I’ve been to a few Toast­mas­ters com­pe­ti­tions in the past. Tonight was the first time that I helped out at one, as one of the timers. It was the combined Area 35 and 36 com­pe­ti­tion.

A typical Toast­mas­ters com­pe­ti­tion has two parts, a speech com­pe­ti­tion and an evaluation com­pe­ti­tion. In the speech com­pe­ti­tion, the com­peti­tors give a prepared speech on a topic of their own choosing. Some speech com­pe­ti­tions are humorous; tonight’s wasn’t. In the evaluation com­pe­ti­tion, the invited speaker gives a speech heard by all the com­peti­tors. They are taken out of the room, then one at a time, they come back in and evaluate that speech.

The speech com­pe­ti­tion is always fun. You get to hear several good speeches. I heard speeches tonight about a teenage boxing experience, watching a mother’s peaceful death in a hospice, our collective obsession with "better", and choosing a high school for a son.

In the evaluation com­pe­ti­tion, it’s in­ter­est­ing to hear different people’s take on the same speech.