Meet A Toastmaster: Dan Magill

How do you feel about winning the contest?

Winning both the International Speech Contest and the Humorous Speech Contest at District level was an incredible feeling.

I try to really enjoy the humorous contests and just have as much fun as possible with them, so to have fun and win, too, was so nice!

The International Speech contest is a little different in that I’ve been in the final for 5 consecutive years and not won. I think maybe there was a big feeling of relief attached to this one, along with excitement around what’s still to come.

What did you learn while preparing for this contest?

Each year I compete, I draw on the experiences of the previous years to help me improve. The most important thing I’ve learnt might sound a little cliched, but it’s true… When we don’t win, it doesn’t mean we’ve lost. In the years I haven’t won the contests, I’ve learnt so much about what I need to do to improve. Not just to be more successful at contests but to become a better speaker.

What would you recommend other people who hesitate about contests?

People often tell me they aren’t really interested in winning contests or that they’re more focussed on the leadership side of things – and I completely understand that. But if you enter a speech contest and actually do everything you can to try to win – you’ll be amazed at how much you improve as a speaker. In turn, being a better speaker can only improve your leadership skills. If you don’t win, it really doesn’t matter – just do everything you can to try and win and you’ll improve more than you can imagine.

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