Brad Buie lost the draw, but won the competition to advance to the division challenge hosted by his Oak Bay Toastmasters this weekend.
During the regional competition earlier this month, competitors drew cards from a deck to determine speaking order.
“I got to see all three of my fellow competitors go first, and they’re all really good,” Buie said.
“It was the same speech I did for the club contest, so every time you hone it a bit and polish it a bit … I guess the judges thought so too,” he said.
The speech addresses The Danger of Persuasion. Teaching a business communication course at UVic, the textbooks were inundated with talk of persuasive communication. Taking a critical look at the subject, he concluded that honesty and respect breed far more persuasion.
“My point is it can be dangerous in terms of you don’t get a connection with someone if you’re always trying to persuade them of something,” he said. “Speak to them and say what you want them to believe or impart on them, but be prepared to listen to them too … persuasion is the byproduct.”
Fellow Oak Bay Toastmaster Jack Oldeheuval took second place in the Evaluation speech contest and serves as alternate for the division challenge.
The winners compete April 15 in Oak Bay. Winners from there go to Abbotsford and then those top finishers head to Washington, D.C.
Buie can continue to use the polished words that got him this far, but could yet be swayed. “I think it’s a good message and it could be polished even more. But if something else inspires me and I can put together a speech by the 15th I might do something different,” he said. “If it’s fresh for you it’s fresh for the audience too. But we’ll see.”
Oak Bay Toastmasters hosts the Division V International speech and evaluation speech contests April 15 at St. Patrick’s Church, 2060 Haultain St. Doors open at 6 p.m. with speeches from 6:30 to 9 p.m. “Everyone is welcome to join the audience at the competition – applause is much appreciated,” said Virginia Keast, Oak Bay Toastmaster. “The speeches at this level will most certainly be polished and entertaining.”