Speech Contests

Speech Contests 2012

Show off your speaking savvy

Speech contests are a Toastmasters tradition. Each year thousands of Toastmasters compete in the Humorous, Evaluation, Tall Tales, Table Topics and International speech contests. Competition begins with club contests and winners compete upward through the area, division and district levels. The International competition has two additional levels — semifinal and international.

Speech contests are public events so they should be planned carefully and conducted professionally. When you begin to plan for or compete in any speech contest you need to know the rules. Download a PDF version of the Speech Contest Rulebook (Item 1171) or you can purchase a copy from Toastmasters International (www.toastmasters.org).

New in 2012…

The newest Speech Contest Rulebook (Item 1171) is now available. Several revisions have been made based on members’ suggestions. The new format combines information from the former Speech Contest Manual (Item 1173), making the rulebook an all-inclusive resource for conducting a successful speech contest.

Contest Chair
Some districts prefer to split the role of the contest chair and use a separate contest master/Toastmaster for the contest itself. In such cases, the term “contest master/toastmaster” should be considered synonymous with “contest chair.”

Judges
To judge at a Toastmasters speech contest, members must meet all eligibility requirements identified below:

1.  All judges must be members in good standing.
2.  All judges at area, division, district, semifinal, and International speech contests must have been a Toastmasters member in good standing since July 1 of the previous year and have completed at least six Competent Communication (Item 225) manual projects. 

Timing
Two timers are appointed by the chief judge. One is provided with a stopwatch and the other with a timing device that displays green, yellow, and red colors. In the event of technical failure of the signal or timing equipment, a speaker is allowed 30 extra seconds of overtime before being disqualified.

Tiebreaking
The tiebreaking judge’s ballot must be collected by the chief judge while the counters are collecting all other judges’ ballots. In the event of a tie, the chief judge consults the tiebreaking judge’s ballot. The tied contestant who received the highest ranking on the tiebreaking judge’s ballot gains the contested place. Any other tied contestants are ranked in order behind that contestant.

To know more about speech contests judging criteria, download the following:

Speech Contests Judging Criteria

Speech Contests Disqualifications and Protests

Important notes:

• The Speech Contest Rulebook provided here is for personal use only. Please respect our copyright and do not print or distribute the Speech Contest Rulebook. If you need copies of the rulebook to distribute to judges and contestants at a speech contest, please purchase them from the store.
• It is a copyright violation to put the Toastmasters International logo on materials not purchased from World Headquarters. This includes certificates of participation and trophies.

Other links regarding speech contests:

Speech Contest FAQs

Confirm Eligibility for Speech Contests

Speech Contest Materials

Speech Contest Forms and Certificates

Expert Judges/Chief Judges Listing