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Are You Ready for Toastmasters Contest Season?

Jennifer Schmidt, Senior Editor

make it stronger. With many virtual club meetings
held throughout the week, these practices were pretty
easy to schedule. However, I found when a club met

monthly, contacting them as soon as possible gave 2023 District 7 winners International
me the best opportunity to secure a speaking spot. Natalia Kukushkina and Humorous Paul Carson

emotion as well. Because speaking is a careful
Visualize, record, and refine - I’ve seen some mix of stories infused with heart, struggles, and
contestants look worried before speaking as the triumphs. This combination builds up trust and
pressure overwhelms them, and it throws off their likability with your audience. They invest their time
delivery. This is easy to do, because speech contests to watch, learn, and feel your words that hopefully

are a very structured event. But I found that if I visualize inspire them to follow a similar path of success.
a happy audience, I tend to feel better, and my nerves
calm down. I’ll also watch a recording of myself to get Call to action - Once the audience understands

the audience’s perspective and see where I can refine the facts while listening with their hearts, they
my delivery to make the speech stronger. usually are inspired to take the next step. But
what will that step be? How can they get started?
PURPOSE Whatever first step you suggest, make it easy and
reasonable. In one speech I talked about getting

Stick to the goal - Every speech has the same an Employer Identification Number as the first
goal - to serve the audience. If it is only serving you, step to starting a business which is an easy online
that won’t help or inspire anyone else. Instead your process. The point is to encourage a call to action

speech will be disengaging, and boring. Have you ever that gets fast results.
met someone who only talked about themselves?
Not a fun conversation, right? What can you teach I find contests allow me a place to challenge
your audience without sounding like you’re giving a and hone my skills. By executing careful
lecture? If they only remember one point that serves preparation, practice, and purpose, any speech

them, what would that message be? can be a winning contest speech. All you need is
commitment, strategies, and heart to serve and
Have a heart-felt message - Most speeches have inspire your audience.

facts that give it structure and credibility. But unless
you want to sound like a cold robot, it also has to have

VOICES! | Fall 2023 25