Toastmasters International Speech Contest
A contest you say? well well well, what does this contest involve? Allow me to explain fellow readers:
An international Speech contest allows participants to write inspirational speech's as part of contest where by they are allowed to compete among their fellow toastmasters. You will first start of at your club level contest, and from there the winner proceeds to the area level contest, and subsequently the winners progress to the division level contest, district level contest until you finally reach the International level.
There is another category in the contest as well, and this is the Table Topics Contest. When a participant goes up, they are given a topic at random and they have to talk about it for 2 minutes on the spot. That's right, you hardly have much time to think!
The challenge in each of the contests are well defined. The prepared speech tests you on your ability to present your content in a persuasive and eloquent manner. The story of your speech is important and speakers give a lot of thought into its construction. The idea is to practiced what has been preached, after all this time learning how to improve oneself, it is then that time to test yourself and see how you fare in the communicating world. Where words my friends are most certainly mightier than the sword.
The table topics contest on the other hand, tests your ability with regards to extemporaneous speaking, quick thinking, command of the language and of course the ability to organize ones thoughts.
There are many role players involved in the set up of the contest. This includes:
Organizing Chair
International Speech Contest Chair
Table Topics Contest Chair
Time Keepers x2
Ballot Counters x2
Chief Judge and Judges(who remain unknown throughout the competition)
Sergeant at Arms and Assistant Sergeant at Arms
Toastmaster of the Morning (of course!)
All these role players work like clogworks to get the competition up and running. Without the other the show cannot go on.
I learned from my experience in this contest that there is a lot of preparation as well as procedure that goes into a contest. Everything we do is in consideration of equality and fairness to all particpants. From how we introduce the participants to how the table topics session is run.
All in all these are just the tip of the iceberg and but the mere techinicalities of the Toastmasters contest. But before we can even begin to explain how the contest went, it is better to understand the how the system flows.
Stay tuned to find out more on our contest and the results that we reaped.
Image 1: http://www.district31.org/contest_home.html
Image 2:http://www.toastmasters.org/MainMenuCategories/Shop/SpeechContestMaterials/SPEECHCONTESTRIBBONPARTICIPANT569.aspx
Signing off
Isabell Zubinsha
Vice President of Education
Taylors University Toastmasters Club