Award-Winning Performances by the Eastern Division Toastmasters of District 66
Written by Daree Allen, Area 27 Governor Saturday, 05 December 2009 15:30
“Thou shalt not conclude a speech with ‘Thank you’ ”
“When homeless people stop their ranting to look at YOU, then you know you’re crazy.”
“Whichever football team is not having such a great season can always take comfort in playing against The Redskins.”
No, it’s not stand-up comedy. It’s not Shakespeare. It’s not Broadway either. These quips came from performances at the Wells Theatre in Norfolk on the morning of November 7.
That was the day that the Toastmasters of Virginia's Eastern Division took over.
The Fall 2009 Eastern Division Contest gathered together an array of Toastmasters all over Hampton Roads for two contests: The Humorous Speech Contest, and the Speech Evaluation Contest (where all contestants give an original evaluation of the same, never-before-heard “test” speech). Each contest had nine contestants who each represented their clubs all over Hampton Roads. Before each contestant could reach the division contest, they had to win two previous competitions—first at their own club, and again at the area level. Eastern Division Governor Tim “T.J.” Williams and the Contest Chair, Sharon Wingate of the Toast of the Town club in Portsmouth, organized the contest. Area 9 Governor Andrea Morgan of Titan Mix Masters in Norfolk served as the Chief Judge, and Area 5 Governor Paul Thurkettle was the Contest Master.
The 2009 Eastern Division Humorous Speech Contest winners are Ryan Downs of the Tower Toasters club in Norfolk, John McCarthy of the Virginia Beach Human Services club, and Steve Goad of CBN/Regent Toastmasters club in Virginia Beach (in first, second, and third place, respectively). The 2009 Eastern Division Speech Evaluation Contest winners are Keisha Cutler of the Western Branch club in Portsmouth, Danita Fox of the Oyster Point Speakers club in Newport News, and Kathryn Patterson of Yorktown Community Educators in Yorktown (in first, second, and third place, respectively). The first and second place winners of each contest competed at the district level at the Toastmasters District 66 Fall Conference at the Wyndham Hotel in Richmond, VA on November 20 and 21. Of those named, Fox won second place in the Speech Evaluation contest, and McCarthy won second place in the Humourous Speech contest. (There were six contestants in each of these contests.)
Between each contest, lucky attendees won prizes raffled off by Cindy Chatham, including certificates for Roger Browns restaurant, The Funny Bone Comedy Club, and tickets to a production by the Virginia Stage Company. All attendees, whether Toastmasters or not, also enjoyed the option of purchasing tickets to see the play Romeo and Juliet, currently playing at the Wells Theatre for half-price during any of the showings for that weekend.
Contestants and audience members alike raved about their experiences, which ranged from fear to triumph: “I was terrified at the prospect of speaking on THE STAGE AT WELLS THEATRE," recalls humorous speech contestant Yvonne Fink, Vice President Public Relations for the Titan Mix Masters club in Norfolk. "To my amazement, it was not scary or threatening. I am pleased to say that I actually enjoyed the experience and would readily consider it again. I was also deeply honored to be among such outstanding competitors. It was a great contest and everyone involved in the contest did a wonderful job organizing the event.”
Fink was not the only contestant who felt nervous speaking onstage. Danita Fox, President of the Oyster Point Speakers club and second place winner of the Speech Evaluation contest, talked about the supportive environment of coming together to present on a stage with many strange faces in the crowd: "Everyone present; contestants and fellow Toastmasters, and guests, collectively helped create an environment where I could try something I've never done before, and not fear the thing that typically hinders me—failure. I felt like I could get on that stage, speak, and if the worst happened it would not be the end, because I knew that those in the theatre would encourage me, and not belittle me or laugh at me. It was the right environment for growth and improvement. I hope that more Toastmasters will get involved with contests."
Support and encouragement are a strong theme of Toastmasters, where you learn to become a more confident and assertive speaker. "As Toastmasters, we succeed best when we live our promise to be encouragers, which was visible throughout the Eastern Division contest," says Jerry Keast, District 66 Lieutenant Governor of Education and Training.
"I loved the five Toastmasters commandments [given in a speech by second place Humorous Speech winner John McCarthy], especially "Thou Shalt Not Call It A Podium,” says Area 8 Governor Shana Corday. And Keisha [Cutler] did a fantastic job! She drew the audience's attention immediately with her bright green sweater, appeared totally confident on stage, and presented a supportive and encouraging critique. She's a model evaluator."
Cutler herself was in disbelief. "Wow! I never thought I would enter a Toastmasters contest much less win a division level contest when I joined Toastmasters 3 years ago," she says. "It’s been a few days and I still can't believe it!"
Many attendees commented about the ambience of having the contest in the Wells Theatre. "I enjoyed the contest. The theatre was beautiful and the atmosphere in the room was awesome," Fox said.
"The weather was fine, the food was good, and the turnout was wonderful--couldn't have asked for a better contest," Corday agreed. "This huge undertaking was incredibly smooth and well-organized, due to the outstanding efforts of TJ, Sharon, and Cindy."
Bio: Daree Allen is Area 27 Governor with Toastmasters and Vice President Education at the Western Branch club in Portsmouth. You can reach her at dareeallen@gmail.com.