Our first contest of 2015 saw members competing for the Speech and Evaluation Contests.
Brent Crouch was our Contest Chair and he welcomed all present and explained how the speech contest would work. He was assisted by Marie Newman who was timekeeper for the evening.
Keith Oliver got us underway by asking what each person's favourite colour was and why, it was a veritable rainbow of colours that came back with some interesting thoughts on why they were people's favourites,although some had no idea.
Brent now asked Michael John Smithson to explain the judging as all in the room had been provided with a ballot paper and were asked to participate.
There were only two contestants for the Speech Contest, Ann Carver and Keith Oliver. Ann had drawn to go first and gave a speech on Social Entrepreneurship, explaining her journey to becoming a social entrepreneur and exhorting those in the room to choose a similar vocation.
Keith followed with Start your own Business – Suit You, using the four card suits to explain the four pillars to set up a successful business.
With the judging done and the ballots collected, it was time fro the network break.
The second half was the Evaluation Contest and Brent asked Michael John to again explain the judging. Brent then invited Wendy Benson to give the target speech, in which she explained her journey as a Toastmaster from terror to cautiously optimistic to competent speaker.
Four contestants had volunteered to evaluate he speech and were ushered out of the room to prepare their evaluations, while Karen Chapman led a Table Topics session. Karen had chosen unusual words from the dictionary and asked the audience to give their own definitions.
The four evaluators were then brought back in the room, one at a time, to give their evaluation. Carolyn Barber went first followed by Keith Oliver, Marie Newman and finally Ann Carver.
There was still time while the votes were counted fro Karen to resume her Table Topics to the pleasure of the audience.
With the votes in it fell to Michael John to hand out the certificates of participation to the contestants and to award the winners trophies.
Speech winner – Keith Oliver
Evaluation winner – Keith Oliver
Keith Oliver closed the meeting thanking all for attending and reminding the audience that the Area contests were to be held at Fishbourne on Saturday 21 March.
Keith magnanimously offered Ann Carver the opportunity to represent the club in the speech contest while he would participate in the valuation contest.