Mary Flaherty, Preferred Concierge Service CEO, Competes in Toastmasters Humorous Speech Contest

Basking Ridge Resident and Preferred Concierge Service CEO, Mary Flaherty, Competes in Toastmasters District 83 Humorous Speech Contest
By: Anna D. Banks, District 83 PRO
 
 
Mary Flaherty , Preferred Concierge Service CEO
Mary Flaherty , Preferred Concierge Service CEO
Oct. 19, 2011 - PRLog -- Mary Flaherty, a Toastmaster from Basking Ridge NJ, competed in the District 83 Humorous Speech Contest.  The contest, for the title of the “Funniest Speaker” in the District, was held in East Hanover, NJ on September 24.   The Humorous Speech Contest was one of two speech contests highlighting the two-day bi-annual (September 24-25) of Toastmasters International, District 83.  Mary represented Division C, which covers parts Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset, and Union Counties.

Mary offered this insight for participating in speech contests. “Go for it!  Don't let fear or doubt hold you back!  The worst that will happen is you won't win.  Or you'll forget something (which I did-but I worked it into my speech).  It's a learning experience that you don't want to miss out on! And everyone is on your side.”

Flaherty competed against four other Division finalists.  When asked how he felt about competing in the District 83 Speech Contest, Mary said, “Being competitive by nature, I went in wanting to win, but told everyone that it didn't matter because it was a thrill and an honor to have gotten to the District Level. That wasn't entirely true.  I wanted to win.  As I listened to the speeches, I realized that everyone has a funny story and most are simple, everyday occurrences.  I sat back and enjoyed the speeches and gave up on having to win for a change.  It truly was a great experience and some of the other competitors were very experienced.  I learned a great deal about the delivery of the speech, timing and content-all in all, a great learning experience and lots of fun!”  

A panel of judges (from Toastmasters) evaluated 5 contestants from Metropolitan New Jersey, Rockland County and Staten Island, all of whom had advanced to the district level following a process of elimination, using club, area and division speech competitions.  Mary’s humorous speech titled “Still Searching”, shared some of the more amusing moments of forgetfulness associated with Menopause. Criteria used in judging included speech content, organization, voice quality, and gestures. Criteria used in judging included speech content, organization, voice quality, and gestures.

Mary Flaherty is the owner of Preferred Concierge Service, (http://www.preferredconciergeservice.biz) a lifestyle management company based in Basking Ridge, New Jersey.  Preferred Concierge Service is dedicated to giving their clients the gift of time. The goal is to help clients with everyday tasks that they may not have time to do, or simply don’t want to do for themselves. Flaherty joined the Speech Misters Toastmaster Club in 2009.  

“I originally joined TM to help with gathering my thoughts and being able to sound professional when I stood up to give an "elevator speech" at networking meetings.  Being a business owner, Toastmasters has helped me to be able to communicate more effectively,” said Mary.  “However, I've gained some benefits I hadn't intended-as an actress, I've applied speaking techniques, I've learned in Toastmasters to my acting, which has improved because of those techniques. Memorizing speeches has helped me to memorize my lines, and the experience of Toastmasters, as a whole, has increased my confidence both on and off the stage,” Said Flaherty.

Speech Meisters Toastmasters Club holds meetings at the Somerset Hills YMCA, 140 Mount Airy Road, Basking Ridge, New Jersey at 12:00 noon on every Wednesday of each month.  For more information about the Speech Meisters Toastmasters Club visit their website visit http://www.speechmeisters.org.

About District 83

District 83 includes 150 clubs in Metropolitan New Jersey, Staten Island, NY, and Rockland County, New York. For more information, please visit the District 83 website at http://www.toastmasters83.org.

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About Toastmasters International

Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs. Founded in October 1924, the organization currently has more than 270,000 members in 13,000 clubs in 116 countries. Each week, Toastmasters helps more than a quarter million people of every ethnicity, education and profession build their competence in communication so they can gain the confidence to lead others. For information about local Toastmasters clubs, please visit http://www.toastmasters.org.
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Source:Anna D. Banks, District 83 PRO
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Tags:Toastmasters International, District 83, Speech Contest, Basking Ridge
Industry:Education, Home business, Non-profit
Location:Basking Ridge - New Jersey - United States
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Page Updated Last on: Apr 28, 2012
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