Why not volunteer as a speaker?
Volunteering as a test speaker for club Evaluation Contest is the perfect opportunity to push yourself to a new level. Not only do you get valuable speaking experience, but you also get to help out clubs with their contests.
Roberta Eykholt says YES
Recently Roberta Eykholt, a member of Wellington’s newest Toastmaster club Police Toastmasters, took the opportunity to be a test speaker. I (Owen Winter) asked her to share the experience, so that you will be able to see from a first-time test speaker what the experience was like, and what they gained.
And she lives to tell her story about being test speaker
“The call went out for a test speaker to take part in an Evaluation contest. The notice was short, a mere 22 hours. I was the logical choice having just given a speech that day at our local Toastmasters. I had something prepared and an open calendar.
How could I say "no"? Would it be a hostile crowd? Would I know anyone? I am just a baby toastie, what if my speech is too amateurish? As a dearth of excuses struggled to emerge I realised I had no excuse and, if I was serious about improving my speaking I needed to jump at every opportunity.
"Yes" was my response. I took on-board the evaluation I had received and some unsolicited feedback from trusted friends. I made the necessary changes, prepared new visuals and took a deep breath.
What an opportunity this turned out to be. All my fears were needless. 2 faces were immediately familiar, I was among friends. The first benefit was simply getting a second attempt at my speech having revised it according to the feedback received. I knew it was better and at the same time realised that I should have practiced the new version out loud.
I had changed the ending but the revision did not work. Always practice, never assume.
The second thing I learned is the value of independent evaluators. My home members know and love me. We are newly formed and all babes. This makes us a tad conservative with our recommendations. These independent evaluators commented on the basics I should have previously mastered. But they were not cruel. There were 4 evaluators and their recommendations varied; it was the themes that spoke loudly.
I actually felt liberated hearing their recommendations and realising how spot on those evaluations were. The final thing I learned was the format and atmosphere of a contest.
There were moments of awkward silence, people leaving the room and others not allowed to leave. It was all very serious and yet friendly at the same time. There will be a time in the future when I enter a contest and this experience will have prepared me for that event."
Go for it! You can do it!
You can step out in front of you club as a contestant, taking on an official role such as ballot counter, contest chair or judging at another club.
Each of these roles count toward your Competent Leadership Manual goals and is great chance to prove to yourself and your club that you are capable of doing something new.
More Judges please
One of the most important part of the contests is having reliable judges - and it’s extra important that new judges step up for the role. If you have never judged before this is the perfect time to let your club Vice President Education (or your mentor if you have one) that you are interested in learning about judging.
As well as asking your club members to help you with learning about judging you can find video tutorials on the Toastmasters International Website here.
If you are keen to judge as a contest why not contact one of the Area Directors and ask if there is a chance to judge at one the contests in their area? You can find their contact details here.
Post written by Owen Winter Area E6 Director.
