#246: The Roast: Lightheartedly "Grilling" the Person of Honor – Chris Arning

The Toastmasters Podcast with Greg Gazin with Ryan Levesque and Bo Bennett

The Toastmasters Podcast is a talkshow designed to amplify the Toastmaster magazine content, featuring interviews with Toastmasters, contributors and those connected with the articles of this monthly publication. ALL 250+ Episodes can be found at ToastmastersPodcast.com.

[29:39] A Roast is something you can bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes per pound but it’s also a humorous way to honor or recognize an individual by poking fun at them in a good-natured way.  (Remember the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts?)  On today’s episode, our guest, Chris Arning demystifies and enlightens us on this time-honored topic - also in a good-natured way.

Chris helps us understand what a roast is and what it isn’t and why he feels that being roasted is a right of passage. He shares his thoughts and his recipe for what a good roast is and how roasts can be used within Toastmasters and the outside world - even for those who may shy away from the idea. Chris shares a number of stories about being the roastee and also the roaster and a very personal story about how he honored his Father and more.

Chris was one of the individuals interviewed about roasting club officers/members and for the article Fire Up the Lectern!  How to honor your officers and noteworthy members with a roast, by Kate McClare, in the February 2024 issue of the Toastmaster Magazine. Chris also provided the sidebar “Grilling” tips also appearing in the issue.

Chris Arning is the CEO of Creative Semiotics Ltd. He is a creative strategist specializing in semiotics and cultural insight, with over 15 years of international experience as a planner, qualitative researcher and semiotician.

A Toastmaster since 2017 Chris is Past President of Berkeley Square Toastmasters Club in Central London. 

Chris lives in London, England and can be reached at CreativeSemiotics.co.uk as well as on LInkedIn.