The Reluctant Competitor by Edna Talboy

Interesting perspective from a 2011 article in Toastmasters Magazine.  I am still working out what contests actually mean to members who signed up at a Toastmasters Club not expecting that there is a competitive stream to club participation.  These articles are helpful because they that the reason one enters a Club Contest are not primarily because one wants to compete but first for the experience, secondly for the camaraderie and thirdly involvement in excellence.



The image for "The Reluctant Competitor" is linked to an article by Edna Talboy.  It speaks far more to engaging in a new experience and the discovery of what than can lead to or inform the Toastmaster who participates in this process.  There are also behind the scene roles that club members can get involved in but I find that those who have never been involved in contest preparation are often overly concerned with "not knowing what to do" - when a club contest administration is well scripted and has easy to understand roles that are directed by the Chair and arranged by the Contest Organizer.

CityVP Manjit
22 Aug 2014