Braddell Heights Advanced on learncool.sg
Nowadays those of us responsible for organizing events have to be careful to keep up the morale of contestants, whether they win or lose.
We need a set of ten commandments for contestants in speech contests.
Each contestant must rehearse saying something positive in the interview whilst waiting. eg 'I did my best'. or, I made some mistakes but I have learned so I will do even better next time. The other contestants were great, just having them competing kept me on my toes.'
On winning the winner should have rehearsed a speech to the others, maybe: You had a great prop, I loved your line, ...'
The runner ups and not place should have a rehearsed speech for the winner.
All the runners up and not placed speakers will have somebody who thinks they should have won. That is why you have five or more judges.
At the Braddell Heights meeting online, 29 April, 2020, I was able to speak to the winner of the Division S contest, Eliya, who I have known for some time. He was at the Braddell Heights Advanced meeting before the contest as well as the meeting afterwards.
After the Area S Division contest the previous Saturday, one contestant told everybody she felt she had failed, even before the results were announced.
Her anxiety before hearing the results reminded me of two cases where students had committed suicide before hearing their A level results. If only they had waited a day, they would have discovered they had succeeded.
Exams, students. Adults at Speakers' conferences must be more resilient. Hm I heard that a new member of one of the clubs I visit regularly in London had committed suicide. In early 2020. No warning signs
So, a few weeks later, I did not feel i could just shrug when I did hear warning signs.
It was not the failure, but the fear of failure, which tormented them.
But even if you do fail to reach first place, logically if one person is first out of 10, 9 out of the ten contestants must be disappointed.
I related the story at the meeting of the film I had seen about the finals in the USA.
I asked first place winner Eliya how he felt about winning and losing.
He said he recalled a previous head of Division S advising, "Enjoy the journey. If you are not enjoying it, no point doing it."
He said, "It's the journey, not the destination."
We often hear two sayings:
It is not failure. it is a learning experience.
The other is the popular saying attributed to Edison, the inventor whose persistence benefits us all today with light bulbs.
His saying was, "I have not failed 1000 times. I have found out 1000 ways of not doing it.'
So that is the moral.
Next time I shall rehearse everybody reacting to good and bad news and rehearsing their pre-results chat.
Author
Author, Author! About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. (Not related to the actress.)
Author of twenty books including: Quick Quotations; Who Said What When.
See books and profiles on Lulu.com and Amazon, such as Wedding Speeches & Toasts. Also watch videos on YouTube.
See other posts on singers, statues, languages and destinations.
If you want to learn to speak the Queen's English, or Received Pronunciation. join me at my online toastmasters club,
Braddell Heights Advanced. Wednesdays, 7-9 Singapore time which is seven hours ahead of London, England.
I am also a member of
Singapore Online.9-12 pm, Singapore time, Fridays. I am also a member of
Tampines Changkat Advanced.
Harrovians, London.
Toastmasters International Find a Club
lulu.com/shop/angela-lansbury/who-said-what-when/paperback/product-21713991
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