It was a speech she had honed at CHB Toastmasters, before presenting it at the local Toastmasters club competition in August, for a win.
Its next outing - with Lynn in tow - was at the area competition in Napier . . . for another win, and the same again at the Division R competition in Palmerston North in October, which meant the speech - and Lynn - were off to represent the division at the Auckland finals.
After “not wanting to complain” all the way to Auckland and her second place in the final, Lynn woke up the next morning with a bit of a gripe.
“Rolling over in bed the next morning to admire my trophy I discovered I had been given the wrong one!”
She whisked it back to the venue only to find the correct trophy had already left Auckland, in the wrong hands. It arrived a week later in the mail and has joined the others on her dresser.
Lynn says that from August until May was “a long time to keep my speech in my head” and she thanks all the friends who listened to it after a few wines, to help her remember it.
Toastmasters helps and encourages people to put their stories into words and share them, to speak in front of others, improve their communication and gain confidence.
Lynn’s introduction to the organisation happened when, as principal of a Dannevirke school, she attended a speech competition run by Toastmasters.
“I immediately said, ‘I could never do that’. But I went along anyway, enjoyed it and kept going.”
Lynn met her husband at Toastmasters and they moved to Central Hawke’s Bay, started a family and Lynn stopped going to Toastmasters because “with little kids it was just too hard”.
Ten years ago, she returned to the club.
“I enjoy the company and telling stories. People have to listen to you for seven minutes without interrupting. They give feedback, brainstorm, help you craft your ideas. Feedback from the club helped me immensely with my competition speech.”
CHB Toastmasters has recently helped craft a wedding speech and boost the confidence of a Young Farmer contestant.
“People come along because they are terrified. We don’t often get to speak in public so it’s not always second nature. When I first joined I didn’t take part in impromptu speaking. I didn’t even do a prepared speech for months,” says Lynn.
There’s no obligation to speak, just gentle encouragement, and Lynn says she has seen over and over again how Toastmasters helps people’s confidence.
“It’s a buzz to watch people improve and develop, take on challenges. Lots of people use Toastmasters to help them in their jobs, or to meet people if they have just moved here, or to keep their brain active. The ‘masters’ part of the word means mastering the art - it doesn’t mean it’s a club for blokes. At the moment the majority of our members are women, but that’s not always the case. It’s a club for people who like talking, for people who like listening and people who want to get better at talking. ”
The CHB club has people from all walks of life from farming to truck driving to retired. It’s open to anyone over 18.
Lynn says CHB Toastmasters is welcoming, positive, and open to new members.
CHB Toastmasters: 7.15pm on the second and fourth Thursday of the month, CHB Community rooms (behind the old library) 6 Kitchener St, Waipukurau. Contact 027 332 2832 or 021 049 9711 or just go along.
