Moree Toastmasters member, Malou Deakin, said two of the local representatives Lila Fisher and David Venz competed in the evaluation contest.

“Practically you have to evaluate a person’s speech but you have to make sure the evaluation covers everything and is very encouraging. There may be a few points of improvement included in the evaluation but they have to be positive and informative,” she said.

Mrs Deakin said Lila  placed first, followed closely by David.

“There was another Moree lady who competed in the international category and won first place. She had to say an original speech that inspired and motivated the audience and she chose to do a speech she wrote called, ‘The rewards of serving others’,” she said.

“I was sitting side on from the crowd when the local lady was saying her speech and I was scanning the crowd. They were all captivated and very interested in her speech. She is so naturally talented and is a very good public speaker.”

The Moree team were up against other speakers from Gunnedah and Narrabri, but when they travel to Inverell the competition will grow.

“The three will represent Area 18 in Inverell for the Northern Division Speech Contest which includes two Inverell clubs, Tenterfield, Glen Innes, three Tamworth clubs, Barraba, Armidale and Quirindi,” Mrs Deakin said.

The three Moree representatives as part of the Toastmasters club practise every second and fourth Wednesday of the month at the old Scouts building from 5.45pm.

“Every time a meeting is held for Toastmasters everyone receives a different job. We focus on skill building and adapting to new roles and responsibilities as part of our training. Anyone who would like to learn about public speaking, meet new people or increase their confidence levels are more than welcome to come to one of our meetings.”