Somerset’s Comical Singer-Songwriter Competes in Toastmasters District 83 Speech Contest

Oct. 18, 2011 - PRLog -- Carla Ulbrich, a Toastmaster from Somerset NJ, competed in the District 83 Table Topics Speech Contest.  The contest, for the title of the “Best Impromptu Speaker” in the District, was held in East Hanover, NJ on September 25.   The Table Topic Speech Contest was one of two speech contests highlighting the two-day bi-annual (September 24-25) of Toastmasters International, District 83.  Carla represented Division C, which covers parts of Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset and Union Counties.

Carla offered this advice for participating in speech contests. “Being in the contest will motivate you to up your game. You will get to hear other speakers, not just the same people from your club you're used to hearing. You'll get to speak in front of new people, and in a new environment”, said Ulbrich.

“And if you win and get to go to the next level, you get to present your speech again, which gives you the opportunity to focus on improving your delivery, rather than having to also work on writing a new speech. Because you're giving the same speech possibly 4-5 times, you can really focus on the delivery and gain skills that will serve you for the rest of your speaking career.”

Ulbrich competed against four other Division finalists.  When asked how she felt about competing in the District 83 Speech Contest, Carla said, “I was impressed by the other contestants, who have all been speaking much longer than I have, and was honored to be in their company. When I realized the level of speaker I was in the company of, I just wanted to hold my own.  I felt I made a good showing- no ums, no ahs, and a cohesive answer.”  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.  Criteria used in judging included speech content, organization, voice quality, and gestures.

Carla Ulbrich is a comical singer-songwriter, (http://www.thesingingpatient.com), humorist, and author from Clemson, South Carolina and currently living in Somerset, NJ.  Ulbrich joined the Somerset Toastmasters Club in October 2010.  “As a member of Toastmasters, I have learned to better organize my speaking content, to use more of the stage and have better stage presence (body language), and am learning to be a leader (I am VPE of my club),” Said Ulbrich. “I’m also learning to give cohesive impromptu responses to questions (table topics).”

Somerset Toastmasters Club holds meetings at the Franklin Township Public Library in the municipal complex on DeMott Lane in Somerset at noon on the first and third Wednesday of each month.  For more information about the Somerset Toastmasters Club visit http://www.somerset.freetoasthost.us.

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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 www.toastmasters.org or http://www.Toastmasters83.org.