Rotary Clubs team up with Wild and Wonderful Toastmasters for Four-Way Speech Contest
CHARLES TOWN — The Charles Town and Shepherdstown Rotary clubs are teaming up with Wild and Wonderful Toastmasters to hold a Four-Way Speech Contest for students in the area.
Students throughout Jefferson County are invited to participate in the competition for the chance to win prize money, as well as get experience as public speakers. Participants get to choose their speech topics and will receive special mentorship from Wild and Wonderful Toastmasters club members.
This annual competition was derived from business ethics used in the Rotary organization for many years. This year is the first time the Charles Town and Shepherdstown Rotary clubs and Wild and Wonderful Toastmasters have worked together to plan the competition.
“We are very appreciative of everyone coming together to make this a bigger event for the students,” said Rotary Club of Shepherdstown member Cara Keys. “We are also thankful for Wild and Wonderful’s mentorship program.”
Students from grades 9-12 are allowed to apply. Ten applicants will be chosen to participate in the competition, during which they will have five-to-seven minutes to share their presentations. The contest will take place on March 14 at Charles Washington Hall.
“One thing I want to express to the students is how much I applaud them for putting themselves out there,” said Juilia Yuhez, previous president of the Charles Town Rotary Club. “Public speaking can be scary for everyone, but it helps us build connections. We all use public speaking in our daily lives whether it’s presenting something at a business meeting or something else. It’s so necessary in our culture today and it’s something we are all constantly improving. I have so much respect for the kids who participate.”
Participants will be given the opportunity to hone their public speaking skills while gaining real-life experience. Each participant will be assigned a coach from the Wild and Wonderful Toastmasters Club, who will guide them as they prepare their speech.
“We found that public speaking creates a leadership spiral,” Alison Mee said. “When you start improving your public speaking skills you will get more leadership opportunities. It’s great that students are participating in order to grow in this area. It’s a great opportunity to practice and learn more.”
The Toastmasters Club is known for helping people develop communication and leadership skills. They plan to follow their special mentorship curriculum to help support students throughout the contest.
Both Rotary and Toastmasters are local clubs run by community volunteers. Each club continually looks for new members to get involved in the community and to help run competitions like this, which help prepare future generations for the future.