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Speech Contest

I went to an Toastmaster Dual-Area Speech Contest today. Actually it was two contests: one for Table Topics (impromptu speaking) and one for the International Speech Contest. What was interesting was not who won the speech contests, but their compatibility with each other. These were the speeches that were given in this order:

"Just add one" - my speech. My main thesis was that there never is an end to anything; it is always possible to proceed.

"Answering the knock of change" There occasionally comes a time when you need to change to achieve success.

"The Picture of Success" or how you can picture yourself succeeding to tell yourself where your actions should be heading.

"The Very Last Time" A tribute to Babe Ruth and to the speaker's grandfather, as they both entered the last phase of their lives.

If the last speech were made the first, this would be a good 30-minute panel course on how to succeed. For that speech says that there sooner or later will be an end. The second speech, Just Add One, would say that even then, you can go one step farther. The third speech says that in order to do that, you have to answer the knock of change. And the fourth one sums things up, asking you to picture yourself a success in a never-ending ever-changing world.

I did not win the contest, but I did win Table Topics, simply by showing up. So I go up to the next level - Division.