Success at the Western Division Speech Contests
The finals of the International and the Humorous Contest for Western Division of Toastmasters International were held the weekend of February 8/9, 2002.
Our members won both Contests!
The Humorous
Andre Taylor
The Western Division Convention
The contests were held at Caversham.
The Humorous had a field of 6.
Andre was 1st, Bill Milburn from St Georges 2nd, and Gigi Boudville from Northbridge 3rd.
The International had a field of 7.
Cliff was 1st, Shan Rose Brown from Talkabout 2nd and Eric Davies from Banyandah 3rd.
The International
Cliff Boer
A review of Andre's winning speech
The Toastmasters Humorous Speech Contest
Caversham, February 8, 2002
The winner of the Western Division Humorous Speech Contest competes at the District 73 final in Melbourne on May 20 this year. There are six finalist from each of the 6 Divisions.
There were 6 contestants at Caversham on the Friday night. There were some good speeches, but one speaker was clearly in a class of his own. Andre Taylor's "In the urban jungle" had the audience in stitches and the judges in amazed admiration.
Andre set his scene in your local gym, and he introduced us to three of the species that inhabit it. They were the Gorillas, the Flamingos and the Pandas.
Like many effective comic speakers, Andre used a very flat delivery as far as vocal variety was concerned. The technique is effective - these outrageous descriptions must be accurate because there is no attempt to dress them up, this is the plain, unvarnished truth, trust me. However, within the apparently flat, very limited tonal range there was actually a great deal of very small variation which banished boredom. Only experts can pull this one off, and Andre was expert on Friday night.
It was the pause, the long pause, with an upward flick of an eyebrow, or a quiver of suppressed laughter around the lips, followed by the key word or phrase which triggered the gales of laughter. A good example was the very first - "Let's look at the first of the species, over there in a special section, the ................ Gorillas." The audience took a moment to think it through and then they erupted. The following description of the bulging biceps, the sweaty armpits, etc etc kept the laughter going, as Andre identified and verbalised the images already in the minds of the audience.
Of course there were the underpinings of a formal speech - the introduction and conclusion and the three sections in the body. The judges probably noted that down, but the audience may not have been conscious of them. There was vivid, precise imagery, with lots of alliterative word play. Within a very limited range, just like the voice, there were occasional uses of an extended arm to identify a changed location.
And there was an evocative use of facial expression - eyebrows particularly, quivering and puckering lips, and an occasional ballooning of cheeks, along with a sharply turned head, and then a slow rotation back to the front, as he made us wait for the word or phrase.
It was a pleasure and a privilege to be there, to enjoy the triumph for our club of a member winning the competition, but most of all to enjoy the experience offered us by an expert comic.
David Nicholas DTM
A review of Cliff's winning speech
The Toastmasters International Speech Contest
Caversham, February 9, 2002
The winner of the Western Division International Speech Contest competes at the District 73 final in Melbourne on May 21 this year. There are six finalist from each of the 6 Divisions. The winner of the District Final will go to the United States to compete in the World Championships of Public Speaking at San Antonio, Texas from August 21-24. There are 76 Districts, so the competition is tough.
There were 7 contestants at Caversham on the Saturday night. The competition was tough there too, but our President, Cliff Boer, emerged as the clear winner, with his speech, The Message from the Blowholes.
Cliff spoke about goals, and the importance of defining life goals and sticking with them in the midst of all the static of life events. Like all the best winners of these competitions, Cliff had a special device. He demonstrated a lifeline, as he progressed sideways across the stage, speaking very rapidly, and progressing through the stages of life. A sudden dramatic silence. "And then you're dead!"
Cliff personalised his speech by a brief recounting of his close encounter with death at the Blowholes in Albany, three weeks before. He made a quixotic attempt to save another person in danger in the water. As he faced probable death in the chilling, turbulent waters off the beach, his goals in life narrowed steadily down to just one, to survive. He did survive. And then the static of life events resumed, threatening to drown out the message from the blowholes. He concluded with a ringing challenge to identify our life goals and keep listening to them above the static of life.
Cliff presented himself as a thoroughly professional speaker. He spoke with a strong, clear, melodious voice, which he varied to great effect with volume changes, speed changes and sudden silences. He commanded the audience with his personalised eye contact and his mobile facial expressions. He used his hands and arms to highlight key points and intensify the mood. And he used the whole stage to great effect - even going off it to the side twice in very effective restructurings of his lifeline.
I have a recommendation. Cliff, sharpen up your timing - you gave the impression you were rushing at the end.
Our President, Cliff Boer, was actually representing Western Founders in Area W28, but for the Victoria Quay members lucky enough to be in Melbourne for the final, as he represents WA he will still be our Cliff. And if he makes it to San Antonio, as we confidently expect, he will be our Cliff there, too.
David Nicholas DTM
