Let the Contest begin!

The room is ready, the trophies are purchased, the contestants are rehearsing - the stage is set for the Speakeasy Toastmasters Schools Public Speaking Competition.

It takes place on this Thursday night in the Hibernian Hotel,Mallow at 8.00PM Sharp. Students from Schools in the North Cork area will participate.This year we are delighted to welcome Contestants from Mallow, Doneraile, Mitchelstown, Kanturk and Rathmore who will vie for the perpetual prize for Best Individual Speaker and the Best Team prize.

Previous winners include Lorcan Nyhan of the Patrician Academy, Kate Mc Sweeney of St. Mary's, Radek Zuk of Davis College and Darragh Healy-Fitzgerald of Scoil Mhuire,Kanturk. However, the Club ethos places huge value in participating. All competitors gains huge experience of confidence in communication through the preparation and practice they put into their presentations. Some of the themes covered by the speakers include sport, the sugar crisis and the challenges of teenage years. Serious themes and a dollop of humour for good measure will be on the menu.

The ability to communicate well is essential in everyday life - be it for job interviews, work presentations and in social situations. Yet, many people find the challenge of "speaking up" to be both daunting and nerve wracking. Speakeasy Toastmasters helps it's members to overcome their nervousness and to get their message across with both style and confidence. Our Schools Public Speaking Competition provides a wonderful opportunity to it's participants to acquire good speaking skills. Nevertheless, all our meetings provide our members with the opportunity to find their "voices".

In other news, the Division B (Munster) Final of the Humorous Speech and Table Topics Contests took place in the Charleville Park Hotel last Sunday. Speakeasy was ably represented in the Humorous Contest by Kieran Butler and Claire O'Connell. Both presented strong performances which were met with laughing approval by a large attendance. But the top prize eluded both. Instead, Sean Dwan of Nenagh Toastmasters was crowned Champion Speaker with his recollections of his dance hall days- "Bad Moon Rising".Second place went to Jane Sheehan, Killarney Toastmasters with her take on Kerry football-"Passion".

In th

e Table Topics Contest, Ray Ryan and Pat Sexton were presented with a very unusual conundrum- "Which of the Seven Dwarfs represent you - Grumpy, Happy, Bashful, Doc, Sleepy, Sneezy and Dopey?" In a close contest, with much mirth ensuing, Pat Sexton emerged victorious with Emily Sexton of Raheen Toastmasters in the runner-up position. Sean and Pat will go forward to represent the Division in the District 71 (Britain and Ireland) Finals in Norfolk, England next May.

Speakeasy Meetings are open to guests and visitors. If you are interested in seeing what we are all about, please pay us a visit. Guests are never coerced into speaking unless they wish to do so. For more information, please check out our website speakeasytoastmasters.com or on Facebook.