Great News! The 2020 Mary Heary Invitational Tall Tales Contest event was a Success!
Last updated June 1, 2020.
Good Evening Dear Tall Tales Lovers!
The 2020 Mary Heary Tall Tales Contest was a SUCCESS!
- 27 attentive Toastmasters and guests!
- 11 entertaining participants!
- 7 different Clubs!
- 5 dedicated judges!
- 2 counters, 1 tie-breaker and 1 chief judge!
- 1 outstanding ZOOM Host!
- 1 amazing and engaging Contest Chair! We learned so much more about the contestant and their inspiration for their tall tales.
Last but not least, 3 FABULOUS winners:
1st Place : Sharon Jenkins, “Going Squirrely in Quarantine”, First Oakville Toastmasters.
2nd Place : Lubna Elwerr , “The Show Must Go On”, First Oakville Toastmasters.
3rd Place : Alisha Braund, “A Series of Unfortunate Events”, Glen Abbey Toastmasters.
Scroll down to Contest winners section for photos.
The format was modified this year given the recent COVID-19 situation and protocols. A maximum of two contestants per Invited Club are allowed to submit a video (both sound and video) of their Tall Tale speech. Details of the speech recording submission process and criteria has been posted (see FAQ Submissions).
The contest was held on Sunday May 31st 2020 from 1pm to approximately 4pm via a ZOOM meeting. The judging session was completed as per TMI Tall Tales contest rules early Sunday morning. This made for a quicker and entertaining Gala performance showing.
Visit 2020 FAQ below for official details of this years process.
Please refer to Toastmasters International COVID-19 position on all Toastmaster meetings / contests / conventions.
Welcome to the new home of everything you wanted to know about Mary Heary Oakville Invitational Tall Tales Contest (the Mary Heary for short).
You will find everything you and your club will need to know about holding a club level tall tales contest and Oakville wide competition. The winner is awarded a trophy and bragging rights for the year!
Quick links to information below:
- Next Mary Heary Contest
- Who Was Mary Heary?
- What is a Tall Tale?
- Why Should I Participate?
- Examples of Tall Tales
- Club Tall Tales Contest Package
- Tips
- Past Winners
Next Mary Heary Invitational Contest
2021 Contest deployment details below.
Time to start thinking ahead to next year. If we are still unable to meet physically in May 2021, the virtual format for 2020 contest will be the default format. Details of the 2020 contest format are below.
- Contestants submission (orientation and eligibility completed prior to Judging)
- Judging (orientation, eligibility, and judging completed prior to GALA Show)
- GALA Show (ZOOM meeting requires registration – with Contest Chair, Chief Judge, all contestants, and audience)
Date: GALA Show Sunday May 31st, 2020 from 1pm to approx 4pm
Location: ZOOM meeting ( requires registration)
Timing: connect early to be admitted (ZOOM meeting limit of 100 connections in effect. ZOOM lobby protocol in effect.)
12:45pm come for drinks and food (pay your own way) Bring your own food and drink. Setup your screen to display the ZOOM screen and ZOOM chat window.
1:00pm Contest Begins
~3:30pm Winner Announced
Note: the GALA event will be organized like an ‘award’ show as all Tall Tale speeches will be pre-recorded and shared from the same ZOOM host for a level playing field, and avoid many technical difficulties. The Contest Chair will be conducting LIVE interviews with all the participants.
Please note this is NOT a District 86 nor TM International event. It is based on Toastmasters Tall Tales Contest format and evaluation structure. It is by invite only (to Oakville based clubs).
2020 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Which Toastmasters Clubs are Invited to Participate?
The Invitation extends to historical Oakville-based Toastmaster Clubs (see list below). This includes:
- Burloak Toastmasters
- Callisto Toastmasters
- First Oakville Toastmasters
- Glen Abbey Toastmasters
- Horizon Toastmasters of Oakville
- Own the Moment Toastmasters
- Sheridan Toastmasters Trafalgar
- SUEZ Water Awesome Toastmasters
- Trafalgar Toastmasters
- Wood Oakville Toastmasters Club
Each club can determine their contest winners (either holding club contest or appointing club winner). This year, a maximum of two contestants may represent each club. Contestants must be a member in good standing from the invited clubs.
Q: Who do we contact with the names of the club level winners (representatives)?
Contact details for the Chief judge will be available shortly [updated May 1st 2020].
Q: Why an online ZOOM meeting?
To continue the Oakville tradition of the Mary Heary Invitational, and ensure the Toastmasters promise and onus to deliver a fair contest, whilst providing an entertaining afternoon in the spirit of Mary Heary herself.
The organization of this year’s virtual Mary Heary Invitational Contest is being championed by Marie-Pierre. She is a recent two-time winner of this contest, and this unprecedented format for this contest serves two purposes: to pay it forward to the Oakville community, and to challenge in her High Performance Leadership (HPL) project.
Q: How is the speech being delivered to the audience?
To ensure every contestant has a “level playing field” when their speech is being delivered and judged, a video recording of your speech (both audio and video) will be submitted (uploaded to a site). Each contestant may submit 1 video of their speech. There will be a preliminary validation for eligibility (recording quality, completeness – not truncated, speaker eligibility, and timing).
A speaker’s order will be randomly determined, and used when showing the videos for judging, and for viewing to the audience during the gala. The same speaking order will be used for the LIVE contestant interviews with the Contest Chair.
We will not require a minute of silence after each speech for the judges as the judging was done earlier before the gala.
Q: What is the judging requirement?
The Tall Tales judging form rubric (download and print to judge-along-from-home) remains unchanged for the virtual contest. If your club wishes to hold a Tall Tales contest here is the most recent Toastmasters Tall Tales Contest Kit). The judges will judge the video recordings on the same criteria. Get creative with the 15% marks for Physical appearance and body language, while remaining in the frame of your video.
Q: How should I record my video?
No need to record in 4K video or even 1080p. 720p will be adequate. Remember this video will be streamed from the ZOOM host to all meeting participants. We will NOT be utilizing the HD video ZOOM setting during broadcast to ensure we can deliver a consistent sustainable video feed to potentially 50-100 meeting participants.
Before recording, watch some videos on tips on lighting, positioning, and makeup (yes makeup!) to present yourself as best on the video recording. Just google up “how to look good on ZOOM” as a starting point.
A few recording options exist (in no preferred order):
- Record on your cell phone: use your cell phone to replace a camcorder to record your video of your speech. Avoid the selfie style video recording while you are moving, or the background is moving. You may want a second person to record the video for you. A stationary camera eliminates jerkiness and unnecessary background noise. Be aware your voice may drop off if you head turns away from the phone’s microphone. Wireless earbuds with a built in microphone solves this issue. Renaming the video file to the recommended filename format may not be possible on the phone. Uploading to the site from your phone probably best done over wi-fi connection to avoid cell phone data limits and overage charges.
- Record on a camcorder (does anybody still use these?) A tripod or stationary camera is preferable to a hand held cameraperson. Getting the video off the camcorder onto a computer or phone to upload your submission may prove to be another technical issue.
- Record yourself on ZOOM. If you have downloaded a ZOOM client and installed it, you can play with the ZOOM webcam settings. You can use the ZOOM local recorder (see instructions) to record yourself and save a MP4 video file locally. You can watch the zoom-made recording (don’t cringe at the sound of your own voice!) and review it for audio and lighting and double-check your timing! Rename and upload that file for your speech submission.
- Record yourself on ZOOM on a tablet or mobile device (see instructions). The recording will probably be stored in the cloud: iCloud, Google Cloud, or ZOOM cloud. Be weary of free space limitations and additional storage costs.
- Have your ZOOM meeting host record your speech at your club meeting / contest (see instructions for ZOOM host to use the ZOOM record feature). The ZOOM host can stop and start recording for each speaker, so there is a separate MP4 file for each speech. Follow instructions on renaming the MP4 file before uploading to the submission site.
- Record yourself on your computer (PC or Mac) using its webcam and built-in software. I suggest searching the internet for instructions for your version of your operating system (Windows 7, Windows 10, etc.)
Internet search is your best resource to find shared resources to help you with the production and technical aspect of your Tall Tales Speech!
Q: What is the timing of my speech and video?
The Tall Tales speech is 3-5 minutes long. The same 30 seconds grace at both time limits still applies (minimum 2 minutes 30 seconds, and a maximum of 5 minutes 30 seconds). Each contestant should ensure their timing (from the first audible word or movement in their video) meets the timing qualifications. Don’t submit a video recording if it too long, that will be screened ineligible. Contestants must upload only 1 recording of their speech. * If the uploaded video recording is corrupted or incomplete due to a bad upload, we will contact you to resubmit.
Frankly, with this process, we should not have any timing violations for any submitted speech.
Q: What is the speaking area in a video?
In a in-person physical contest, the chief judge will define the speaking area to allow for the speaker to move about.
In your video recording, you may choose to sit at your desk and record yourself. So partially moving out of frame but not completely is acceptable. You may film yourself in full frame standing further back from the camera. So partially moving out of the frame, but NOT completely out of frame, is acceptable. You cannot take your camera and walk about (like a Rick Mercer rant) is NOT acceptable. This is not a level playing field for all contestants.
Q: What are the submission details?
Submission deadline will be midnight Wednesday May 27th, 2020. Upload your video here (updated May 18, 2020).
Please name your video recording with this format:
Your-first-and-lastname (Club Name) - 'Speech-title'.mp4
Q: How is a “level playing field” being provided for the contestants?
First, each invited club is entitled to two contestants (members in good standing in your club). They can be determined via club contest (formal or informal) or appointed by who’s got a tall tales speech?
Each contestant has ample time (almost 4 weeks) to develop their speech, practice their speech, practice RECORDING their speech, and then submit it. There should NOT be any timing violations in their submitted video recordings.
Each recording will be viewed for the judging viewing from the same ZOOM host to ensure the same network bandwidth to the ZOOM server. Each judge will receive the same network bandwidth performance for their ZOOM connection for all speakers. Same process repeated for the GALA viewing to an anticipated larger audience.
Q: How will the speaker interact with the audience?
With the speeches being recorded and submitted, there will not be any audience interaction. In the gala presentation, the ZOOM CHAT function will be available for all audience and members to socially interact. Since the judging was done prior, there is no impact on the results. That’s as close to a social setting in a pub we will be able to support.
Q: How can I view the Gala performance?
Since it will be a ZOOM meeting (registration required), you can view the gala from any device ZOOM is supported (mobile device, tablets, computers). On an mobile phone or tablet, the chat function may require some additional swiping to switch from the shared content (recorded video) and the chat window.
On a computer, if you can connect it to a large flat screen TV using an HDMI cable, you could create a “almost there” like setting. If your TV has surround sound, it could be a party room. Invite the additional family members. Bring your drinks and a bowl of popcorn. You may need some wipes in case you spill something when you laugh too hard!
Q: As a contestant, do I have to attend the Gala showing on Sunday afternoon?
Yes, because there will be a LIVE interview conducted with the Contest Chair, Contestant and Winner photos. And you get to listen to all other contestants?
Q: How are group photos, certificates, and the trophy being handled?
Group photos of the contestants – will be invited into a ZOOM Room and a screenshot of the gallery view will be taken.
Winners (1st, 2nd, and 3rd place) group photo also taken using the ZOOM room and gallery view.
Certificates will be e-mailed in PDF format.
Trophy ? Working on getting it updated and delivered to the winner.
Q: Will the contest be recorded and made available later?
Good question. Let’s assume no unless we written approval (email) from all contestants and contest chair to allow this. If you wish to be part of the audience, consider it like a live show, and reschedule your day so you can attend.
Q: What happens to my video after the contest?
All videos will be deleted 24 hours after the contest end.
Who Was Mary Heary?
In honour of Mary Heary, a former Oakville Toastmaster, who was known for her outrageous stories and tall tales that kept people in stitches. She was part of First Oakville Toastmasters Club and later the Glen Abbey Toastmasters Club and passed away in the late 1990s. Her trademark was the tall tale.
This fun Toastmasters contest has become an annual event for all Oakville based Toastmasters Clubs.
What Is a Tall Tale?
What is it?
A tall tale is a fictional story (may or may not be based on a “grain of truth” such as a real character or event) which is told in the form of a personal narrative or anecdotes. It challenges the listener’s credulity with comic outlandishness, and performs different functions depending on whether it is heard as true or as fictional. The secret to a good tall tale is interesting contest and exaggeration!
Features of a Tall Tale
A Tall Tale should Include the following features – delivered within 3-5 minutes:
- A CHARACTER with extraordinary abilities and a specific goal. In the best tall tales these characters are also, for the most part, ordinary people with which the audience can easily identify.
- A PROBLEM that is solved in a humorous way.
- A CAREFUL BLEND OF EXAGGERATED AND CREDIBLE DETAILS. Don’t exaggerate everything in your tale. Use some realistic details to hook your audience, because they can picture themselves in such a situation. Then blend in exaggerated details to amaze them with a tall tale. With this judicious combination of various details you can really set up your audience to laugh. For example, a story about an ordinary person walking into a cave and encountering a bat as big as a bear cub can be hilarious. A story about a ten-foot-tall man digging a tunnel to the center of the Earth, where he encounters dragons and dinosaurs, is more fantasy than funny.
- A COMICAL ENDING. The last lines should make the audience chuckle and/or groan. Clever twists and puns can also be sprinkled throughout the story.
So what are you waiting for? Get started with creating your own Tall Tale ranging from mystery, adventure, or even whopping fish tales!
Why Should I Participate?
“Are we supposed to come up with a ‘Paul Bunyon’ type of fable?” Yes, in the fact that the objective is to use your imagination and develop and present a story you’ve created that has exaggerations and twists and turns. No, because there is supposed to be a point to your story.
Storytelling is one of the most important aspects of public speaking. Not only do stories keep your audience glued to your message, but the process of creating stories takes time, patience and diligence. Once you become skilled at developing stories and presenting them, you will be much more able to make higher quality presentations at work. Even though you might not use a fictional story when presenting your latest architecture design, you will find that your experience in the Tall Tales competition would help you present the details of your architecture design work to your clients and firm, for example.
The point is that you should approach participation in the Tall Tales competition as an opportunity to practice your detailed story development and presentation skills. This opportunity will increase your speaking skills in other types of speeches, not just the next time you tell a humorous, exaggerated, make-believe story.
Examples of Tall Tales
Search YouTube for examples of Tall Tales speeches. A couple of examples are:
- Linda Evans “The Ravages of Raw Foods“
- Madhu Krishnamurthy “Smart Car“
Below are links for instructional help and videos:
- How to Tell Tall Tales (written instructions).
- Tall Tales Guide (4:40 minute video)
Club Tall Tales Contest Package
So Oakville Toastmaster Clubs, hold your own club level Tall Tales contest. Complete Tall Tales Speech Contest Kit available on Toastmasters International (zip file download). The kit contains the evaluation criteria and judges packages.
If your club cannot hold a club contest, then appoint a member to represent your club at the Mary Heary! Invite the club members and friends to come out to support your club and share some food, drink, and many laughs with your fellow Oakville Toastmasters.
Basic Rules:
- Any club member in good standing. So, every member is eligible to participate. No excuses!
- Timing is 3-5 minutes (plus or minus 30 seconds). Too short (less than 2:30 minutes) or too long (greater than 5:30 minutes) gets you disqualified. So you really have to whittle down your story to the most important points.
- Must be an original story with original content. Best to use something that happened to you so you’re not suspected of copying an existing story.
- You can choose any topic. There is no topic limitation. You can choose any topic you want your tale to be about. It just has to be original. So, no adapting from a children’s story book.
- Humour and props may be used and are even suggested to illustrate the story.
- Do NOT prepare a written introduction as only your name and speech title will be announced when you are introduced.
Tips
These tips will help you with your Tall Tale and presenting your Tall Tale at the Mary Heary Invitational:
- Have a small 10-20 second introduction to your story so that people know where you’re going with it.
- Plan a story plot that stays on track that people can follow.
- Create a build-up in your story to a climactic point.
- Use a TON of exaggeration that will naturally bring humour.
- Have pauses to give people time to laugh and breathe.
- Try not to yell at your audience as many of the samples I saw on YouTube had a lot of yelling.
- Describe details to the point where the audience has a picture in their minds of what’s happening.
- Include surprise twists in your story to throw the audience off guard and so that things happen that are unexpected.
- Tie-up your story with a final point as you would any speech.
- Leave ’em laughing paint a picture in our minds of a story with details so that we can picture it.
Past Winners
If you have accurate historical information about past winners of this contest, or noted errors on this page, please reach out to Area D83 Director to review and update this information. Thank you in advance for your attention to historical detail.
2020 Mary Heary Oakville Invitational (Virtual ZOOM Gala)
- 1st Place: Sharon Jenkins “Going Squirrely in Quarantine” (First Oakville)
- 2nd Place: Lubna Elwerr “The Show Must Go On” (First Oakville)
- 3rd Place: Alisha Braund “A Series of Unfortunate Events” (Glen Abbey)
2019 Mary Heary Oakville Invitational (at Abbey Arms Pub)
- 1st Place: Elvis Gregov “Reaf Remover” (Own The Moment)
- 2nd Place: Iryna Boyko “Careful Driver Appreciation Day” (Trafalgar)
- 3rd Place: Rebecca Valero “Micro Manager” (First Oakville)
2018 Mary Heary Oakville Contest (hosted by Trafalgar Toastmasters)
- 1st Place: Marie-Pierre Déry “Dandy-Lion” (Horizon)
- 2nd Place:
- 3rd Place:
2017
- 1st Place: Scarlette Lui (Trafalgar)
- 2nd Place: ??
- 3rd Place: ??
2016
- 1st Place: Marie-Pierre Déry (Horizon)
- 2nd Place: ??
- 3rd Place: ??
2015
- 1st Place: Adrian Scott (First Oakville)
- 2nd Place: ??
- 3rd Place: ??
2014
- 1st Place: Supritha Pai (Horizon)
- 2nd Place: ??
- 3rd Place: ??
2013 Area 52 Mary Heary (hosted by Horizon Toastmasters)
- 1st Place: Deborah Bartucci “The Bear Facts” (First Oakville)
- 2nd Place: Ralph Thrun “Visitor in the Garden” (Mansion)
- 3rd Place: Carol Todd-Skuce “The Smiling Teller” (Horizon)
2012
- 1st Place: Tony Corrie (Glen Abbey)
2011
- 1st Place: Matt Wagner (First Oakville)
2010
- 1st Place: Mike Isber (Glen Abbey)
2009
- 1st Place: Justin Riem (Glen Abbey)
2008
- 1st Place: Steve Ilott (Glen Abbey)
2007
- 1st Place: Kevin Abraham (Mansion)
2006
- 1st Place: Steve Ilott (Glen Abbey)
2005
- 1st Place: Mike Isber (Mighty Oaks)
2004
- 1st Place: Johnny Walker (Glen Abbey)
2003
- 1st Place: Norm Graham (Trafalgar)
2002
- 1st Place: Ward Maltby (Sheridan Park)
2001
- 1st Place: Ryan Cureatz (Sheridan Park)
2000
- 1st Place: Mike Isber (??)
1999
- 1st Place: Valerie Clements (??)
1998
- 1st Place: Paul Pallathne (Glen Abbey)
1997
- 1st Place: Sharon Forsythe (Trafalgar)
1996
- 1st Place: Norm Graham (Trafalgar)
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