Calling all Toastmasters…

Contest season is upon us! The Area contests kick off on March 1st!

Contests are lots of fun; we hear lots of great speeches, enjoy great food and meet great Toastmasters from other clubs! This Spring we will have Tall Tales and International Speech contests. A contest needs lots of things to make it successful but none are more important than the contestants and judges.

To be a contestant, you must be a member in good standing in a club of good standing. Everyone can be a Tall Tales Contestant, but in order to compete in the International Speech contest, you must have completed at least six speech projects in the Competent Communicator manual prior to the Club Contest. However, a charter member of a club chartered since July 1 and prior to the Area contest is permitted to compete without having completed this requirement. See the 2014 Speech Contest Rule Book for complete details.

But maybe you aren’t ready to compete? Or maybe you didn’t win your club contest? Do you wonder what the judges are looking for? Take judges training and find out. There are still three opportunities to attend judges training at the Division Club Officer makeup training sessions. Everyone can attend judges training and learn the secrets of judging, but every judge must have completed at least six speech projects in the Competent Communicator prior to judging.

Come out and participate in our Spring Contests … 
Be a Contestant … Be a Judge … Be a helper…!

Submitted by Larry Harmon