 5-7 minutes in length prepared.

Mark’s theme throughout his keynote address emphasized “there will be struggles in life and everyone needs a backup plan. Life will throw you some curves but today is going to be a brighter day and you will get through it.  You will build each other up and be the wind beneath each others wings.”

Mark’s nearly 45 minute speech combined humor, sentimentality, and inspirational ideas.  He used many anecdotes from his vast experience in life and spoke of how our experiences make the best speeches.  “The simplest stories can be the most powerful.  You never know how many messages one story can tell.” Another Champion of Public Speaking, Darren Lacroix, became his coach and mentor, after they roomed together on a speaking cruise.

Throughout Mark’s moving keynote address, he provided examples of his gratitude to Toastmasters and how his experience at the club level instilled much confidence in him to reach greater heights.  The following day at a workshop Mark left us with the thought “Your life tells a story, and someone out there needs to hear it.” District 84 is truly honored Mark shared his journey with us.