Opportunities for Competition
There are a number of speech contests held each year. Contests begin at the Club level and may proceed to Region or to International.
The Humourous Speech Contest is held in the fall with the winner representing the Club at the Area contest. The winner at Area represents the Area at the District speech contest held in November . This contest does not go beyond the District level. The speech must be 5 to 7 minutes long and should develop a humourous theme, not just be a series of one-liners.
The Evaluation Contest is also held in the fall with the winner representing the Club at the Area contest. The winner at Area represents the Area at the District speech contest held in November. This contest does not go beyond the District level. All contestants evaluate the same speech but do not hear any previous contestant’s evaluation. The evaluation is from 2 to 3 minutes long.
Table Topics Contest is held in conjunction with the International Speech Contest. The table topic speech is 2 to 3 minutes long and each contestant speaks on the same topic. Contestants do not hear any previous contestant’s speech.
The International Speech Contest is held at the Club level in March or April. The speech may be on any topic and must be from 5 to 7 minutes in length. The winner competes in the Area contest also held in April or early May. The winner from the Area competes in the District contest in May and the winner from that contest represents the District in the Region contest in June. The winner from Region competes in the World Championship of Public Speaking which is held at the International Convention in August.