Speech contests are an integral part of the Toastmaster experience. As is the case for most clubs, Glen Abbey participates in all of the five contests scheduled throughout the September-to-June season. All ontests originate at the club level, and, depending on the contest, can go through Area/ Division/ District and onwards to Region and World, as is the case for the International Speech Contest.
The contests and their approximate dates are given below. Remember that the time lag between the club level contest and the district can easily be 4 to 6 weeks.
| 1. Humorous Speech Contest | - Held in early October - Both of these are generally held on the same evening |
| 2. Table Topic Contest | |
| 3. International Speech | - Held in mid February - Both of these are generally held on the same evening |
| 4. Evaluation Contest | |
| 5. Tall Tale Contest | - Scheduled for late April and usually combined with Election Night for next year's executive |
The Toastmasters speech contest has three purposes:
- To provide an opportunity for proficient speakers and those Toastmasters who are interested in competitive speaking to gain contest experience
- To provide an interesting educational program for Toastmasters and the general public
- To provide an opportunity to those Toastmasters who are not participating in the contest to learn by observing proficient speakers
Contests are not just about speech contestants. Many other individuals participate in one form or another: First and foremost, the club VP Education, who organizes and promotes the event and encourages fellow members to take on the various roles associated with contests. Volunteers are needed to act as Contest Chair, Chief Judge, Judge (minimum 3), Timekeeper and Ballot Counter. The Sergeant@Arms also plays a major role in coordinating the room setup, lighting, food services, etc. And then there is the general membership of course, who provide both constructive feedback and encouragement to the speakers as they progress from club level to area, division or district competition. As you can see, a contest involves a fairly large group.
The following desciption of the each contest function is intended to induce general interest on the part of the membership in volunteering for specific functions, including the position of Contest Chair. Enough background information is provided to give you a good foundation as to what you are expected to do. Subsequently, you can request the official Toastmasters International (TMI) publication entitled 'Speech Contest Rulebook' (#1173) from your VP Education for further details.
Additionally, you can click on the following TMI links to get that information:
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Contest Roles | ||
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Contest Forms |
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