Louis Sloan, the 3rd Place Winner

in the 2011 Toastmasters International District 84 Speech Evaluation Contest

Louis Sloan

He believes there is always room to improve our speaking skills. When he is speaking, he wants to hear not only what he did well, but also where
he can improve. When he evaluates others, he strives to be encouraging, but strongly
believes that he is not helping the speaker if he doesn’t also offer suggestions to
enhance the speaker’s communication skills.

To prepare for the Speech Evaluation Contest, Louis listened to past World Champions
of Public Speaking, reasoning that if he could evaluate those speeches, he could evaluate anyone! Given his excellent performance, it seems he was certainly on the right track.

When asked how he delivered his evaluation without notes, Louis revealed that he generally follows a formula: name two things the speaker did well, reveal two areas where the speaker can improve, and end with the thing he loves best about the speech.

Louis showed his trophy to his friends and family, before taking it to his office where he keeps it with his other trophies. At the office, the trophies are conversation pieces, often leading into discussions about Toastmasters and the benefits it provides for prospective members. Way to recruit, Louis!

Louis enjoys competition, and participates regularly in club contests. This is the first year he has made it to a District 84 Contest. Louis says the adrenaline pumped a little faster, his heart raced a little more, and he hopes no one saw him shaking just before he mounted the steps to the stage. However, he thrives on the experience, saying it keeps him sharp.

Once on stage, his preparation kicked in. Performing in front of 250 of his peers, Louis was able to focus on what he had to say, resulting in his garnering the gorgeous 3rd place trophy for Speech Evaluation.

Many thanks for sharing some of your secrets, Louis! And congratulations on a job well done!