On Oct. 15 in Vancouver, Paula Howley of Sechelt's Sunshine Toastmasters competed against the top humorous speakers in greater Vancouver's 28 Division H Toastmasters Clubs.
Her speech, Mad Maureen and the Monarch of Mercy, a hilarious true story of how, when they were children, her little sister saved her from a neighbourhood bully, won first place. As a result of the win, she will go on to represent the Coast and Vancouver in the provincial finals, the Toastmasters District 21 Humorous Speech Contest in Burnaby on Nov. 5.
Howley has been with Sunshine Toastmasters for three years and credits them with giving her the confidence, the encouragement and the fine tuning to begin competing in the first place.
"I never would have dreamed three years ago that I would be doing something like this, but the people at Toastmasters have given me constructive feedback to make me a better speaker and a better listener," she said. "They are really like family to me. I can't say enough good things about this organization."
Sunshine Toastmasters meets at the Sechelt Public Library on Mondays at 6 p.m. for a night of fun. Have you ever thought about improving your speaking and listening skills? Want to meet some new friends and challenge yourself, too? Toastmasters is a welcoming place to do so.
-Submitted
