VERO BEACH — Four Toastmasters clubs hosted a competition Saturday at the Vero Beach Elks Lodge and three local speech makers who won top awards will now compete against people from all over the Central Florida region in October.In the evaluation event, where someone gives a speech, the evaluator critiques it for its technical merits and overall style and then a panel of judges grades the critique, Vero Beach resident and one-time County Commission candidate Bea Gardner took the top prize. Charles De Andrade of Sebastian placed second.In the humorous speech event, a member of the Melbourne club named Dan Brown took first prize. Charles De Andrade of Sebastian took second place and Cindi Green of Vero Beach came in third. Each of the contestants gave a five to seven minute speech in front of a live audience.”I get a lot of pleasure out of watching the level of confidence I was seeing in all the contestants, the level of expertise,” Gardner said. “They really told some heartfelt, funny stories.”Toastmasters International was founded in 1924 in California and has grown to become a world leader in helping people become more competent and comfortable in front of an audience. The organization has nearly 250,000 members in more than 12,500 clubs in 106 countries who get together in groups of about 20 to practice and hone communication and leadership skills.Indian River County residents Gardner, De Andrade and Green will compete in the Division B speech contest from 10:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn on Wickham Road in Melbourne. The Beachside Toastmasters group meets at 1 p.m. Thursdays at the Vero Beach Community Center on 14th Avenue. New members are currently being sought for the local clubs.
