Toastmasters Speech Contest Judging Criteria for the Spring Competition

INTERNATIONAL SPEECH CONTEST
CONTENT (50%)
Speech Development - Structure, organization, support material - 20%
Speech development is a way the speaker puts ideas together so the audience can understand them. The speech is structured around a purpose, and this structure must include an opening, body, and conclusion. A good speech immediately engages the audience's attention and then moves forward toward a significant conclusion. This development of the speech structure is supported by relevant examples, illustrations, facts, and figures, delivered with such smoothness that they blend into the framework of the speech to present the audience with a unified whole.
Effectiveness - Achievement of purpose, interest, reception - 15%
Effectiveness is measured in part by the audience's reception of the speech, but a large part is your subjective judgment of how the speech came across. You should ask yourself such questions as "Was I able to determine the speaker's purpose?" "Did the speech relate directly to that purpose?" "Was the audience's interest held by the speaker?" "Was this speech subject appropriate for this particular audience?"
Speech Value - Ideas, logic, original thought - 15%
Speech Value justifies the act of speaking. The speaker has a responsibility to say something meaningful and original to the audience. The listeners should feel the speaker has made a contribution to their thinking. The ideas should be important ones, although this does not preclude a humorous presentation of them.
DELIVERY (30%)
Physical - Appearance, body language - 10%
Physical presentation of a speech carries part of the responsibility for effective communication. The speaker's appearance should reinforce the speech, whether profound, sad, humorous, or instructional. Body language should support points through gestures, expressions, and body positioning.
Voice - Flexibility, volume - 10%
Voice is the sound that carries the message. It should be flexible, moving from one pitch level to another for emphasis, and should have a variety of rate and volume. Good voice can be clearly heard and the words easily understood.
Manner - Directness, assurance, enthusiasm - 10%
Manner is the indirect revelation of the speaker's real self as the speech is delivered. The speaker should speak with enthusiasm and assurance, showing interest in the audience and confidence in their reactions.
LANGUAGE (20%)
Appropriateness - to speech purpose and audience - 10%
Appropriateness of language refers to the choice of words that relate to the speech purpose and to the particular audience hearing the speech. Language should promote clear understanding of thoughts and should fit the occasion precisely.
Correctness - grammar, pronunciation, word selection - 10%
Correctness of language ensures that attention will be directed toward what the speaker says, not how it is said. Proper use of grammar and correct pronunciation will show that the speaker is the master of the words being used.

EVALUATION CONTEST
ANALYTICAL QUALITY (40%) clear, focused
Analytical quality refers to the effectiveness of the evaluation. Every evaluation should carefully analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the speaker's presentation. Were the evaluator's comments clear and logical? Did the evaluator identify specific strengths and weaknesses of the presentation?
RECOMMENDATIONS (30%) positive, specific, helpful
Recommendations are an important part of an evaluation. An evaluator not only points out the strengths and weaknesses of the speech, he/she also offers specific recommendations for improvement. Recommendations should be practical, helpful and positive, and they should enable the speaker to improve his or her next presentation.
TECHNIQUE (15%) sympathetic, sensitive, motivational
Technique refers to the manner in which the evaluator presents his/her comments and recommendations. An evaluator should be sensitive to the feelings and needs of the speaker, yet inspire and encourage the speaker in his/her future speaking efforts.
SUMMATION (15%) concise, encouraging
Summation is how the evaluator concludes the evaluation. The conclusion should briefly summarize the evaluator's comments and suggestions, and be positive and encouraging.

Toastmasters District 54: Humorous Speech Judging Criteria

Toastmasters District 54: Humorous Speech Judging Criteria

Required Club Officer Training Scheduled

Plan NOW for 2010-2011 Required Club Officer Training scheduled:
TLI– South July 10, 2010 Bloomington, IL Dean, Nicole Shake
TLI– West July 17, 2010 Moline, IL Dean, Jeffrey Carl
TLI– North July 31, 2010 Delnor Hospital Dean, Ron Jones
Watch for additional details and registration information on the District 54 website:http://www.toastmastersd54.org/content/club-officer-training

2010 Spring Conference Photos

Photos from the 2010 District 54 Spring Conference are now online in the District's PicasaWeb photo gallery.

District 54 Dispatch Now Available

The District 54 Dispatch for April 2010 is now available at the following link:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5929599/2010-03Mar-D54Dispatch.pdf

This issue of the newsletter features information about the upcoming spring conference, April 16-17 in Peoria. Please take a few minutes to read and enjoy!

Speech-a-thon March 31

The Timely Talkers Toastmasters would like to invite all clubs to participate in our Speech-a-Thon to be held March 31, 2010 at the Valley Community Bank, 75 S. Randall Rd, North Aurora from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. Any Toastmaster is welcome to attend. Refreshments will be served.

A Speech-A-Thon is a night filled with speeches and evaluations only. The best one I attended had 11 speakers from 6 different clubs. You get to hear speakers you may not otherwise here.

Do you have a hard time getting on the schedule to speak? Then come join us. Do you want to step outside your comfort zone and speak before a friendly audience,  but a group you've not been in front of before? Then come join us. Do you just like to try  new things. Then come join us. Even if  you don't want to speak you can be an evaluator, or part of the audience.

We plan to have 8 speakers and I've reserved 4 slots for other clubs. This will be on a first come basis. If you reserve a slot, please make every effort to attend. Last time we started with 8 speakers, but ended with 2. Please limit speeches to 5-10 minutes.

More information is available at http://www.timelytalkers.org/.

Preview Advanced Manuals Online

by Sherri Scott

Have you ever wondered what projects are in the Public Relations Advanced Manual? Or the Specialty Speeches? How about the Technical Presentations or the Speeches by Management? Now you can find out without having to purchase the manual first! As you are close to completing our Competent Communicator or one of the Advanced Communicator designations you will need to choose 2 advanced manuals for your next designation. You are shown a list of 15 titles, but it is hard to tell just what is in each manual from the title alone. When I proposed a project to be placed on the district website to help answer all of these burning questions, I was told I think that there is something like that available now. Martie Ogborn used her keen detective skills to find what I was looking for on District 4’s website. Here's the link: http://www.d4tm.org/Education/manuals_AC.html

Within this link the 15 Advanced Manuals are listed. When you click on the title of a manual, it opens up a list of the projects in that manual. It includes the title of the project, the time frame, and the objectives.

I think this will be an awesome tool to help all of our members make informed decisions. I know it would have helped me when I purchased the Public Relations manual, only to learn it was not what I was thinking it would be. It is a great manual, but not one that I plan to work on anytime soon as it does not fit my needs. Please don’t let this happen to you! Check out this new link and you can choose wisely!

Setting YOUR Potential Free!

by Erika Arnhart, Spring Conference Chair

Mark your calendars now! The District 54 2010 Spring Conference will be held April 16-17, 2010 at the Par-a-Dice Hotel Casino in East Peoria, IL!

Your Conference Committee is excited to bring you Dr. “Chief” Donald Grady, Ph.D., as our Keynote Speaker. Dr. Grady, our Spring 2009 C&L Award recipient, inspired and challenged us in ways that we never imagined during his brief acceptance speech last year. We are fortunate that he has agreed to come back to District 54 to share more of his life story and experiences with us, addressing our theme “Setting Your Potential Free.” Dr. Grady will undoubtedly have much to share, having had a long and impressive career including time in the Army, law enforcement, and most recently, as the Chief of Police and Public Safety at Northern Illinois University.

Rest assured, this is going to be a Conference you will not want to miss! Between the Friday “Game Night for Bragging Rights,” the District Executive Council meeting, the International Speech and Evaluation Contests, and engaging educational sessions, there’s bound to be something of interest for everyone! In addition, the Conference Committee is planning a special first timers’ reception Friday evening and a club attendance promotion! For every club in our district with three or more members in attendance, an entry will be placed into a drawing. The prize will include a pizza gift certificate (from a local pizza establishment) and a gift certificate to the Toastmasters International store. We truly desire everyone from within the District to come to the Conference, but, if this is not the case, this promotion will allow attendees to take back a small part of the event to their local clubs. Five pizza and TI store gift certificates will be given away, one for each Division. We will buy the lunch; you share the story of what you experienced!

As you can see, everything on the weekend’s agenda is being planned with you in mind! It is our sincerest hope that this Conference will help you reach your full potential as a communicator and leader within Toastmasters and your community. Plan now to attend – and bring your family, friends, and guests, as well. Complete event details, including online and mail-in registration information, can be found at potential2010.com.

Clubs and area businesses also have another unique opportunity to be a part of the Conference experience by advertising and/or placing messages in our program. Interested parties can find additional information on the Conference website under the “Sponsors” tab or may contact Laurie Heermance, the Spring Conference Marketing Chair. Deadline for ad submission is March 1 to be included in the program.

Four Steps to Continuous Success

by Joseph Wilhelmi District 54 Sergeant at Arms, Division E Governor

Personal, individual success is what each club is chartered for. That is its mission statement. Each club has the responsibility to create an environment conducive to education. Education is what each of us needs, both in communication and in leadership. It is the responsibility of club leadership to have and further develop the atmosphere in the club, both at the executive committee level, and within the club to exist cohesively to attain that perfect setting to allow individual success.

1. Each Successful club had 5 or more officers trained with all seven trained at the mid term TLI. By successfully training each new officer, whether they have served in that office or not previously is vital for each member to understand fully their responsibility to the club. I have personally seen in failing clubs, each Executive Committee tries to re invent the wheel and re design each role of each officer. Most often these are items that the officers involved see as their weakness, and look to work within their strengths, rather than address their weakness and work to improve.

2. Each club that was in fact successful, with full honors, had separate Executive Committee meetings with reports from each member of that committee. Each report spoke to what they had accomplished, or not…..Then spoke to what they needed to accomplish. I can assure you, when you have an Executive Committee meeting, and you are not able to give a comprehensive report that speaks to the work you have done to insure your contribution is productive, you will be on it for the next month. This is called accountability. Each member is accountable to ourselves.

3. Each club should have a written Club Success Plan. This is the first order of the first meeting in July, as an Executive Committee that should be on the agenda of each club President. If you do not do this you already have a plan to fail. Success is a choice not a dream. Each individual, Club, Area, Division and District must have a plan to succeed.

4. Each club should have a fully functional website from FreeToastHost. Why FreeToastHost? Because it is directly designed to help the individual succeed from offering education to the Duty Roster, which if used properly, each person can schedule their success into their lives. This is done with duty roster meeting dates on the website far into the future to allow personal planning.

Also your website page should have as much information as possible about your club, where you meet and times that people are interested in. I have seen many websites, but the most productive are in fact those with less clutter.

For example, in 2005 ,when I began in Real Estate, only 40% of the buyers would visit a website before contacting an agent. When I left Real Estate in August of 2008, 97% of the buyers would surf the web before calling an agent. Also the amount of time spent at each site varied due to the amount of information and ease of use related to that website.

February Newsletter Now Available

The February, 2010 edition of the District 54 Dispatch is now available at this link (Google docs). Enjoy!