March 10th Meeting

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Contest Recap

Last Monday was the day Preston Persuaders were awaiting with much excitement – The club speech contest day. Befitting the theme for the meeting –Seize the Moment – our Contest Master, Sarah Whitfield, and all five contestants had the audience in rapture.

To get the speeches started, Bahman spun quite a tall tale about his tech-savvy grandma’s new password complete with 7 characters, a number, and one especially special character. The audience was still laughing at his punch line the rest of the evening. Mark took us on a magical journey as he uncovered the mysterious truth about Toastmasters.

All three speakers participating in the International Speech Contest had a remarkable common thread weaving through the fabric of their speeches – a deep personal touching connection. In his speech - Why Are You Here? - Mickey explored how he connected at multiple levels with his father . He went on to explain how crucial personal communication skills are and how being in a Toastmasters club is furthering that journey. In her speech - Nurture and Nature- Stephanie literally touched everyone’s soul recanting her relationship with her son. Her speech truly embodied a mother’s unconditional love for her son. In his speech titled - L i f e - Mike captured the unexpected twists and turns that make everyone’s life what it is. Mike recalled how a serious accident his daughter suffered suddenly thrust the family into action and personal revelation.

The meeting was not only a feast to the mind, but also to the body. The refreshments served up were fancy and delicious. A big thank you to Contest Chair Lisa Sun, Chief Judge Jyo Pai, and the rest of our amazing volunteers who made this contest such a success!

Tall Tales Contest
1st Place: Mark R, TM
2nd Place: Bahman D, TM

International Speech Contest
1st Place: Mickey B, CC
2nd Place: Mike T, TM

Mark and Mickey will go on to represent our club at the Area Contest on Saturday, March 29th.