NYSSA Toastmasters held a Spring Club Competition on Wednesday, February 25 to see who will represent NYSSA Toastmasters at the area level and beyond. In spring, Toastmasters have their Evaluation and International Speech Contests. The Evaluation Contests only go to the division level. As the title indicates the International Speech Contests have brackets that go all the way to the international level for a World Champion Title.
The Evaluation Contest fielded many contestants who observed and evaluated a short speech given by a test speaker. After the test speech, contestants were ushered out of the room. They were given five minutes to review notes and develop an evaluation to present. One at a time, contestants were brought back to the room to deliver a two-to-three minute evaluation. Judges scored each contestant and ranked the contestants on four facets of their evaluation:
1. ANALYTICAL QUALITY—was it clear and focused?
2. RECOMMENDATIONS—were they positive, specific, and helpful?
3. TECHNIQUE—was it sympathetic, sensitive, and motivational?
4. SUMMATION—was it concise and encouraging?
The winner of the Evaluation Contest, who will advance to the Area 34 contest, was Anand Shahi. Second place went to Dustin Knoop and third place went to Andrew Shih.
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| Anand Shahi |
Anand Shahi works at Merrill Lynch as a financial planner, is a CFP® and a CFA Level II Candidate. He is currently the NYSSA Toastmasters Secretary. Shahi will represent NYSSA Toastmasters and compete in the Area 34 Evaluation Contest on March 24.
The International Speech Club Contest fielded two contestants who delivered a speech on a subject that each contestant chose. The speech has to be delivered in five to seven minutes, and was judged on three different criteria: content, delivery, and language. Unfortunately, both contestants were eliminated because of time violations. One delivered a speech that was less than five minutes, and the other spoke longer than the requisite seven minutes.
At the end of the day, everyone wins at the competitions, because to compete is to push your limits and present in front of new audiences. The competitions hone the evaluators’ sense of what is required to make a good speech, which furthers their understanding of speaking skills and techniques. The other facet of being an evaluator is giving encouraging, positive, and constructive feedback which lends itself to both leadership and mentorship development.
Congratulations to Anand Shahi for a job well done in the Evaluation Contest! May he represent NYSSA well at the Area 34 Contest and move on to the Division C Contest on April 13!
Toastmaster Tip:
Give more than you expect others to give.
Many people are looking out for Number One—themselves. Be the person who looks out for Number Two, Number Three, and so on. “Ask yourself, How can I give a little more to the people around me? What can I do to lighten their work load? Who can I mentor? How can I provide the best effort? Go the extra mile on behalf of others. Fashion your leadership style by this wisdom from President Woodrow Wilson: “I do not believe that any man can lead who does not act … under the impulse of a profound sympathy with those whom he leads.” Wilson means good leaders don’t ask people to do what they would not do themselves. Good leaders are characterized by their ability to give more than they expect others to give. (From TMI website—“Laws of Positive Leadership.”)
Upcoming Meeting Dates:
- Wednesday, March 4 at 6:00 p.m.
- Monday, March 9 at 6:00 p.m.
- Monday, March 16 at 6:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, March 25 at 6:00 p.m.
- Friday, March 27 at 12:00 p.m.
- Friday, April 3 at 12:00 p.m.
- Monday, April 6 at 6:00 p.m.
Check the NYSSA Members Only Calendar for other dates that are currently booked in April and May. We hope to see you at a meeting soon!
