Have you been given the responsibility of planning your club, area or Division speech contest?

Would you like a helping hand?

The following list of resources might just be what you need to ease the anxiety you feel. Just remember, your not alone! There are people all around you that have run a successful contest.  Don't be afraid to ask.

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There are a number of resources that Toastmasters can provide you with to help. In addition District 42 has prepared a  Speech Contest Planning Guide.

IMPORTANT RULE CHANGES!

There have been some rule changes for the 2010 International Speech contest. It is important that all contestants and judges are completely familiar with the new rules prior to competing.

Here is a sampling of the updated rules.

• With the elimination of Regional Conferences, District Winner will compete in a semi-final contest to take place in August at the International Convention

• Every participant must present an entirely new and different
  speech for the International contest than given in any International
  speech contest since January 1 of that same year. Up
  to and including the semi-final contest, contestants are permitted
  to use the same speech, but are not required to do so.

• All judges shall be members in good standing. Insofar as
  practical, all judges at area, division, district, semi-final, and
  International speech contests shall have been a Toastmasters
  member in good standing since July 1 of the previous year
  and have completed at least six Competent Communication
  manual projects.

Make sure that all of your judges are qualified and familiar with the new rules.  Should you have any questions that you are unable to answer yourself, please contact our

The key to success in planning a contest is preparation. Once you have obtained the information contained in the documents linked to in the previous section you need to get your team together. Make sure each contest official understands their job. Don't leave ANYTHING to chance. Make sure you check, double check and then check again.

Preparation is the key. If you want your contest to run smoothly you need to prepare in advance. Showing up on contest day and trying to assign tasks and organize officials is a sure fire recipie for disaster!

Armed with the i valuable nformation contained in the documents  above, whether this is your first contest or you've lost count, you can run an outstanding contest that will be memorable for the contestants, the officials, and the audience.

Good Luck!