Toastmasters Contest Reflections

Last year, I was encouraged to enter our Club speech contest.? I was honoured to have been one of the Club and Area winners.? Then I placed third at the Division.??

This year, I gave it another go, with a different speech. Let me tell you, it was a wildly different experience!? But I learned a lot, gained some valuable insights, and already have my eye on next year.??

One of the major differences was the format.? Last year, it was entirely online.? This year - it was in person.? I have yet to master my in-person presentation skills.? As a teacher, when I’m talking to the class, I’m walking around.? Where I’m standing, how I’m moving, at whom I’m looking - very different in an an-person Toastmasters crowd.?

While I’m not advancing in the International Speech contest this year, I am going forward in the Evaluation Contest.? Here, I think that having been an educator has given me somewhat of an advantage.? Understanding how to deliver an effective Toastmasters Evaluation, however,? takes practice. But it’s an important and necessary ingredient in the Toastmasters Club sandwich…

Building Skills

The skills that we develop and hone in Toastmasters are many; they’re nuanced, and one thing that I’ve noticed is that our members are all at different places in our journeys.?

Recently, I've started playing pickleball.? A pickleball coach told me a few months back not to let myself be overwhelmed by the many techniques, rules, strategies of this (awesome) game, but to focus each time on ONE THING, until I feel confident.? Serve and Stay - until I get it.? Receive and Run, until I get it… ATPs and Ernies are on my pickleball bucket list (if you know, you know).

While I am a “big-picture” person, I think that having a short-term focus makes a lot of sense. What can I do, RIGHT NOW, that will help improve my abilities to… (listening skills, develop an effective stage presence, provide meaningful feedback,? reduce that gut-wrenching stage-fright when you’re faced with a live audience, create relevant and engaging table topics for our members…).

District Contest: March 22, 2025 (Village Green Community Church, 9:00am)

I'll be representing Thames Valley Toastmasters on March 22 in the Evaluation Contest. If you’re in London, I encourage you to swing by Village Green Community Church (it begins at 9:00 am).???

See you there!