Club Contests

We recently had our Humorous Speech and Table Topics Contest.  Contests are very important to club success and the personal growth of its members.  Contests provide a chance to practice speaking, leadership opportunities and evaluations.  Contests are also a chance to get credit on another speech.   Why not take the opportunity to have so many successes.  It is a chance to see almost everyone in the club do something and get credit for it.  At very least contests are fun for the entire club.  Almost everyone left with a smile on their face.  Contest are also an opportunity to visit other clubs.  During contest time, clubs are looking to other clubs to help judge.  This is important so that there is no bias to the judging.  It is also a time that you can see how other clubs operate.

Debate Night at my Toastmasters Club

My club has a long history of having a debate night as a challenge with another local club.  I have never participated in a debate and the closest to watching a debate is at times of political elections.  Our debates are interesting.  They have specific rules of conduct and structure.  What I was not prepared for and heckling.  In our rules, we allow team members as well as the audience to heckle the debaters.  It was truly an odd experience.

Something I Would Not Normally Do

A few weeks ago, I did something that I would not normally do.  I did a speech in front of a group of strangers and a family member.  I had attended the first meeting of the Strathroy Ontario club.  This is a rapidly growing club that has a lot of good things going for it.

Only Toastmasters would have prepared me for this.  I was the one and only speaker, there was a newspaper there and a room of strangers.  The meeting was very enjoyable and the speech felt comfortable.  I think that I would do this more often.  I was a lot of fun.  It stretched me beyond my comfort zone.  I thing more people should try something new and out of their comfort zone.

Newspaper article: http://www.strathroyagedispatch.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3471268