Since joining TOT three years ago, I’ve competed in five club competitions and won two of them, including the 2010 Humorous Speech Competition. Unfortunately, after winning the TOT International Speech Contest in 2009, a long-scheduled trip to Denver kept me from the Area competition. So, this year represented my first competition speaking experience above the club level.

I got off to an easy start. Just before the Area competition began, TOT Table Topics Champ Martha Ann and I were informed that ours was the only club in our area to send competitors. Many of the daytime and corporate clubs in our area apparently don’t bother holding competitions—a wasted opportunity in my opinion. But the Area competition gave me a chance to perform my speech again before an audience—an audience filled with TOT members, because we canceled our meeting that week to allow people to attend.

The Division Contest was tougher. I drew a mediocre speaking slot (second out of four), so Bob M. spoke first. Bob was way better than I had hoped. His speech was really funny and featured some great jokes. The final speaker, Sola S., got off to a slow start, but once his main routine kicked in, he had a great rhythm going and the audience loved him. Despite this tough competition, I thought I had performed well enough to win – fortunately, I did.

Jeff F. cautioned me that the talent level in a Toastmaster Contest increases exponentially with each level. He was right. The District 2 Contest (held at the end of the fall conference) featured seven speakers and every single one brought a great speech and a skilled performance. It was a challenge for me to speak for the first time using a wireless microphone and to address a large crowd (200 – 300 people) in a cavernous room. The stage was also flanked by huge projection screens, which would probably have been a distraction had I paid any attention to them. However, I just got up and delivered the speech and everything went fine.

A win—or even a placement—would have made for a happy ending. Not this year. But it was a great learning experience. I had already learned some tricks at the club level: watching David James taught me that a good competition speech requires broader humor and a sharper focus on entertaining the audience. David also invariably featured a big physical set-piece or pantomime in his first minute, which probably explains why I found myself up on stage imitating a dollar bill acceptor around the one-minute mark.

The District contest also gave me the opportunity to invite some friends and family members to see me speak, which was fun for both of us, especially given that normal folks aren’t always sure what Toastmasters do at those weekly meetings.

In all, it was a valuable experience and the support from the club was impressive. My praise and sympathy to everyone who managed to listen to me gripe about technology three times (Jennifer T., Ed L., Jeff F., Veronica T., Jackie F., Martha Ann) and congratulations to Martha on her great run to the District competition.

Sincerely,

James Bush

Toastmaster since December 2007

First, the club level competition for Table Topics. Not really any prep involved – just show up. Now, that is my kind of contest, Since I am not a habitual winner of Table Topics, I was amazed that my club would honor me and I found myself competing next at the area level.

There were plenty of contestants from several areas and just before competing, I was informed that I was the only one from my particular area to show and all I had to do was to stay in the time constraints. I won that by default but was pleased with the wonderful comments afterward and just the camaraderie of seeing some new faces and places. It was nice to win just the same. Remember, just show up! .

Then it was on to my third competition, the division level. My confidence had been boosted during this level because of the skill level of the other contestants resulting in me winning 2nd place. Whew! The close of a whirlwind tour (to me anyway). But wait! Before I could even get out the door, I was asked to be the alternate at the District level and the person who had won first place was not able to make it. Was it really happening again – just show up?

Arriving at the extreme professional revue called the District Conference, I just sat in amazement looking at the stage with the a jumbo-tron on either side facing the largest meeting room I’d ever been in. If Toastmasters couldn’t do a meeting right, who could? Wow! What was I (and me and myself), doing there? I drew the card to go first which is good because I would have been devastated by watching the other wonderful competitors. I had no idea what it took to win at this level and had never seen any winning results as being rather new to Toastmasters. My only nervousness was concentrated on just getting up to the stage from my seat in the audience without bumbling. Visions of conference tables going over like dominoes filled my head.

I was so relieved at getting up on the stage in one piece that I had forgotten to be nervous about the contest even though the back of the room was so far away, I couldn’t recognize faces and that I didn’t dare glance at the jumbo-trons. I was absolutely surprised to find myself really enjoying my opportunity to do something I’d never have dreamed of doing. Of course, how can anybody go wrong with the supportive Toastmasters there to catch you if you fall? I sat down and watched some real experts go at it and showed me what is was all about

Watching my competitors who won showed me what is was all about and I felt a quantum leap in my ability to be effective at Table Topics. There is also the quantum leap in my self-confidence to know that I was there at a District Competition with over 300 attendees and not only finding it easy, but so thoroughly enjoyable. Next time, maybe I can win now armed with my immense newly acquired knowledge.

One thing I’ll be sure about in any contest in the future is that I will feel just a bit guilty. The guilt will come from knowing that perhaps, I’m taking a spot from someone who has yet to feel the exhilaration. Remember, it all started by just showing up!

-Martha A.  (Toastmaster since November 2008).