Paradise woman wins Toastmasters event

With a story about a team of cats who first won the Iditarod race, disguised as dogs, and then nearly won the Olympics ski jumping events, Mary Lou Hermes, member of Plainly Speaking Toastmasters, brought home the first place trophy to win the District tall tales contest for a second time. The contest was staged at the District 78 Toastmaster Convention in Billings April 23-24.

With a story about a team of cats who first won the Iditarod race, disguised as dogs, and then nearly won the Olympics ski jumping events, Mary Lou Hermes, member of Plainly Speaking Toastmasters, brought home the first place trophy to win the District tall tales contest for a second time. The contest was staged at the District 78 Toastmaster Convention in Billings April 23-24. It was open to Toastmasters from Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and parts of Minnesota.

Hermes says that it confirms her position as the best liar in four states.

The conference also included contests in serious speeches and in speech evaluation as well as educational sessions on how to become better speakers and leaders. Carolyn Marshall, of Thompson Falls Toastmasters, represented Western Montana in the serious speaking contest with a speech titled, "Everyone Has a Story."

Toastmasters is an organization open to all adults who wish to become better speakers, evaluators or organizational leaders.

Club meetings offer opportunities for members to present prepared and impromptu speeches in a safe setting, as well as to learn techniques of giving evaluations which both encourage the speaker, and show how growth can be made.

Meetings are carefully timed so that they begin and end on time; each weekly meeting is scheduled for just one hour.

Plainly Speaking Toastmasters meets every Thursday from 7 - 8 p.m. in the high school Home Economics room. Thompson Falls Toastmasters meets at noon on Thursdays in the Federal office building east of town.

Visitors are always welcomed.