by Ninfa Flewitt, DTM Program Quality Director
Lights! Camera! Contests! We have it all planned.
Do you watch videos? Do you love a cliffhanger? Our District speech contests this year will meet both of these criteria. The recorded contests will be shown at contest watch parties on Friday, May 15, for Table Topics, and Saturday, May 16, for the International Speech Contest.
Why are we recording and watching the contests rather than watching them live? We want to be able to celebrate the best District 25 has to offer together. We also want to comply with our organization’s requirements. Because of the pandemic, Toastmasters International has established requirements to keep contest participants safe when conducting District level contests while ensuring the contests remain fair.
We plan, therefore, to conduct and record the district-level Table Topics and International Speech contests on Saturday, May 9, 2021, in accordance with Toastmasters International criteria. Only participants will be present while recording the virtual contests; these include contestants, judges, toastmaster, contest chairman, contest chief judge, timers, ballot counters, zoom master, sergeant at arms, and the Trio. No one else will be allowed to observe – that will have to wait for the watch party at the Annual Conference, which can be attended live or virtually.
We will record each contest from the banging of the gavel through the completion of the speaking segments and announcements during the ballot counting process. I mentioned a cliffhanger… That’s right! Participants will have to wait one week for the official results to be announced at the District 25 Annual Conference. How exciting! You, watch party participants, will get results just as if you were at the contest live and in Zoom!
Mark your calendars for the Annual Conference and be sure you are part of the fun to cheer on your contestants!! Registration will open soon!
We can celebrate and congratulate our winners at the D25 Annual Conference at the Contest watch parties.
