This is wonderful things I’m learning as a member of the speech organization called Toastmasters. Today I had my first opportunity to be a judge a speech contest. In many respects, it’s very similar to being a judge for storytelling.
The thing I enjoyed about this contest is I was not very familiar with what a humorous story was, and watching the five contestants, I now have a better idea. I am familiar with comedians and I guess this is this a more serious version of the comedic sketch.
I’d like to give you some of the general descriptions of each speech so that you too can get an idea of what the humorous speech is.
First contestant did a speech on life glitches. One was of her falling down or a pair of pants being too loose or her running into a window. These types of mistakes or things that everyone can relate to, including her being concerned of people watching her. She gave some great experiences to create a humorous atmosphere to her speech. She did well in body language and modulating her voice. She presented herself as a very efficient and experienced presenter
The second speech touched upon the topic, if your child was a rap star. The presenter displayed photos of current rap stars. This presenter gave examples of some of the rap lyrics. Finally, the presenter gave a mild version of a rap music performance. The nice thing about this presentation was there were a nice variety of photos, humor and body language. He provided good modulation of the voice and it was an unusual topic.
The third speech seemed like a mix between the baseball sketch: who’s on first and the song: I’m my own grandpa. This presenter had a mother who married five different men. As a result, when anyone asked where he was in the line or positioning of his siblings, he could give a different answer. Depending upon what step brothers and sisters, he counted what influence his response. I thought it was a great topic and it was unusual. My brain got dizzy trying to keep track of all the relationships. As a result that confusion contributed to the humor.
The fourth speaker talked about his mother as a taskmaster and disciplinarian of the family. He gave some great stories and also one-liners in his presentation. He provided excellent body language and modulated his voice. The pacing works as well.
The fifth topic was on being a super nanny. This person also did some nice embellishments to make a nice speech.
Two things I need to remember if I’m a judge in the future. First, I need to bring along a calculator. I am a slow mathematician. The judge coordinator was very anxious to get my numbers and I sometimes have a tendency to do in accurate math when I’m being rushed. The second thing I need to remember is to really give myself time in finding the location of a place I’m trying to get to. I need getting lost time since that is a frequent trait I have when going to new locations. If I can always make myself go early, when I arrive, I’m not feeling grumpy.
Anyway, it was good experience and there are some wonderful and very talented presenters. I now have a much better understanding of what constitutes a humorous speech. It’s very much like non-humorous speeches; it’s just that it’s a chance to present a funny topic with some one-liners maybe a body language.
By the way, I have an idea of what I want to do when I give a humorous speech. It’s going to have the title, you got to be kidding or I can’t believe it. I’ll reference a series of things are happening that shouldn’t be for example, braille being printed at a location where a blind person could not make use of that location , such as a drive-up window to a fast food place. I’ll have to start collecting examples. Now that I have an idea of what’s involved.
If you have ever seen or preformed of a humorous speech, or you have any recommendations, how to do one effectively, feel free to share them in the comment section this blog. Thank you.
