Speech Contests

 Every year, Toastmasters sponsors speech contests at which members can put their speaking skills to the test.  The progression of competition starts at the club, then advances to the Area, Division, and District levels.  Area speech contests start this week, prompting me to share three reasons I think speech contests are great:

  1. Pushed outside your comfort zone.  In Toastmasters, one can get used to the comforting setting of their Toastmasters club - a place where members are applauded and encouraged every time they speak.  They get used to the members of their club and can feel an increased ease speaking in front of them.  This is great!  Giving people greater comfort and confidence in presenting is a big part of what Toastmasters is all about.  Yet we don't want to become complacent in the comfort of our club.  Speech contests challenge participants to speak in new settings in front of a new audience in a new format.  This challenges contestants in new ways and broadens their experience, perhaps opening up the possibility of other speaking engagements outside the club.
  2. A broader audience for your message.  Because contests extend beyond the club, new people get to hear what the contestants have to say.  This gives those contestants a broader scope of influence with the message they want to deliver in their speech.  This is especially true for the "International Speech Contest" where participants speak on any topic they wish and may be able to advance to the World Championship of Public Speaking with their speech seen by people from around the planet.
  3. Awards and Trophies.  Physical tokens of achievement and recognition can go a long way.  I have several trophies from past forays into speech competition.  While trophies are currently presented only at higher levels of competition, all levels should see participants at least receiving certificates documenting their achievement.  And if one does manage to win at the District level, a beautiful trophy shall be yours:  


I love speech contests.  Whether through Toastmasters or some other organization, I highly encourage anyone interested in any or all of the above three benefits to take to the stage and give competitive speaking a shot!

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