Forrest Tuff Wins Humorous Speech Contest
Wednesday, Mar 20, 2019 @ 10:00 AM
Forrest Tuff, a member of the Gwinnett-Tucker Toastmasters, has been named the Toastmasters District 14 Division A Humorous Speech Champion (DeKalb & Gwinnett). The award recognizes one contestant that presents a humorous speech that must be thematic in nature (opening, body, and close), not a monologue (series of one-liners).
"I still got it!" laughingly says Tuff, who formerly produced an award-winning sketch-comedy program called Tuff TV Show over a decade ago.
I focused on my past and present. It was my thoughts and interpretations on my life. Instead of focusing on winning the contest, I wanted the audience to enjoy my story.
I practiced my speech several times in front of a mirror, which helped me see what the audience would see and avoid unnecessary movements, words, or phrases.
Then, I kept rehearsing the speech like a conversation with my imaginary audience. People laughed, which is a good thing for a humorous speech contest. The crowd and judges loved it, which resulted in me winning the contest.
Throughout its history, Toastmasters has served over four million people, and today the organization serves over 364,000 members in 145 countries, through its 16,200 member clubs.
