Contest Time

It is that time of the year, where Toastmasters clubs across the nation, and around the world, are holding their International Speech and Evaluation Contests. The same is true of the two clubs I belong to.

As excited as many are about these opportunities, particularly the chance to reach become the World Champion of Public Speaking, it is amazing how few club members avail themselves of the opportunities these, or any of the Toastmasters contests, present. Even if they do not compete, members can gain so much by attending the contests from the club level on up.

Enter a contest to stretch your skills and abilities. Think you're not the club comedian? Enter the Humorous Speech Contest and test that sense of humor, you'll be amazed and what you can do. Do you regularly struggle in Table Topics? Push yourself and enter that contest.

I've found that those who really want to improve their speaking skills will enter contests to see where they are and how much further they have to go. The feedback is almost immediate, and overwhelmingly positive. In some cases, you can end up with a trophy that will remind you daily of how far you have come.

And attending a contest is as important to developing and stretching your skills, especially as the level of the competition increases. Beyond the club level, you can see speakers from rookie to veteran who have something to offer, things you might not see, hear or otherwise witness from the confines of your own club. An audience member might pick up a new turn of a phrase, a new gesture that speaks to them, a new idea, or a new way of sharing the mundane in an original way.

Contests are one of the best, yet undervalued, ways to improve your speaking and presentation skills.

From a leadership side, there are lessons to be learned as well. The higher the contest level, the more work and effort is needed to carry out the contest. Leadership skills are prized in carrying off the successful Division or District contest. In fact, they are valued highly enough that the new CL manual has an optional contest chair requirement.

But the best part of the contests is that they are fun. Win or lose, you've done something to improve. The food is usually good. And the people are fantastic. After all they're Toastmasters.