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Mike Davis has a way with words.

The Fairfield resident and financial planner has qualified for the regional round of the Toastmasters International Speech Contest, a competition he won in 2003.

"Looking back at it, it was very different because I had some help with some coaching, but I really didn't know what I was doing as a speaker," Davis said.

Over the past five years, he's developed as a speaker. Davis will deliver the speech June 7 in Ottawa, Canada, in the penultimate round of the contest. The speech was inspired by his son a few years ago.

"Find Your Mud Puddles" talks about the need to have fun to relieve stress.

If Davis wins this contest, he will develop a speech for the international finals. In the contest, those who make it to the finals will deliver three speeches throughout the contest.

"It shows depth of talent," he said. "Everybody has one great speech; but three, not too many."

Davis said Toastmasters International helped him learn the importance of brevity and how to speak. He also learned it's not about facts and figures, but rather personal stories. "It's learning how to connect with an audience," Davis said.

Davis competes regularly in one of the four Toastmaster contests, and just won the Evaluation Contest.

Jim Meyer, the founding member of the club for Cincinnati Insurance employees and on-site contractors, said delivering speeches is nerve-wracking, but in a contest, "it takes the nervousness to the next level."

"Just getting to each next level accelerates your competence. You have to be extremely good to get to any one of those levels," he said.

Davis said he will deliver his speech 16 to 20 times in preparation to area Toastmasters clubs and will rehearse it about five times a day until the competition.

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