By the Book
(Manage Projects Successfully 2nd Speech, Feb 16, 2019, BF Community TMC, Cassalu Restaurant, Las Piñas City. Evaluated by Rema Manzano DTM)
(Manage Projects Successfully 2nd Speech, Feb 16, 2019, BF Community TMC, Cassalu Restaurant, Las Piñas City. Evaluated by Rema Manzano DTM)
INTRODUCTION
(center)
Who among you have seen this booklet? (raise rulebook). There’s a person featured on the cover, and, by the way, it’s not Gen. Bato de la Rosa. The person featured is Toastmasters 2017 Champion of Public Speaking. For those who have not seen this booklet, it is the updated version of the Toastmasters contest rulebook. Good afternoon, fellow Toastmasters.
BODY
(move right)
Last January 5, we had our successful club-level contest for the 4 speech categories, Evaluation, Humorous, Table Topics and International Prepared. Much of the credit also goes to the teams of Pres. Ching, Div Director Dolly and VP-Membership Duchess.
I had three indicators for a successful club contest. These were: One, to start and end on time. Two, to conduct a fair contest and three, to have everyone have fun and enjoy the contests.
(move center)
In accepting the role as Contest Chair, I had to start somewhere – especially when it came to… procedures. The rulebook is almost 30 pages long and sometimes abstruse (word-of-the-day). So I also looked into existing documentation that I could find. I was, in a way, trying to look for shortcuts.
What I did find were contest scripts. These are scripts that a contest toastmaster would read out, for example, to explain a contest. And there were plenty from our district and other districts also. Some of the scripts were in fact engaging to the audience and a few had plenty of entertainment appeal.
The more contest scripts that I read, the more variety I found on how to run the contest. But I realized that I didn’t need plenty of things to say – but just to say enough. My first criterion was to start and finish on time. So, I removed some of the text that seemed redundant or too obvious.
(move left)
I also found that some procedures in the contest scripts were not even in the rule book. It is then that I realized that this rule book has undergone several revisions through the years. And there are some practices, like for instance the procedure to select table topic are no longer in the updated rule book.
And this leads to my second criterion which is fairness to contestants. Even if there is a slight deviation from contest rules, for as long as it doesn’t severely diminish the integrity of the contest, then apply the procedure to all contestants – consistently. Be consistent, in the spirit of fairness.
(move center)
Finally, my third criterion for a successful club contest is for everyone to have fun and enjoy the contest. When the pacing is not too rushed or hurried, people are more relaxed. Allow time for breaks. And this is probably taken for granted. Provide plenty of food during the breaks and you’ll have the people enjoying the contest. There’s more fun when there’s food. Agreed?
CONCLUSION
Preparing for the club contest made me learn so much on the rules and procedures for contests. I’m still a work in progress and there is more to learn, unlearn and relearn. But it’s a good thing that there’s a Contest Rule Book. (raise the rule book). So, my piece of advice for toastmaster contests is to always refer to the contest rule book. That’s because you cannot go wrong if you go... by the book. Toastmaster of the Day.
Introduction by the Toastmaster of the Day
"Our next speaker will deliver a Level 4 speech from the Innovative Planning path. This is the Second Speech in the speech project called Manage Projects Successfully. The purpose of the Second Speech is for the member to share some aspect of his or her experience in managing a project.
The project that our next speaker managed was the Club-Level Speech Contest held last January 5.
The title of the speech is “By the Book”, and will be timed at 5 to 7 minutes. To be evaluated by DTM Rema Manzano, friends, please welcome ACG ALB Les Aquino."
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