by Melissa Syphrett, SAA, Mr. Cooper Speaks
I served as Contest Toastmaster at a virtual Area 24 competition. Looking back, I expected something very different when I volunteered. If I hadn’t prepared, my can-do attitude could’ve quickly become, “What have I done?” That said, here are five tips for first-time Contest Toastmasters.
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- Go to contests before yours (and volunteer)
I went to a contest ahead of mine to get my bearings. I learned that the Toastmaster covered a lot of ground and spoke at length. I was also a timer and saw how volunteers’ roles worked together behind the scenes.
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- Read the script aloud and color code it
Beyond the obvious, I recommend this because Contest Toastmasters have a lengthy script and:
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- Reading it is a chance to flag critical information you’ll need to add to placeholders.
- Color coding it can help you plan handoffs to other speakers in the program. Put their parts in a different color for visual cues.
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- Test your lighting
I’m used to Zoom calls during the day, but the Area 24 competition was at night. I knew my room would be too dim. Planning ahead, I searched “Zoom lighting hacks” and found a DIY solution.
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- Create a makeshift teleprompter
To look toward the camera and the script, I opened the script in a small window that sat on top of my Zoom screen, just under my camera. (It was a tip I found from Georgetown U.)
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- Keep your Table Topics upbeat
Prepare about 10 Table Topics questions to fill breaks. I took a page from Angela Terry’s playbook—she was Toastmaster at the first event I attended. She posed “Would you rather?” questions. Example: “Would you rather eat the same meal every day or drink the same drink?” These can be fun and there are sample questions online.
