The local North Grenville Toastmasters club hosted the International Speech contest and Evaluation contest at the Grenville Mutual Insurance community hall on February 28. The local club entered competitors in both categories. When the ballots were counted, our local representative, Anna Van Adrichem‑Rochon placed third in the International Speech contest. In the Evaluation contest, Richard Chartrand was first and Tony Vanderlaan was third. Excellent results for the local club. The winners will advance to the next level.
Toastmasters clubs help people work toward their potential in the area of communication and leadership skills. The members practice by participating, listening and evaluating each other. With the building of these skills, it instils self-confidence. Over time, many members eliminate filler words such as um, so, like etc., have eye contact with their audience, use appropriate body language, learn how to use props, do presentations, and tell stories.