Italian Speech Festival — Genoa, 18–19 April 2026
Archive article about the 2026 Division Conference.
Two festivals formed part of the Genoa Division Conference: one for prepared speeches in Italian and one for impromptu speaking (Table Topics). The aim was to create a learning experience with a light-hearted atmosphere where members could experiment and challenge themselves.
Unlike traditional contests, there was no progression through club, Area and Division levels. The audience evaluated the speeches directly.
1. Prepared Speech Festival
- A learning event rather than a conventional contest, starting with a short workshop on evaluation.
- Maximum seven participants.
- Speeches of 4–7 minutes, including Ice Breaker-style speeches.
- Audience voting by smartphone through a Google Form; a Google account was required.
- Speakers could promote their participation and share details in advance. Social sharing was encouraged. Photography was permitted provided it respected speakers and did not disturb their speeches.
The following members had registered and been selected by 14 March for prepared speeches, scheduled for the early afternoon of 18 April:
| Club | Participant name |
|---|---|
| Tuscany Masters | Alberto Ferretti |
| Toastmasters Academy Florence | Sara Ignarra |
| Trucks&Tricks | Raffaella Cerutti |
| Toastmasters Marche – Villaggio Saggio | Francesca Vitale |
| Xplorers | Mario Stefanini |
| Erzelli Toasters | Roberto Castellani |
| Milan Easy | Riccardo Ravera |
2. Table Topics Festival
- The same learning focus, starting with a short evaluation workshop.
- Maximum seven participants.
- One- or two-minute speeches answering the same Table Topics question.
- Audience voting by smartphone through a Google Form, requiring a Google account.
- The same approach to advance promotion, social sharing and respectful photography.
Selected Table Topics participants, scheduled for the morning of 18 April:
| Club | Participant name |
|---|---|
| Erzelli | Sara Mendicino |
| Milan Easy | Giulia Maugeri |
| Trucks&Tricks | Rosina Elia |
| Salerno Toastmasters | Andrea Carraro |
| Navigli | Cristina Francolini |
| Napoli Toastmasters | Emanuele Spulsi |
| Two Towers | Livio Saracino |
Multiple awards, including playful categories
Audience members in Genoa were invited to vote through a Google Form. Signing in with a Google account helped prevent accidental duplicate votes.
- Best Speech: recognised overall speech quality and effectiveness.
- Best Delivery: recognised voice, stage presence, pacing and use of props, independently of the content.
- Best Humour: recognised humorous entertainment and the ability to engage the audience through comic techniques.
- Best Smile: celebrated a positive attitude and human connection through a smile, separately from humour, which can also use serious or dark comic styles.
Results were to be announced shortly after the speeches, allowing time to prepare awards and participation certificates.