Durga Iyer wins the Toastmasters Humorous Speech Contest
Durga Iyer, a PhD student in CeBER, won the 2017 Toastmasters District 74 Division D Humorous Speech Contest on 7th November, 2017. Durga progressed through 3 gruelling rounds of the competition that featured Toastmasters from twelve different clubs based in Cape Town. Throughout all the rounds, Durga showed passion and near-impeccable comic timing. Those who listened to his speech titled: “Game of moans” – inspired by the popular TV series, Game of Thrones, were left in stitches as Durga took them on a hilarious journey into the world of an amateur athlete chasing after the ever-elusive goal of completing a marathon in a respectable time. The judges and audience agreed that his confidence, showmanship and story were the right combination for a winning recipe.
Durga has developed his public speaking and leadership skills as an active member of UCT Toastmasters since the club’s inception in August 2016. Durga attributes his research in plant microbial fuel cells within CeBER, and the exciting challenges associated with the journey of a PhD student, as helping him see the funny side of life and building his comedic persona.
CeBER wish Durga the best as he strives to achieve excellence in his PhD research and other talents!
Written by Michael Odidi