Toastmasters team takes two trophies
Laura Howell
Issue date: 3/27/09 Section: News
|
Executive Editor
Two students from Florida Southern College's campus chapter of Toastmasters recently won first place in an Area Speech Contest.
The students, senior Laveen Daryani and freshman Brittany Archer, will advance to the district competition in Kissimmee on April 11.
Daryani won in the prepared speech category and Archer won in the impromptu speech contest. The event was held on Feb. 28 in the Thrift Alumni room and the students competed with members of the Lakeland, Plant City and Board of County Commissioners chapters in the Area 51 contest.
Dr. Lynn Clements, the co-advisor for the club, said she was very proud of the students.
"They competed with professionals," she said. "I am especially proud because most haven't done it professionally and only for a few years."
The impromptu table topic question for the category Archer won was "who is your favorite Hollywood movie star and why?" The table topic question requires the speaker to talk for one or two minutes about the impromptu question.
"When I won the table topics contest, I was elated and so thankful to God. Immediately after I received the award, I could not wait to call my family and let them know," Archer said.
For the prepared speeches, Daryani's speech was on a secret dream he has about being a rock star.
"I realized that I am a young man in college and if I expressed my youth and enthusiasm, as well as prepare properly, I just might have a shot at being competitive," Daryani said. "I thought it was an appropriate topic and I could make it comical for humorous points."
His approach and speech topic will change for the district competition.
"I will move from a comical speech to an inspiring one, talking about the word 'hope' and how important it is to people personally as well as society as a whole," he said. "I am hoping the structure of this speech as well as the message it sends will allow me to do well in the district competition."
This is the first time in 19 years that a FSC student has won in the prepared speech competition, Clements said. The last student to win was Geoff Freebern, a charter member of the chapter who started the club, along with Walter Coleman, 19 years ago, and is still active as a co-advisor of the chapter.
Be the first to comment on this story