IT was an evening filled with humour and quick wit on Wednesday, August 6 at the Bomaderry RSL Club as the Nowra Toastmasters Club held their annual Humorous Speech and Table Topics Competition.
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The event was organised in order to determine who would represent the club at the area level of the competition to be held in Wollongong on Thursday, August 28.
The event was well attended by many members, both competing and spectating.
Louise Burns, governor of Area 30, under which the Nowra Toastmasters Club resides, also attended.
The evening started off with a bang, with the Table Topics Competition.
In this event participants were given a topic on the spot and were expected to provide an impromptu speech of one to two minutes on the topic.
This exercise helps to promote improvisation and quick thinking on one's feet.
The topic for the evening was, ‘What is your fondest memory of home?’
Many participants provided nostalgic and thought-provoking memories of home.
However, with a soul-stirring and emotional reminiscence of Home is Where the Heart is, Rod Larkins was declared the winner.
The second half of the evening contained the Humorous Speech Competition.
In this event, participants were required, in advance, to prepare a humorous speech lasting five to seven minutes.
The audience were kept in splits by the participants with many funny accounts of events and incidents.
But, at the end of the day, with a rib-tickling, rip-roaring display of a ‘remarkable gadget’, Wolfgang Suehrer was declared the champion.
All participants were presented with certificates of participation and were reminded that participation is half the achievement.
Everyone agreed they had come a long way since they had first joined the club and that such events helped progress one on the path to better speaking skills and improved self-confidence.
Nowra Toastmasters is a not-for-profit club under the auspices of Toastmasters International in the United States of America.
The goal of the club is to help improve public speaking skills and develop self-confidence in a friendly and relaxed environment with one's peers.
They meet every first and third Wednesday at 7.30pm at the Bomaderry RSL Club.
If you would like to visit a meeting, please drop in.
Alternatively, you can visit www.nowratoastmasters.toastmastersclubs.org/ or contact Rosemary Brigden on 4422 3909.