By GREG RUSSELL, Register Staff Writer
Gainesville Daily Register
Gainesville —
Cooke County Area Toastmasters marked their newly organized group with Monday’s humorous speech contest — a showdown between speakers.
The Toasters also used the evening to promote their upcoming charter celebration, set for 5:30 p.m. Monday at Gainesville Civic Center.
During the contest, Faith Slabaugh and William Kincaid used their seven-minute time limit to make an entertaining impression. Kincaid ultimately took first place with “What The Dust Devil Delivered,” a surreal tale of a witch, a prince and a princess delivered, in part, with an Irish brogue.
Slabaugh’s “When The Pieces Don’t Fit” took second place and offered a lighthearted memory of her teaching years. She cited one method of dealing with an unruly student: keeping him after class and teaching him to make better spitwads.
“Some were good, some were juicy, some were not so good, and so these went here and these went here, and we kept the good ones right in the middle,” Slabaugh said, adding she finally gave the student two weeks to produce 500 good spitwads.
Toaster Cindy Hinckley later interviewed the speakers. Slabaugh cited her years in teaching and healthcare, experiences that informed her speech.
And Kincaid, a longtime Toastmaster, explained the “dual track” required to be a poised speaker.
“Toastmasters is a wonderful organization for being able to try and develop both communication skills and leadership skills so that you can be able to hopefully perform either in the family, or in a job, or wherever else you are, without a lot of embarrassment or fumbling around,” he said.
This most recent incarnation of the Cooke County speaking organization began in March. Hinckley said Monday’s charter celebration, which is open to the public, offers membership opportunities and refreshments, plus appearances by members of Metroplex-area Toastmasters clubs.
“It should be a very exciting night,” she said.
For more information, call 469-757-4343 or visit www.ccatoasters.org.
