HUMOUR FILLED EVENING
The excitement echoed around the room as the judges
were briefed on the rules and regulations. A number of judges come from other
clubs, so that there was no bias. Marie Lynes, our president, warmly welcomed
guests, members, contestants and judges alike to a wonderful night at the club
for the humorous speech and table topics competition. She sincerely thanked
Liam Flynn of Duhallow Landscaping for generously sponsoring the
prizes. Liam is a well thought of member of the club and who, as last year’s
president, brought us all on a very enjoyable outing around
Millstreet in June.
Michael Cronin was a natural choice for contestant
chair as he himself has previously won the competition. Counters for the
evening were Noel O'Connor and Helsa Giles who were unwavering in their
mathematical skills. There were two time keepers on competition night,
Mary Moynihan and Angela Sheehan. This is a very important job because the
contestants can gage the time by looking at the lights.
Bridie O’Connell was topics master. When
asked a topic there are a number of ways to deal with it. Pause, take a breath,
and stand up slowly – a technique that gives competitors a chance to gather
their thoughts. Topics are great because impromptu speaking is a transferable
skill that can be put into practise in a variety of situations. Prepare an
opening statement and agree or disagree with the topic.
Have a joke or anecdote
you would love to tell. Can you twist the topic to suit your story? The five
contestants were given the topic "It's not the winning it’s the taking
part" as they entered the room. They have two minutes to speak on the
subject. All the contestants did wonderfully and made easy work of speaking off
the cuff. It was a tightly fought competition but Pat Sexton came first and
Marie Lynes second.
In the humorous speech contest we were entertained
and in awe of four very talented speakers with their unique and hilarious
tales.
Claire O'Connell was first up with a speech entitled "The
best roller coaster ride ever". It certainly was a topsy turvy world for
her leading lady as Claire gave a wonderfully confident presentation,
generously seasoned with delightful ideas for example; charity, friends
and location.
Pat Sexton was the second speaker with a speech
imaginatively entitled "The donkey is dead or the age of chivalry is
dead ". It was a tale of woe for our misunderstood hero of the piece
is Don Quixote, who tried his best with modern life. Trial and tribulation
increased his confusion.
Brendan Foley was third out of the gate with a
speech "jumping on bandwagons" and it didn’t do him much harm as he
retold his recent experiences of running. He easily had us laughing at his
coping mechanisms.
Last but not least was Bobby Buckley with "The
sad search for laughter", a wonderfully thought out presentation with a
garnish of philosophy. This speech was a great piece of sardonic humour.
Well done to all the contestants who entertained us
thoroughly. Brendan Foley was awarded first place and Pat Sexton came second.
We wish all of the winners the best of luck as they proudly represent us in
area final in Fermoy on the 20th of October. Speakeasy Toastmasters will
be meeting again in the Hibernian Hotel in Mallow on the 22nd
of October at 8.00 sharp. Guest are more than welcome and for more
information contact E.V.P. Brendan Foley 087 7938641 or President Marie Lynes
087 9746974 or the club website www.speakeasytoastmasters.com
For more photographs of the contest night check out our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/speakeasymallow
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