02/08/2026
I did something brave today.
This was only my second speech contest in my 8 years in Toastmasters.
My first contest was in 2020, where I placed 2nd in the Tall Tales Area Contest.
This year, I placed 1st in the Tall Tales Speech Contest — and honestly, I was shocked. Division D has some truly competitive speakers.
Here’s the funny part:
I also competed in the International Speech Contest and was disqualified for not meeting the minimum time requirement. Shocking, right? 😂
I can laugh about it now. There’s always next year.
Before the contest, I was serious Edna.
After the contest, I was back to regular, Edna-Mode-acious Edna.
I’m incredibly glad I practiced. And yes, that sounds like a “duh” statement — but I mean it.
I wrote my speech, practiced it, timed it, and video-recorded it more than four times.
I told myself: If I’m proud of my performance, the results don’t matter.
I had to walk the walk, not just talk about it.
I’ve encouraged others to compete in speech contests, and I’ll say this — it is very different being on stage versus serving as a judge. This experience added real value to my Toastmasters membership and reminded me that what you put in truly matters.
Congratulations to all competitors in Division D3.
Hats off to you for doing something brave.
