School of Business Associate Dean Jim Bussey Advances to Semifinals of The World Championship of Public Speaking

On Saturday, April 17, 2010, James R. (Jim) Bussey, the Associate Dean of the School of Business at St. Thomas University, became the public speaking championship for Toastmasters District 47 for this year. District 47 encompasses the southern half of Florida and the Bahamas.

On August 12, Jim will now advance to one of nine semifinal rounds of the championship, competing with the winners of other district contests, in Palm Desert, California. The winner of this round will compete with other semifinal winners for the World Championship of Public Speaking on August 14. He must prepare an entirely new speech for the contest.

In 2007, Jim won his semifinal round to become champion of the Southeast region, which included Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. Reaching the final contest was, in his words, “a victory in itself, and the experience was astounding.”

This Championship, organized by Toastmasters International, is the largest contest of public speaking in the world. This organization is dedicated to men and women who want to improve their communication and leadership skills, and boasts a worldwide membership of more than 250 000 members in 106 countries. Jim Bussey now ranks among the top 100 speakers in the world.