Parsons Toastmasters' Bill Harmon and Shannon O'Connell Both Place in the B2 Contests

On Saturday, September 22nd the B2 Humorous and Evaluation contest was held at Kaiser Permanente in Pasadena, CA. The theme of the contests was “Laughter in the Fall”.

Parsons Toastmasters' Bill Harmon (Humorous speech contestant) and Shannon O’Connell (Evaluator contestant) each had 3 competitors. Congratulations to both Bill and Shannon for winning the contest and moving on to the next round, the Division B Contest.

Bill Harmon                                   1^st Place in Humorous Contest

Shannon O’Connell                         2^nd Place in Evaluation Contest

Both Bill and Shannon will represent not only Parsons Toastmasters but also the B2 Area at the Division B Contest which will be held on October 6th. 

Tips on Using Humor in Your Speech

In the October Issue of Toastmaster Magazing, writer Judy Carter provides a few rules to follow when adding humor to your speech:

> Never Use a Joke You Didn't Write. Be creative and original when writing in jokes. Make sure the jokes fit the rest of your sppech content and don't steal jokes from other writers.

> Don't Add Off-Topic "Funny" Stories to Your Speech. Stay on track with your speech's message. If you have a funny story to add but it does not align with the main message, don't add it in.

> Look for Landmines in ADVANCE! Be aware of who will be in your audience and don't assume that your punch lines will pack the same punch on every audience member. Consider the diverse backrounds, religious, political, ethnic and moral beliefs.

> Keep It Clean. If it's sexual, scatological, or disguesting, it would be best to leave it out.

Source: Toastmaster Magazine October 2012