What is the cost of competing in the upcoming speech or evaluation contests?

• Time spent creating the speech
• Time spent at clubs practicing the speech/evaluation
• Time to attend the contests
• Patience from loved ones listening to yet another version of the speech
• Emotional toil of losing
• Emotional toil of winning
• Emotional toil of waiting for the results
• Travel to and from the contest
• Time spent away from friends and family

The list goes on and on.  Is it worth it?  Absolutely it is

Matthew of Naked Toastmaster has started an interesting experiment to benefit judges.  A YouTube speech combined with an on-line judging form so that we can compare judging.  It is in the early stages, and definitely worth checking out if you are interested in either judging or being a contestant at the upcoming speech contest.

The speech is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2_kwylPfOM

The evaluation form is here: http://nakedtoastmaster.com/judgeme1.php

From Matthew:

It is NOT about picking a winner. It is not about giving feedback to the speaker.  It is about training new/novice judges that there are many ways to score a speech and this hopes to show them several, from experienced judges.

We are coming up to that time again.  Evaluation contest time.  Clubs are setting dates, and Area Governors are scrambling to get everything organized.  Still one of the best resources on Toastmaster Evaluation Contests is from Andrew Dlugan.

Andrew covers reasons to attend, reasons to compete, and ways to win.  A must read for anyone considering entering the evaluation contest this spring.

I know I am guilty of this. Putting something into a speech because I loved it rather than it fitting the speech.  It seems especially true with contest speeches.  We want to impress.

Have you ever done this?

Can you recognize when another speaker is doing this?  Can you tell them?

John Kinde has an excellent newsletter where he wrote:

Too often, we’re tempted to force fit something into a talk that really doesn’t fit…the square peg in the round hole.  This applies not only to magic, but also to other things we love; stories, humor, a song.  A speaker who opens a talk with a joke, for the sake of the joke, is taking the same risks as a speaker who opens with a magic trick.  Anything we add to a professional talk needs to organically fit into the speech.  It needs to blend naturally into the content of the speech.  Adding something to a speech just because “we like it” is a critical mistake.

It really is a critical mistake.  I have seen evaluators focus on commending the square peg instead of calling it out for what it is.

Do the speaker a real favor, let them know if they are trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.

There is an excellent discussion on evaluations over on LinkedIn.

One of the contributors in particular, John Zimmer, took the time to provide 10 tips for evaluations.  He has won a District level evaluation contest (the highest you can win), so knows what he is talking about .  Here is a bullet list of the 10 tips.  For more information see the discussion on LinkedIn.

1. Know the four criteria against which you will be judged.
2. Sit near the front, slightly to the side.
3. Gauge audience interest or reaction.
4. Have an original opening.
5. It is all about YOUR opinion.
6. Practice, practice, practice.
7. YouTube.
8. Don’t forget the middle.
9. Have a good ending.
10. The little things make a big difference.

Ten excellent points that can really elevate your evaluations to a new level.