SPEAKER_00 0:12

Hi, my name's Brendan O'Sullivan, a Toastmaster from Brisbane, Australia. Welcome to my Toastmasters World Tour podcast. Please join me as I travel virtually around the world and chat to Toastmasters from different countries and all walks of life. Let's explore! For this episode of Toastmasters World Tour, we travel virtually to Quito, Ecuador, the Spanish-speaking capital city high in the Andes, close to the equator, to chat to Bernardo Cordero, president of the Toastmasters Ecuador. Listen in to follow his journey and find out what opportunities are brewing for Spanish and English language learners. Hola Bernardo, welcome to the show. You're a chemical engineer with a master's in project management from Quito, Ecuador. Is that right?

SPEAKER_01 1:20

Yes, it's a dry, my dear Brendan. I am very happy to be with you and with your followers in the in this Toastmaster broadcasting.

SPEAKER_00 1:30

Wonderful, thank you. I'd like to firstly share with our listeners on how I made your acquaintance. I recently coordinated and ran an online speechcraft course. I had Toastmasters from every continent help out with segments, all except South America. I didn't know any South American Toastmasters. So what I decided to do was to research online and looked up some South American clubs. And I ended up reaching out to Bernardo, who let me join in on one of his online meetings. The meeting was run in Spanish. I was looking for one Toastmaster to ask one question. Bernardo was running it. He was the Toastmaster of the evening and also the president of his club. And he said, Yes, he would do it. He said he had medium English, but I could hear his English was very good. And I said, You're in. You then asked me if you could invite some of your clubmates in as audience. And I said, sure, just let me know so I can let the Zoom master know. What I didn't expect, and I thought was wonderful, is that next thing I know, you not only made your own flyer and registration form, but you'd sent that out to Latin, which my understanding is is all of Latin American, all the Latin American Toastmasters clubs. Is that right?

SPEAKER_01 2:48

Yes, yes. We have uh 23 Latin America Toastmaster Club except uh Brazil. Okay. Brazil is huge, and uh Mexico is huge too. But uh Mexico uh conforms uh one district. I I I I am not sure the number, but Mexico have uh maybe 300 uh toastmaster clubs in Mexico. Yes, yes, maybe maybe 20 years ago. Okay, the the fifth the first in in Mexico. Mexico was the first country with Toastmasters in Latin America. I think then Mexico is in Spanish right now, right? Okay, and uh then Brazil is huge too. Brazil maybe has uh 180 uh toastmaster clubs in Portuguese.

SPEAKER_02 3:46

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 3:46

Yes. Um and uh then we have 23 countries, 23 clubs in uh in the rest of uh Latin America. Uh south from Mexico in Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras is not uh Toastmaster Club, maybe one or two in Guatemala. Okay, and uh Cuba has not uh Toastmaster Clubs, um Venezuela, no. Colombia has maybe 10 or 12.

SPEAKER_00 4:23

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 4:24

Yeah, uh uh Ecuador. We we found uh uh two years ago the first Toastmaster Club. I am the the founder of this first Toastmaster Club in Ecuador. I I I am uh from north to the south, no Colombia, Ecuador, two. Uh we have uh one uh Toastmaster Club with uh all the topics, general topics, and one for only for topics to project management. This is a project management club, yes, all the topics from project management and uh people uh uh um that uh study project management or or are project managers, certificate project managers are in our our club in these project managers club Ecuador.

SPEAKER_00 5:21

Yes, I I did I did know that there were sort of many clubs, Toastmasters clubs are open to sort of all the you know the general public, but I also knew that some were specific to you know particular areas like project management. I didn't realize that was the case with your club. Just getting back to the number of clubs, what would be the average number of members in each of those 23 clubs?

SPEAKER_01 5:44

Maybe uh some clubs are have uh little uh members, maybe eight, twelve, and some clubs maybe average uh from 12 to 15, maybe. In in in Peru we have uh 10 clubs uh from English. All all the clubs in Peru are in English. I see. The people want to practice their English English, and the and the English clubs in the Latin America are very popular for the practicing the English.

SPEAKER_00 6:26

Dual purpose, I like that. So basically, you must have roughly about 300 members then from Central America and South America that were then theoretically invited to join my speechcraft, which I loved that and that would have been most welcome. I was thinking if they all came, uh Zoom Master would have had a busy time on her hands, but I think the time zone meant that only a sort of a handful made it in the end. Is that right? Because it was sort of 1 a.m. it started Ecuador time.

SPEAKER_01 6:56

Yes, yes. Maybe we don't uh invite uh uh much people. Uh this is the first uh English spacecraft uh uh invaded by you in but I I think the the next invitation from you will be very much uh uh uh knowing for the Latin America because we are entering in a new district. We we don't have district in central in Central and South America, yes. Mexico uh was uh have a district uh from years and the Brazil have a district too, but these 23 clubs are uh have no district. This year we we will we we will uh participate in the new district 20 uh 2022 with uh with Brazil. With Brazil and Guyana and uh and uh Central America. Central America, Guyana, Brazil, uh we will form a new district.

SPEAKER_00 8:08

You'll you'll join in with Brazil in the in their district, is that what you're saying?

SPEAKER_01 8:12

Yes, yes, we will be with Brazil. Brazil uh is in Portuguese, and so we we don't uh uh we understand Portuguese, but uh this is uh really uh um a new um joining for the Latin America because we are not uh really in Latin America in Spanish Latin America, yes, we are not uh very uh cultural or uh idiomatic or speaking union with Brazil because the Portuguese and the uh and Spanish this really different language, yes. We we we will uh we understand more uh English. Some people or or much people in Latin America uh have a look uh a good English, but not any Portuguese.

SPEAKER_00 9:14

That's interesting. Because they they're more closely related, Portuguese and Spanish, wouldn't you agree?

SPEAKER_01 9:21

Yes, yes. This is uh two very close. We uh if uh Portuguese speak slowly, we understand very good. Okay, even you don't uh uh uh listen uh in your life Portuguese and the and but the but the Portuguese is very very close to the to the Spanish, but we culturally and uh uh idiomatic, we are not joining. It is like uh two uh very different uh uh subcontinents.

SPEAKER_00 10:03

I understand. Yeah, well, interesting. You've mentioned about joining their district. Are you involved in that process of joining the district?

SPEAKER_01 10:13

No, I am not involved in this process really. Okay, sure. But maybe but maybe yes, yes. We will we we will conform uh a table of leaders in in Latin America to to this joining, and I am in the chatting, but uh for reasons for working reasons I am not really involved, but yes, I will be involved in this.

SPEAKER_00 10:40

Do you know how long that's been a work in progress? Work in progress for what? To join the district.

SPEAKER_01 10:48

Is that been something no no no the the the the progress will be starting maybe in in February or March? Yes, it is not starting yet. Okay, but and we we don't have any meetings uh about that, uh only the the notice from Toastmaster, the decision in order to create this new district.

SPEAKER_00 11:13

Well, that's exciting because if you join the district, then you will be eligible to compete in the district and potentially go on to represent your clubs and your region in the world championships of public speaking. Would you have any aspirations to do that?

SPEAKER_01 11:33

Yes, yes, maybe I I am I am not uh uh I I am two years in Toastmasters, okay? Okay, but uh uh for working reasons and for maybe um leadership reasons too. I I was president and vice president, and uh Toastmaster is not uh very knowing in in Ecuador for this for these reasons. Maybe I I'm not uh finished yet my my first pathway. I am close to finish my my first pathway. This is um really uh um New Year's wish for me. Okay. Yes, in these three first months for 2026. Uh I will uh finish my my first pathway. Then when I finish that, maybe the the the next step is uh participating in the leaderboards for the district, maybe or for the area, maybe.

SPEAKER_00 12:43

Okay, a lot of aspirations. What path are you doing? What? What path are you doing in pathways?

SPEAKER_01 12:51

Ah, I am pathing the the um uh uh a last path. This path uh was uh uh finished by by Toastmasters. This is uh the the path of the project uh project leadership. I I think I don't remember really.

SPEAKER_00 13:15

Okay, that's okay. I was gonna ask you why you joined Toastmasters. It sounded like you were saying it was for career. Is that the main drive that you had to join Toastmasters?

SPEAKER_01 13:26

The the history for the foundation of the club uh is in 2023. Yeah, and we uh I I was part of the board of the project management institute, the chapter, the Ecuador chapter of the project management management institute. And when we finished this chapter, the chat, the chat of the leaderboard, okay. In in the chat, one of the of our leaders or one of the of our partners invited to to all the people, maybe 20 people, uh, to conform the new and the first Toastmaster Club. And I never been uh uh listen about or or knowing about Toastmaster in my life. Yes, in this in this moment, uh I uh webbing the go Googling this in 2023 in uh Googling uh not IA uh yet but yeah and but I go I Googled that and uh maybe two months or three months uh uh uh in the past uh I think I I need to uh improve my leadership and my and my communication skills uh for me. No, and I am I I I I we I was searching for any club or any uh covers about that and uh the uh I I don't know what Toastmaster was meaning, and uh I I googled Toastmaster and and see the the web page and uh maybe the the first or the or the second the first and the second uh phrase of the web of the Toastmaster and I and I say yes I need that I love that you jumped on it, which is what I love that enormous enthusiasm, which I love.

SPEAKER_00 15:46

I love that energy.

SPEAKER_01 15:47

Yeah, I love that that did and uh and with this college uh with with this partner we f we uh I um we start the the idea and maybe two or three months later we received the the very very good um uh partnership and uh advisement from the Colombian uh leaders. Yes, there are um a very nice leader and a very very very uh good leader call it I I uh I'm sorry, uh Monica Acevedo. And Monica Acevedo take the sponsorship for the first uh Toastmaster Club, Ecuador Toastmaster Club. She she a month later, she takes uh the the DTM month later and uh uh like a project for like a project in Toastmaster, they take the sponsorship and mentoring for the club.

SPEAKER_02 17:05

Right, so she supported you, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:07

Yeah, support uh us and very, very good support, and uh the the um uh the foundation of the club is not uh um easy way, an easy path. This is a very, very difficult path, really. Yeah, I was gonna ask that.

SPEAKER_00 17:25

It sounds like you had a lot of support, but despite that, I would have thought it'd be a difficult thing to do. What were the difficulties that you faced?

SPEAKER_01 17:35

Yes, the um first uh the uh we in the in Ecuador never and no one uh uh listen about Toastmaster in in their lives, and we need to educate the people about what is Toastmaster, why that uh they they should uh uh share and uh and join to uh to a Toastmaster club and um the the principal uh retor and I I I don't know this word in English but the pr but the the but the principal uh was the invitation to the people. Uh we we have maybe hundred people in ba invited or hundred or fifteen people invited in order to convince one to one and uh uh we do maybe twenty uh sessions before we uh uh we start with the with the first uh twenty peoples in order to twenty persons in order to found the uh the club. Maybe six months, twenty sessions. This is very, very six or or eight months in order to to have 20 members.

SPEAKER_00 19:19

I'm with you, yeah. So about a one to five ratio. Every five people you ask, you you get one will come along. So it sounds like you first of all had to get your own head around, understand what Toastmasters was about yourself, and then you had to take it to the people to garner other people's interest and sell it to them. Once you had your 20 members, what was the next difficulty that you faced? Were there any other difficulties?

SPEAKER_01 19:47

No, but the the first uh six months was very good. Uh the 20 members are in the in week to week uh in the sessions, but uh uh maybe the time of the people, the focus of the people, the works of the people will retire some people. Okay, and you start with 20 members, and maybe at the moment you have 28 uh the sorry um 18, and maybe two months later you have 15, and maybe two months later you have 14. Okay, of course. The focus of the people and the um um uh uh I don't know, maybe the the work, the time. Uh um when you need to renew the membership one year later, you have only thirteen or twelve. Yes, then the the invitation and the convincement uh path for the for new people is very very um important. Maybe there isn't um uh one uh thing about the twenty people maybe focus in to to stay a year, but uh not all the people is focused to to stay all the year or the first year. You need you you really need to invite new people every time in order to uh maybe you have uh invite um I I don't know ten or five or ten uh times more people that you uh you that you need to the to the club. If you if you if you want to stay um Have 20 people in the club, maybe you really need to invite one or maybe two or three new members. New members monthly. If you don't have three new members monthly, then you uh lost more than three members, maybe or ten members uh at the uh at the semester. It is very, very difficult, really. But uh some leaders and some people see uh the vision of the toastmaster, the vision of the toastmaster for the leadership and for the communication is very very interesting. And when the people really uh uh knows that uh assume that in their himself, these these leaders really uh stay and and really support to the to the club. You know that a club uh the the minimum uh uh number of of people in the club are 12 really for the club for the good club, uh uh a healthy club. Okay. If uh if you have 12 and more, you are very healthy. If you have 12 and less, really it is it is a really a problem. This year we really have uh eight and uh we we need to push more people to in in the in the in the starting of 2026 leadership practice in Toastmasters is to convince people to stay and convince people to new people to join. This is the reason we are uh maybe starting uh to uh invite some people for sales people, uh professional salespeople in this year. Okay, yes.

SPEAKER_02 24:12

We will sound like a good point.

SPEAKER_01 24:15

Yes, yes. We we need uh uh professional sell selling people in order to in order to do and uh to visualize a new club for sales, maybe this is very good because the um all the skills uh and the leadership skills in the communicating and leadership uh skills in toastmasters are very um uh parallel, very, very close to the to the sales skills, the the professional sales skills, you know. Professional selling toastmaster club.

SPEAKER_00 24:55

Okay, yeah, makes a lot of sense. Sounds like a really good employee, I think. Look, what you're saying makes a lot of sense because I've noticed even in established clubs, you know, you've got to gain the members, but then you've got to maintain them, as you say. And even established clubs sometimes struggle with that. And I think ultimately Toastmasters can support someone, but we can't sort out their life problems if life's in the way, and people do need to be self-motivated, so as you alluded to, so I think ultimately you've got to pick up the ball and run with it yourself. But you know, fantastic support the clubs give. Bernardo, do you have a favorite Toastmasters moment?

SPEAKER_01 25:34

My favorite Toastmaster moment when uh new uh new people, new member joined to the club. This is my my very uh new blood, we call that. Yes, yes, the the the the first moment, the first session with uh with a new member. This is the my my favorite session, really. I love this moment.

SPEAKER_00 26:04

I can see you've got a massive smile on your face now, and I can see that that's what they'd be welcomed with, and uh that that's a fabulous start. So, because that's there's that transference of that sort of happiness and energy, isn't there? So all right, is there anything else you'd like to share with us?

SPEAKER_01 26:20

Yes, yes, maybe another uh good moment for me is um every session in the Monday. Uh I I say to my partners in my my members in the in the club, I say to that uh when we finish all we uh meet in the Mondays, Mondays in the night, and this is the the best way to start the week. The best way to start my week. Really, uh I I feel uh new energy, the energy of the Toastmasters is very, very good. Of the this is really uh a friendship space. This is really uh a good space that uh the the energy uh you you have with uh with another members. Uh really we uh we have uh uh online club. Okay. I I think maybe uh in um in a presencial club this is this energy uh will be maybe ten more uh the the the energy you you feel uh maybe will will be best, but uh uh really in online club I I feel this energy. I feel this energy for all my uh this energy and this uh learn uh learning all the learning we and the and the backup and the uh the topics uh uh the experience uh in a type of topics maybe for for each one, the experience of each one. Uh the learning experience, the energy experience is really very good. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 28:30

What what you say about energy, I totally relate to because when you've got other people on the same sort of journey and with the same level of enthusiasm, it really buoys you along, doesn't it? So it really keeps you going and keeps you motivated. And I think that that's another fabulous aspect I found of Toastmasters. Just getting back to the speechcraft thing again, you were very generous to help out with a segment of my speechcraft course, but then I noted you, and I was very glad that you did, but you sat in on the rest of the meeting. As an experienced Toastmaster, did you get anything out of that?

SPEAKER_01 29:09

Um we have no really uh good experience with uh no not good. We we have no many experience with the spacecraft. Okay, we don't really use this spacecraft meeting and the spacecraft uh experience uh uh really well. Okay, maybe we will need to to use uh better this this tool. This is I I I I I really think this is uh a really good tool in order to motivate new members. Okay we we need to use better this tool, really, and more and more. We in uh in in these two years in in in our clubs, in Ecuador clubs, we have only one spacecraft.

SPEAKER_02 30:12

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 30:13

Okay with uh only two, uh three or four members.

SPEAKER_00 30:20

Sure. You self-describe that your English level is medium. Obviously, we're communicating fine, but it can be hard when it's not your native language. Native speakers can tend to speak very quickly. And this speechcraft was run over Zoom, so I noted that you used AI to do some live translation. How did that go?

SPEAKER_01 30:45

Um I I think this is maybe a good uh tool, okay? The AI for translation, but I I I I I don't know and don't see in Zoom, Zoom is the really the first platform and the maybe the the more um the more shared platform for for online clubs. And I I don't uh see a good uh uh translation um uh tools in in in Zoom yet. Really I I I don't uh see that. Uh I in this meeting, in this meeting, uh we are sharing Zoom right now. I am not uh say si in the translation tools really.

SPEAKER_00 31:38

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 31:39

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00 31:40

Now your meetings are generally run in Spanish, but you had some thought of doing some English ones. What what's your plan there?

SPEAKER_01 31:49

Yes, we are planning to to start with English because uh in Peru was uh a very good uh way to browse the Toastmasters and create more Toastmaster clubs. All the the Perubian uh clubs are in English, maybe they they was ten maybe um but uh right now uh six clubs are really uh really in uh um they they meet really six clubs. All the six clubs in Peru are in English, then this is a good tool and to share with more people the Toastmasters because the people need to practice their English. Okay, this is the reason our our club is uh planning in in the new plan for 2026 to create uh to be a bilingual club. Okay. We we are we we we was not a bilingual club in these two years, okay? But uh for this year we will be a bilingual club, yes. Maybe one uh session at a month. We we session in uh uh every week, okay. Four sessions in a week in uh in a month. One of these sessions we will do in English. Our first session is planned for the two in uh uh the two of March. Second of March, okay.

SPEAKER_00 33:41

And is there anything you can do to help that English along?

SPEAKER_01 33:46

Yes, yes, we we we want to to be a session in all in English, not uh not in English and Spanish in this session. Okay, we need to be uh from start to at the end. This session will be in English.

SPEAKER_00 34:01

Okay. And you're looking for help for to help the English.

SPEAKER_01 34:06

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Some uh some of the members uh uh think that maybe some people with uh which have uh with when need to express their English, uh express their words in English with uh native English, maybe have more shiny or more or more nervous, become more more more nervous. But I think maybe for grammarian and uh and um uh grammarian and aha counter we need uh we need uh native English speakers and uh English Toastmasters. Then we will we will have um planning session in the 26th 26th of February. And uh I will invite you or your colleagues from Toastmaster in order to assist to the this planning session, the the the the first plan for the first session, uh second of March of March, uh and uh maybe discuss about that because I I think this is the the better. Really for the grammarian and for the aha counter, I I think this is better to to have a native English Toastmaster in in our sessions. If you and your college um uh will will be with with us, uh you are really invited and wonderful. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 35:53

All right, well, let's send a shout out to our listeners. Anyone native English speakers listening in, I'll put uh the link to Bernardo's club in the in the uh comments for the the notes for the show, and hopefully we'll get a few takers to uh come and join Bernardo's club once a month to help out with the English. It's been an absolute pleasure chatting to you today, Bernardo.

SPEAKER_01 36:14

Thank you. I'm sorry for my for my bad English, but oh no, it was it was wonderful.

SPEAKER_00 36:19

You've done very well. So thank you so much, and wishing all the best with your English addition to your club and joining the district and all your future plans. Thank you so much. Muchas gracias, amigo.

SPEAKER_01 36:32

Gracias, amigo. Thank you, thank you so much, and thank you to all your followers. Uh is it it is really good to my it is my first uh broadcasting in in my life, and this is in English.

SPEAKER_00 36:51

You've done so you're amazing. It's just been amazing. Yeah, I love your spirit. It's you know, I'm getting energy transfers right now, so thank much gracias.

SPEAKER_01 37:02

Gracias, gracias.

SPEAKER_00 37:09

Thanks for listening to today's show. One of the key elements of Toastmasters is evaluations. This is how we grow and improve, both by encouraging comments for things we got right and points for improvement. We all learn and benefit from these evaluations, not just the person being evaluated. So any feedback in the comments is greatly appreciated. If you have a Toastmasters story you'd like to share or would like to be on the show, I'd love to hear from you. You can reach me at Toastmastersworldtour at gmail.com. Thanks for listening.