– by Neil Stichbury, DTM, Immediate Past District Director
TOASTMASTERS NEW ZEALAND NORTH, DISTRICT 112
Missing a learning area in your Toastmasters educational portfolio?
Have you ever entered a Toastmasters speaking contest?
Does your club engage in contests?
Contests can be an important learning exercise, not only for the contestants but also for those who will be organising and assisting with the contests.
CONTESTANTS
Whether it is providing a speech, a table topic, an evaluation – it’s a stretched goal. We have to work just that little bit more to be competitive.
CONTESTS OUTSIDE THE CLUB | Area, Division, District and beyond
Give us new audiences, take us out of the comfort zone that we tend to have in the club environment. In terms of a learning and growing atmosphere, this is priceless.
CONTEST FUNCTIONARIES | Consider the learning opportunities
Contest chair – organising and presenting
Judging – extension of evaluation skills
Organizing the contest – project management
There are more rolls that are all part of the team, making the event happen, and each will teach us.
HOW TO ORGANISE A SPEECH CONTEST?
- The Rule Book is comprehensive in its guidance and an exercise in common sense.
- Many of your Toastmaster peers will have example scripts and helpful hints on running a successful contest.
- Your Area Director and the District team are there to help.
AUDIENCE MEMBER
Watching and listening to the better speakers among us is a learning exercise in itself. Listen how speakers use vocal variety, humour, structure – giving us noteworthy and winning presentations.
There is a potential World Champion of Public Speaking in every one of us!
Only YOU can find that champion!
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Upcoming speech contests: International Speech Contest and Evaluation Speech Contest