On the 25th of March Banyandah Toastmasters hosted its International Speech and Evaluation contests. Club contests are scheduled twice a year and give members the opportunity to practice public speaking in a competitive environment.

International Speech Contest
Contest Chair Anita hosted the night’s initial competition, the International Speech Contest. In the International Speech Contest, each contestant must present a substantially original speech of 5 to 7 minutes.

There were two contestants, Ross followed by Trevor. After a nervous wait, Trevor was announced as the winner and presented with the winning certificate.

Evaluation Contest
After supper, Joe chaired the Evaluation Contest. Speech evaluations are very important in Toastmasters with the standard club meeting containing several evaluation roles. In the Evaluation Contest, the contestants must evaluate the same test speech. To stop latter contestants from gaining an advantage, they are kept out of the contest room for the earlier evaluations.

Area Governor and guest Charles Fisher presented the test speech “A Dark Story about Chocolate”, an informative talk about the exploitation behind some of the chocolate produced. Matt was the first contestant and Adam the second. Following the tallying of the judges’ votes, Matt was adjudged the winner.

Congratulations club contest winners Trevor and Matt – they will be representing Banyandah at the N24 Area Contest on Saturday 16 March at the Dianella Community Centre.

A very special thanks to N24 Area Governor Charles Fisher and Ellenbrook Toastmasters Peter, Ray and Malley for visiting and assisting Banyandah with the evening. As a thank you for their efforts, each of our guests went home with a bottle of wine presented by our Club President Ross Hinscliff.