SEVEN “P’S” TO A PERFECT SPEECH CONTEST
Planning, Preparation, Promotion, Provisions, Personnel, Performance, Post- Contest
PLANNING
• Set the dates for your four contests as part of your club calendar for the year. The International and Evaluation Contests is held at the club level in January and must be completed by the time of the Area Contest.
• Plan the agenda for each contest meeting, allowing time for the briefings. These can either be conducted prior to the start of the meeting or during the meeting.
• Study the Toastmasters International Speech Contest Rulebook Preparation and Promotion. Ensure all members have plenty of notice of the dates for the contests.
• Inform your Area Governor of all your contest dates.
PROMOTION
• Promote your contests through your club’s newsletter, social media, including Meetup.com, and website.
• Local sites (Patch.com) allows you to post events onto calendars. Also, many local municipalities allow you to post events and meetings on their calendar as well.
• Invite special guests and send confirmation email/letter. When the guest accepts then send a press release and photo to the local media.
• Invite your Area Director, Division Director, and other Toastmasters and clubs in your area.
• Encourage members to help promote the contest on their social media.
• Send out a news release and photo to your local newspaper (guest, contest winners, etc.)
• Word of mouth is still the single best way of promoting offline.
PREPARATION
• Distribute contest forms to your members so they can become familiar with them prior to the contest meeting.
• Contestants are to complete the Speaker’s Certification of Eligibility and Originality and Biographical Data forms.
• Contestants need only complete one form if competing in two contests at the same meeting.
PROVISIONS:
Organize and ensure all necessary equipment is present for the contests.
• Club Banner
• Lectern
• Stop watch (plus a spare, only one being allowed to be used in the contest)
• Timing Lights
• Backup set of timing cards
• Extension cord if mains lights or spare batteries otherwise
• Sound if needed
• Locate perpetual trophies, collect them and ensure that the latest winners have been engraved on them
• Buy personal trophies from Toastmasters International
• Buy Participation, Winners and Place Certificates or Ribbons (and a Certificate of Appreciation for Target Speaker for the Evaluation Contest) together with certificate holders (or optionally use plastic sleeves).
• Check the club’s VPE stock of contest material and as required and fill in with purchase from Toastmasters International.
• Judging forms for each type of contest
• Tiebreaker Judging form for each type of contest
• Timers Record Sheet (covers all types of contests)
• Counter’s Tally Sheet o Certification of Eligibility & Originality
• Biographical Information Sheet
• Notification of Contest Winner form
• Black felt pen for Calligrapher
• Numbered cards or playing cards to draw for contestant order
• Copy of the Speech Contest Rulebook
• Copies of District Contest Chairman Briefing notes for each contest and copy of District Chief Judge briefing notes
PERSONNEL:
• The Club VPE is the Contest Chairman, although the VPE can delegate some of the duties to an experienced club member. This especially applies if the VPE wishes to enter a contest.
• Appoint a Chief Judge. This can be your Area Governor or an experienced club member. As part of this role is to provide education on the judging process, ensure that your appointee has the required contest judging background.
• At club level, the recommended practice is to use ALL club members not otherwise engaged in the contest as judges. Only in exceptional circumstances, such as a weak club with few members, should your internal judges be supplemented by outside judges. The use of all club members is important so that they become familiar with judging.
• Appoint all other contest officials
• Two Timers o Two Counters
• Target speaker for an evaluation contest who should not be a member of your club. o Toastmaster for the contest, unless the role is being performed by the Contest Chairman
• Calligrapher for the certificates
• Sergeant at Arms (2 will be needed for the Topics and Evaluation contests)
• Advise all personnel of appointment and duties in writing (email is satisfactory) and ensure that you get an acknowledgement.
PERFORMANCE:
• The Contest Chairman (VPE or a nominee) reviews the contest rules with the contestants, conducts a draw for speaking positions and acquaints the contestants with the speaking area as well as checking any special requirements. Use the Briefing Scripts available on the District 44 website for this task.
• The Chief Judge selects a tiebreaker judge and briefs the timers and counters. This should be done quietly before the meeting or at a suitable break.
• The Chief Judge should conduct an educational briefing for club members who are acting as judges. This is best done as part of the meeting with all club members present. This is important for all members, whether contestants, judges or officials, since the briefing by an experienced Chief Judge is the main way members are introduced and educated in the methodology of the Toastmasters judging process. Use the Chief Judge’s Briefing Script available on the District 44 website for this task, complementing with other advice on judging.
POST CONTEST
• Notify local media of results together with a photo.
• Send thank you notes/emails
• Send names of winners, runners up plus their forms to your Area Governor. Use the Notification of Contest Winners form to send the details of winners and runners-up after club contests. Ensure that for each contestant and backup you include:
• Name
• Address
• Phone and email details
• Biographical information form
• Completed Certification of Eligibility and Originality Form with Speech title PS All the reference material and forms you need, together with other resources, is available on or through the District website.