Running Speech Contests

This page has information for club officers who are organising and running Toastmaster Speech Contests.

Toastmasters International encourages clubs to hold speech contests for three main reasons:

1. "To provide an opportunity for proficient speakers and those Toastmasters who are interested in competitive speaking to gain contest experience.
2. To provide an interesting educational programme for Toastmasters and the general public. This programme can create a community awareness of the opportunities in the Toastmasters programme.
3. To provide an opportunity to those Toastmasters who are not participating in the contest to learn by observing proficient speakers."

(from the Toastmasters International Speech Contest Manual)

Rules and Forms

Your Club President or Vice President Education should have downloaded the current version of the Speech Contest Rulebook and Judging Forms for the forthcoming year.  These books give all the rules for conducting speech contests, and the Manual has sample forms for the International Speech Contest only. 

For a brief summary of the Contest Rules and judging criteria, go to Speech Contests.

The notes on this page were compiled from various sources.  Please refer to the yearly Rule Book for specific details.

Competent Leadership Projects

There are two Competent Leadership Projects relating to the running of contests:

• Project 6: Help to Organise a Club Speech Contest
• Project 10: Chair a Club Speech Contest

Refer to the Competent Leadership Manual for more information or Toastmasters International Speech Contest Officials page.

Attributes of successful contests

Speech contests that are successful have the following attributes:

• They are thoroughly planned ahead. The materials needed are identified. Decisions are made as to whether refreshments/food will be served. Trophies are located and cleaned.
• They are well organized. Everyone knows what their role and responsibilities are. All necessary ballots, timing sheets and counter sheets are present. The current year's "Toastmasters Speech Contest Rule Book" is available.
• The chief judge conducts a thorough briefing of the judges, timers and ballot counters.
• The Contest Chair briefs the contestants.
• The contest starts and ends on time.

Check the Toastmasters International website for Speech Contest FAQs.

Speech Contest Checklist and Tips

Preparation

• Determine budget for contest
• Select place and time for contest
• Determine contest agenda (e.g. contests to be conducted)
• Arrange supplies and services (e.g. refreshments, flip-charts, ohp, timing lights, etc.)
• Select Chief Judge and other officials
  • judges
  • timers
  • counters
  • Sergeant-at-Arms
• Notify contest officials of time and place
• Notify contestants of time and place
• Publicise contest in community
• Ensure all contestants are eligible

Contest Materials Required

Obtain or download the Speech Contest Resource Kit which should contain the following items:

• Certification of eligibility and originality
• Time record sheet and timer's instructions
• Judges guide and ballot
• Tie-breaker judge guide and ballot
• Counter's tally sheet
• Speech contestant biographical data sheet (if used)
• Speech contest manual
• Speech contest rules
• Certificates - Winners and Participation

How to handle Briefings

• Contest Chair
  • Verify presence of contestants
  • Draw for speaking position
  • Review timing with speakers
  • Review speech contest rules with speakers
  • Acquaint contestants with speaking area
• Chief Judge
  • Review timing procedure with timer
  • Review judges guide and ballots with judges
  • Instruct judges to sit close to contest area, but spread out and away from contestants
  • Brief Counters using tally sheet

Tips for conducting a speech contest

• Open contest with brief introduction
  • "Welcome Fellow Toastmasters and guests to the _________ contest."
  • Identify contest and state purpose of contest
  • "Please turn off all noise making devices, including pagers, cellphones, etc."
  • "Chief judge, have all the judges been briefed?"
  • Identify speaker speaking order
  • For Table Topics contest, ask all except first speaker to leave the room.
• No one is to enter or leave while speaker is speaking except in emergencies. The Sergeant-At-Arms should ensure the entrances are secure.
except in emergencies. The Sergeant-At-Arms should ensure the entrances are secure.
• Introduce each contestant in turn
  • name, title, title, name
  • For evaluation contest, introduce test speaker exactly the same way: name, title, title, name. Contestants introduced as name, name.
• For the Evaluation contest, during contestants' five minute preparation, you may:
  • Interview test speaker
  • Short announcements from the audience
  • Conduct table topics or general business
• One minute of silence for ballot completion after each contestant is finished
• Upon completion, judges complete ballots (give two minutes or until all ballots collected)
• Interview speakers, while results determined, or continue with meeting agenda
  • Chief judge with tally counters collect ballots and timers sheets
• Collect contest results from chief judge
• Resolve disqualifications and protest issues
  • Announce if there were any time disqualifications (but do not name who)
• Announce speech contest results
  • Start from 3rd, 2nd, then first place.
  • If there are 3 contestants or less, only announce the first place. Notify the second place alternate in private.
  • If there are 4 contestants, only announce the first and second place.
  • If there are 5 contestants or more, top 3 placements should be announced.
• Close by thanking all who helped
  • Recognise Chief Judge
  • Chief Judge recognize all judges
  • Recognise timers, tally counters and Sergeant-at-Arms
  • Additional announcements from the audience (e.g. time and place of next level of contest)
  • Adjourn contest
  • NOTE: It is NOT necessary to make any motion or otherwise for destroying the ballots. As the contest rule states the announcement of the winners are final, there is also no room for dispute. The ballots should simply be destroyed once the results are announced by the Chief Judge or whoever held the ballots.
  It is necessary to make any motion or otherwise for destroying the ballots. As the contest rule states the announcement of the winners are final, there is also no room for dispute. The ballots should simply be destroyed once the results are announced by the Chief Judge or whoever held the ballots.

How to be an Effective Speech Contest Judge

• Visit the Toastmasters International website for resources on Speech Contests.

CODE OF ETHICS

1) Demonstrate objectivity and fairness throughout judging

2) Support the Contest by refraining from public criticism of its rules. Critical evaluations are directed one on one in private with the Chief Judge.

3) Score, ranking and comments are to be handed to the Tally Counters and revealed to the Chief Judge only.

4) Exhibit care and heed the rules and judging standards as specified.

5) Avoid personal opinions or bias when scoring the speaker on the objectives.

6) To Judge is to pick a Winner.

Attributes of a good Speech Contest Judge

A) Detach from speaker and subject.

B) Adapt quickly to different speech types.

C) Judge with consistency.

D) Focus on: "Was the speech effective?"

E) Listen intently, and respond quickly on scoring form.

F) Try to focus on being as objective and detached from personal opinions as much as possible.

G) Judges do not discuss the rules.

H) Judges do not reveal their scoring worksheets.

I) Ballots are signed, folded in half and handed to the Tally Counters.

How to handle Protests

Protests can ONLY be made by a CONTESTANT or JUDGE who has first hand knowledge (in other words they have seen or heard it); they CANNOT be based on information from an audience member or bystander.

an be made by a who (in other words they have seen or heard it); they be based on information from an audience member or bystander.

Protests must be lodged BEFORE the contest results are announced, unless the reading of the results was incorrect, whereby they may be corrected.

How to handle Disqualifications

A speaker may be disqualified ONLY for the following infractions:

A speaker may be disqualified for the following infractions:

• Originality
• Timing - exceeding the allotted time
• Ineligibility - Must have dues paid as a member and the club must be paid to Toastmasters International* or breach of the Judging rule.

Check the Speech Contest Rules and Judging Forms on the Toastmasters International website for more information.