Be a Better Speaker

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December 16, 2013December 4, 2017
in Education, TLI

Do you want to be a better speaker? Have you wondered how our contest winners are selected? Do you think, I already give and get evaluations in my club, why do I need to learn to judge?

We all want to be better speakers. We all want to give and get better evaluations to help us grow as speakers. And many times, we wonder how that person won that contest. Judging is not the same as evaluating. It is a different technique in our toastmaster’s tool box. At judge’s training we learn a wealth of information that will help us grow as speakers. We learn what the requirements are to win a contest, even an evaluation contest. Sometimes, we even have a different viewpoint on that contest we wondered about.

Jill Morrison

Jill Morrison said “When I first started competing, I never really understood why I didn’t place first. Once I started judging contests, I found the view so enlightening. Now while I’m judging I’m also learning from all speakers, new and seasoned. I think it’s made me a better speaker, so much so that I competed in the District Evaluation contest last year.”

Sonia Lyons

“Being a judge helped me become a more effective listener. I am a lot more confident with my evaluations. Being a judge gets me out of my comfort zone and I get to meet a lot of interesting people” said Sonia Lyons. “I’m not the only judge who has ‘seen’ a difference.”

Kelly Johnston found, “Being a judge gave me a different perspective on public speaking. I actually looked for key things whereas before I was mostly listening.

Kelly Johnston

When you just listen you tend to be absorbed by the person’s personality or your individual experience related to the topic.  Become a judge so you can understand the criteria and apply those success factors in to your public speaking skill set. The different perspective is enlightening.”

We all agree, if you want to be a better speaker, you need to become a skillful judge too! Sign up for judges training at one of the upcoming TLI’s to hone your listening and judging skills and come enjoy the judging experience with us this Spring.
                                                                          Submitted by Larry Harmon
                                                                          District 25 Chief Judge