I advanced to the area-level in Toastmasters’ humorous speech contest

Last week I won my Toastmaster club’s humorous speech contest with a spiel about my dad. I’d share it here, but I never wrote it down. I’m forcing myself to speak without notes, so when preparing my speeches, I just jot down the main points, memorize them, and then rehearse in front of the mirror.

While I was pleased with the content (my dad does give me a lot of fodder), I need to continue to hone my speaking skills.

Before the contest I read a Toastmaster’s book on communicating with body language. It helped a lot—not only to gain my audience’s attention and underscore the points of my speech, but also to dissipate my nervousness. In my previous two speeches I had no idea what to do with my body. Using gestures when speaking provides a physical outlet for anxiety.

Anyway, I’ll be giving my speech again at the area-level contest on September 14. I’ll post the time and place once I get that information.