The speech contest is a timed event. Contestants are given five to seven minutes, with a leeway of thirty seconds. Anyone who goes over 7:30 is usually disqualified. In my case, however, there was a timing light malfunction. The contest rules state that if there is a malfunction the contestant will get thirty extra seconds. [...]
Yes, I had two designated coaches, and a lot of “unofficial” coaches. My first coach was Dave McIlhenny, a Past District Governor and District speech contest winner. I wanted help from someone who had won before. When you want to learn something, who do you go to for help? Dave guided me through the District [...]
Let’s define “practice.” I believe you cannot “practice” by yourself. You can only “memorize” when you are alone. We present differently when someone is watching. I practiced my speech twenty-two times (including once at a prison club). A CEO I now coach recently told me that the best thing I’d taught him was that creating [...]
Unlike many of the champions before me winning the contest was not my initial goal. No one from my district had ever won before, so I did not even fantasize about going all the way. The reason I decided to compete was because of my mentors and the lessons they taught me. At the time [...]
