Toastmasters Contest
Yesterday I had a very important learning experience. I was a Contest Chairman in my Toastmaster club. This club is one among many in the Toastmasters International network of clubs for public speaking. Each year there is a contest for the best speaker and evaluator in the world. The contest starts from the lowest level of single clubs and then winners climbs up to the top. I volunteered to be a Contest Chairman in my club. My role was to organize and run a speech and an evaluation contests. There were many people involved in that. Just before each contest I had to instruct contestants about the rules, let them draw the order in which they performed, I had to instruct time keepers and sergeants at arm. During the meeting I had to introduce everyone involved, ensure silence and attention of the audience, keep breaks for judges and give time for a topics master which filled the gaps when needed. At the end had to hand certificates of participation to all contestants and help a Chief Judge to present the awards. Why it was such a great learning experience? Because from the audience point of view you do not see all the work involved in such a simple contests – just to select the best speaker and the best evaluator. As a Contest Chair the pressure was great, and there were unexpected obstacles. I had notes and I was prepared but just before the meeting the order of contests was changed, some people didn’t know about their roles, there was one cancellation and the time was pressing. I was already familiar with being at the top table as a Toastmaster but a Contest Chair duties are bigger. The greatest learning was to keep cold blood when so many things are pressing. Overall the meeting went smoothly, everyone was satisfied and there were many compliments exchanged at the end.
“The real contest is always between what you’ve done and what you’re capable of doing. You measure yourself against yourself and nobody else.” – Geoffrey Gaberino
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