Local speech contest winners named

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Growing up, Henry Egejuru was a shy child and struggled to speak to others without having his teeth chatter.

But anyone who knows Egejuru now would find that hard to believe.

“I was self-conscious so early in my life that it almost shaped my entire childhood,” he said. “I’d hate it when people would stare, and it would make me so nervous.”

Now, Egejuru searches out opportunities to speak to people. He has been a guest speaker at the Seymour Middle School Sixth Grade Center, where he talks to students and is a proud member of the Seymour Toastmasters Club.

During the club’s first speech contest Feb. 18, Egejuru, who works at Cummins Seymour Engine Plant, gave a speech titled “I Dare You” and placed third.

“It is directed at every one of us, to dare ourselves to become the best we can be in all aspects of our lives,” he said of his speech.

Placing first in the contest was Lisa Davis, and second place went to Nnamdi Agbo.

Davis’ speech was about changing the way you think in order to change and improve your life. She will compete at the area-wide competition in Columbus today.

“I hope to represent our club well,” she said.

Even though she won the local competition, Davis said she was still a little nervous about getting up and speaking in front of the audience. But she uses her nerves to her advantage, she said.

“Nervousness before speaking is normal and can actually help the energy level and freshness of a well-practiced speech,” she said.

She also said it’s important to look the audience in the eyes when speaking to them.

“Learning to make meaningful eye contact helps overcome the pitfalls of nervousness,” she said.

Davis has been involved in public speaking for a long time.

“Both of my parents were good at speaking in front of people, and I started at an early age by participating in church programs,” she said.

She then joined the speech team at Seymour High School and continued speaking to women’s groups and at retreats as an adult.

Being a part of the Seymour Toastmasters has given her the opportunity to make connections and friends with people she wouldn’t have otherwise met.

“The best thing is meeting and learning about people from all over the world right here in our small town,” she said.

People like Egejuru, who is an aspiring inspirational speaker and uses his talents to try to make a difference in the world.

“I have deep desires to impact the world positively and hopefully change it one human at a time,” he said.

A total of eight club members participated in the contest by giving speeches. Others took roles timing the speeches and serving as judges.

Nearly 30 people attended the event, including a speech class from Seymour High School.

“It was good to see so many high school students in attendance,” Davis said.

Egejuru said he joined Seymour Toastmasters and signed up for the contest as a way to continue to improve his public speaking.

He also enjoys the diversity of culture and experience represented in the club.

“It helps you network while working on achieving your goals,” he said. “I think they are all super-talented people, and I wish them all the best as they grow in the Toastmasters Club.”

Davis said as a new club, it was important to establish a presence in the area by organizing and participating in a speech contest.

“Each speaker wanted to demonstrate all we’ve learned and improved in the last few months,” she said.

She was impressed by the level of competition.

“All of the speakers at the club contest were at the top of their games on Monday evening,” she said. “I was very glad that I wasn’t tasked with deciding the winners. Every speaker showcased their talent, and all of the speeches were inspiring.”

The club meets every Monday from noon to 1 p.m. in the meeting room at the Jackson County Public Library in Seymour. Anyone interested in improving their public speaking, time management and leadership skills is welcome to attend a meeting and join the club.

“The various skills, which (the club) helps us develop, are priceless in direction of my goals and aspirations,” Egejuru said.

One of those skills is learning how to deal with nerves when getting up in front of a crowd.

“The nerves are eased when you are well prepared,” Egejuru said.

Being positive also helps, he added.

“I deal with the nerves by telling myself the truth, ‘You are the best,’” he said. “This helps my confidence and chases the nerves away.”

But that doesn’t mean giving a speech is easy to do. Egejuru said the most difficult part is getting the right materials together to develop a speech.

Davis said she finds it difficult to decide on a topic.

“And choosing what not to include,” she said.

The reward in public speaking is in the reactions from the crowd and knowing it impacts people positively, Egejuru said.

“Their responses instantly become your satisfaction,” he said.

Davis agreed.

“The most rewarding part is seeing people recognize they’re hearing something new and them giving their time and attention to the speech,” she said.

After giving giving their speeches, the contestants were critiqued on things like content, delivery and engagement.

Egejuru said he values what the judges have to say because it can only make him better at public speaking.

“They were all positive and constructive comments, which helps me become the best I hope to be,” he said.

After her speech, judges said Davis had good voice control and effectively engaged with the audience, but that she might want to shorten the speech by a few seconds.

“Toastmasters always has an evaluator to provide constructive suggestions and point out improvements you’ve made and strong areas of speeches,” she said.

For many people, public speaking is one of their greatest fears, but not Egejuru. He believes his talent for connecting to people through spoken word comes from both practice and is a “gift from God,” he said.

“It’s my calling, and I’ll continue to use it as much as I can until I reach the summit,” he said. “There’s something powerful about words, and I want to use that power for the good of humanity and those around me.”

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Winners of the Seymour Toastmasters Club’s first speech contest

First place: Lisa Davis

Second place: Nnamdi Agbo

Third place: Henry Egejuru

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