Tell a tall tale, make them laugh in contest

Each year, more than 30,000 Toastmasters worldwide compete in one or more contests. Talk of the Town Toastmasters in Batavia is inviting the community to join them in the "Humorous" and "Tall Tales" speech competitions at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 13, at the Holmstad auditorium at 700 W. Fabyan Parkway, Batavia.

Humorous Speech: Contestants present a humorous speech that must be thematic in nature, opening, body and close, not a monologue or series of one-liners.

Tall Tales: Contestants present a speech on a topic that is highly-exaggerated and improbable in theme or plot.

Speech contests are a Toastmasters tradition. Each year thousands of Toastmasters compete in the Humorous, Evaluation, Tall Tales, Table Topics and International speech contests. Competition begins with club contests and winners continue competing through the area, division and district levels. The International Speech competition has two additional levels - semifinal and the World Championship of Public Speaking.

Whether you just need to practice an important speech before the club or you want to develop and refine your motivation skills - our club can help! After every prepared speech, the presenter will receive both written and oral feedback from members of the audience. This allows the presenter to instantly gauge whether or not their presentation got the desired audience reaction.

Talk of the Town Toastmasters club meets at 7 a.m. Fridays. For details about Talk of the Town Toastmasters, contact Christie Ruffino atVPPR@TalkoftheTownTI.com or visit TalkoftheTownTI.com.