Hunt said knowing how far she had come, she was proud of her competition win.
“It feels quite surreal because it’s so hard to get a win like this.”
Her speech was a satire of women’s magazines, which she detests.
“I basically just take the mickey out of women’s magazines. I loved every minute of it.”
To reach the national competition, which was held in Auckland, she had to win at her Gisborne club, followed by the area contest for Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne, and a Central North Island event.
By the time she took the stage in Auckland, she was confident.
Halfway through the speech she took off a jacket to reveal a bright yellow T-shirt with colourful ribbons, her take on the old Toastmasters banner.
It got a laugh from the 200-strong audience at the Waipuna Conference Centre.
Referring to the exercise section in most women’s magazines, Hunt described it to the audience as “the world’s largest selection of oxymorons – easy diet, painless ageing and fun run as examples. I have a philosophy about exercise. No exercise – no pain, GOOD! I get enough exercise at my age jogging my memory, pushing my luck and doing diddly-squat all day”.
As well as the humorous category, the conference featured an international category for a motivational speech or one with a strong message.
“The international encompasses all of your Toastmasters skills and if you win that at a national level, you go to world regionals,” Hunt said. “If you win there, you go to the Toastmasters International World Championship of Public Speaking.”
Hunt said Toastmasters was one of the world’s largest self-development programmes.
“People join for all sorts of different reasons. Sometimes it is just for a confidence boost or a way of improving your communication skills.”
The Gisborne club has 18 members.
“We meet twice a month and follow an agenda. There are various pathways and we work on projects at our own pace.”
She has watched people’s lives change for the better, thanks to skills they have learnt at the club.
“I’m a mentor now and one of my biggest delights in life is watching people blossom.
“Our catchphrase is ‘where leaders are made’, and it’s true. I’ve seen people become good leaders and watched their businesses grow because of their improved communication and leadership skills.
“We’ve got somebody in the club at the moment who just wants to get through everything and learn as much as she possibly can, and we’ve got others who want to take it slowly and absorb everything, so it’s an individual thing.
“We work as a team,” Hunt said. “We prop each other up and give feedback.”
The club was delighted with her success.
“We are incredibly proud of you,” a post read on its Facebook page. “We know the time, effort and dedication you put into crafting this winning speech – and it truly paid off. What an amazing achievement.
“Moments like this are what Toastmasters is all about ... growing your skills, finding your voice and having the confidence to step on to bigger stages.”
Firstlight Toastmasters has recently voted on a new name. As of now, the club is called Tairāwhiti Gisborne Toastmasters. For more information, visit its website firstcity.toastmastersclubs.org
