The Club Speech Contest

The contests rulebook is published each year. The easiest way to get the current version is to visit the Toastmasters International website and put the book’s item number (1171) in the search box. This holds true for any TI products – it is why they publish the reference. The book is published in several languages, and the results list may include older versions.

If you’re in too much of  a hurry to search, you’ll find the current rulebook – and a whole lot more – here.

However, the rulebook is not the whole story; the Speech Contests Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) list contains any rule changes necessary during the year. There are many FAQ lists – click here for the index to them. Please take care with links from the answers – at the time of writing, one of the answers referred to an out of date rulebook.

Outline scripts for the four main contests are under “District Documents” on  this page

As you’ll have seen from the contest rules, there are quite a few forms involved, and as long as you know the item number, you can search for them at www.toastmasters.org using that reference.

The following list is correct for the 2021-2022 contest year, with all forms being in PDF format:

All contests:

510A   First Place Speech Contest Certificate-ff
510B   Second Place Speech Contest Certificate-ff
510C   Third Place Speech Contest Certificate-ff
510D   Speech Contest Participation Certificate-ff
510K   Speech Contest Certificates-FOR PRINT USE (note 1)
1168    Results Form-ff
1170   Judges Certifications of Eligibility and Code of Ethics-ff
1175   Time Record Sheet and Instructions for Timers-ff
1176   Counters Tally Sheet-ff
1182   Notification Contest Winner-ff
1183   Speaker’s Certification Eligibility and Originality-ff
1189   Speech Contestant Profile-ff

International Speech Contest

1172   International Speech Contest Judges Guide and Ballot-ff
1188   International Speech Contest Tiebreaking Judges Guide and Ballot-ff
1193   Region Quarterfinal Video Release-ff (note 2)

Speech Evaluation Contest

1177    Evaluation Contestant Notes-ff
1179    Evaluation Contest Judges Guide and Ballot-ff
1179A Evaluation Contest Tiebreaking Judges Guide and Ballot-ff

Humourous Speech Contest

1191    Humorous Speech Contest Judges Guide and Ballot-ff
1191A Humorous Speech Contest Tiebreaking Judges Guide and Ballot-ff

Table Topics Contest

1180    Table Topics Contest Judges Guide and Ballot-ff
1180A Table Topics Contest Tiebreaking Judges Guide and Ballot-ff

Tall Tales Speech Contest (note 3)

1181    Tall Tales Contest Judges Guide and Ballot-ff
1181A Tall Tales Contest Tiebreaking Judges Guide and Ballot-ff

NOTES:

(1) This is a combination of the four certificate types to allow all to be printed at once.
(2) Only used for the International Contest above District level – however any member who may be specifically filmed (i.e. not part of a general audience) should be advised. If necessary, have members complete a Video Release Form, which you can find here.
(3) Not an official contest in District 112 but may be run at club level or as an event.

The forms can  be downloaded individually by item number, but the easiest way to get them all is to download a “Speech Contest Kit”, which is a compressed (zip) file. This makes sure you have the current versions. Please see notes about online contests below.

To download a kit, go to the Toastmasters International website and search for “Speech Contest Kit”. All the kits are in the Resource Library:

International Speech Contest
Humourous Speech Contest
Speech Evaluation Contest
Table Topics Contest
Tall Tales Speech Contest

NOTE: All Toastmasters documents have a revision reference showing the year and month of publication. Please look for the “Rev. yy/mm” text to make sure you have the current version.

For online contests, fillable Judges ballots are available:

Evaluation Contest
International Speech Contest
Humourous Speech Contest
Table Topics Contest

Our District Zoom Master, Troy Smith, has put together a guide to what you need to know; you’ll find it on our District Documents page.

You will need to display QR codes

This is a legal requirement if you are organising an event. Most venues will already be displaying them as they relate to the venue rather than who is running the event.

If you need to, you can download and print QR code posters free of charge. Full instructions, and a link to the request form are on the NZ Government COVID-19 site.

If you do not have access to a printer, libraries and branches of Warehouse Stationery should be able to help.

The site makes reference to a bulk upload process. At present there are no plans to provide this at a District level, not least because venues can change.

Displaying your posters on a flat, vertical surface makes them more available, especially to older phones. If you will use the venue several times, consider laminating your posters.

You need to be informed

With high vaccination levels and the Omicron variant, things can change quickly. Please make sure you have current information for your “traffic light setting” by reviewing the “Life at…” links on www.covid19.govt.nz. A link to advice from District is at the end of each page on our site.

You are indoors in a public venue, so need to follow the guidelines for your “traffic light” setting and decision on use of vaccine passes. Numbers at the red setting are 25 if not using the pass and one person per square metre up to a maximum of 100 if using them. That decision is your alone. Please take time to inform yourself from the COVID-19 site.

If using the pass, we recommend you scan it as well as sight it. A free scanner is available from Google Play or the App Store.

Our District Director has clarified the rules about wearing masks with the NZ Ministry of Health:

The speaker (Area/Division Director, Contest Chair or contestant) may remove their mask while speaking. They should ensure adequate social distancing at this time.

All other attendees must wear masks at all times unless eating, drinking or exercising.

To help with social distancing, we suggest you leave the front row of chairs empty.