Speech Contest Lessons Learned
and Suggested Improvements -
Area and Division Contests

From Fall, 2014

• Low / lack of participation, lack of fliers and sufficient promotion.
  
  • REMEDY: Create fliers and actively (in person) promote the contest
    
• Area Governors / Contest chairs not able to recognize all the dignitaries at the opening of a contest, and sometimes mispronounce their names.
  
  • REMEDY: Assign a check-in person whose sole responsibility is to check in dignitaries before the contest starts. Print out the dignitary list and mark dignitaries present. Obtain pronunciation information to pass to the Presiding Officer
    
• Area Governors / Contest chairs not comfortable when announcing winners and giving out trophies.
  • REMEDY: Identify the top-ranking dignitary to pass out the trophies, then request that they assist in awards presentation. Have the Chief Judge fill out the Contest Winner Announcement script, then have the Contest chair read it verbatim.
    
• Tri-Area contests take too long on a weeknight
  
  • REMEDY: Try to avoid tri-area contests if possible. Conduct them on a weekend
    
• Inexperienced Contest Chairs and Toastmasters resulted in Contest Quality issues like incorrect contestant introductions.
  
  • REMEDY: Be sure that the Contest Chair and the Toastmaster have previously performed that role in a lower level contest
    
• Names of Contest Chair and Chief Judge not provided to District Chief Judge, making it more difficult to contact them about being present for the Contest Evaluation.