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District Governor, DTM Gea Ban Peng, replied on the Eligibility of Contestants |
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Dear fellow officers,
Good morning.
"Besides District Officers, (DG, LGET, LGM, DPRO, District Treasurer, District Secretary, Division Governors and Area Governors), should District Appointments also be ineligible for District Contests?"
I thank the secretary Michael Rodrigues DTM for raising the issue at this opportune time.
One- The first thing to do is to refer to the Speech Contst Rule Book 2005.
I direct you to page 8 for International Speech Contest Rules.
Read Rule No. 2 on Applicability. The last line reads "These rules may not be supplanted or modified, and no exceptions may be made."
In other words, we may not replace the rules with our own rules, we may not modify the rules and we may not make exceptions to the rules.
Two- So what does the rule book say about who is not eligible to compete?
I direct you to page 9 of the rule book.
Read Rule 4.on Eligibility Rule 4.B reads
The following are ineligible to compete in this contest: incumbent International Officers and Directors; District Officers (Governor, any Lieutenant Governor; Secretary, Treasurer, Public Relations Officer, Division Governor, or Area Governor) whose term expires June 30; International Officer and Director candidates; Immediate Past District District Governors; District Officers or announced candidates for the term beginning the upcoming July 1; presenters of educational sessions at the Area, Division, and District event at which the contest will be held; presenters of educational sessions at Regional Conferences and/or the International Convention. Any individual may not be a judge at any level for a contest in which he is contesting.
In other words if you are holding office and your office is listed in Rule 4.B or if you candidate for district office next term or if you are presenting educational session at events where the contest is held or if you have served as a judge at the same level contest then you are not eligible.
Other than those not eligible per Rule 4.B all others are eligible which means the Assistant Division Governors, the Division Secretaries, the Division Treasurer, the Division Advisor, the Division WebMasters, the Division SpeechCraft Chair, and the rest of the other appointment holders at area level, at division level and at district level are eligible to compete.
Three- With regard to the concern; "It is not so much the position held in the District but whether the position held and participation in District events makes you prominent enough or exposes you enough to give you an unfair advantage over contestants who are not known. The purpose and intend is really to have a level playing field case, the perception of the Judges having seen you before is clouded ."; the rules are clear, we cannot change the rules, but we can change ourselves.
We have to find a balance between having a level playing field and having people to help achieve district mission.
Is there really an issue? How serious is the problem? What can we do? What do you think?
Please let me have your view. Do it now!
Sincerely,
Gea Ban Peng DTM |
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Toastmasters-International Speech Contest Eligibility Requirements Memo |
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as a current District Officer***
If you wish to change your e-mail address, click here. If you are no longer a district officer, click here.
As the International Speech Contest cycle in your district gets under way, I want to make sure you are aware of the eligibility rules for participation. Every year several contestants are disqualified for violating eligibility requirements, some even at the district level. Last year a district winner was disqualified from the regional contest. We don’t want this to happen in your district, so I’d like to review a few points with you that seem to cause problems each year.
Misconception: To be eligible to compete, a person must have paid their April-September 2005 dues. Reality: Eligibility is determined by whether the club paid its October 2004-March 2005 dues. Although April-September 2005 dues are due by April 1, 2005, clubs have a two-month “grace period” during which they can pay their dues to World Headquarters. If the club does not pay dues by May 31, 2005, the club is no longer in good standing on June 1. Until that time, the club and its members are considered in good standing and may compete in speech contests provided World Headquarters received their October 2004-March 2005 dues.
Misconception: New, dual and reinstated members can compete if they give their dues to the club on the day of the contest. Reality: For a new, dual or reinstated member to be eligible to compete in the club contest, World Headquarters must have received their dues and membership applications before the contest is held.
Misconception: I’ve expressed interest in serving as a district officer next year but I haven’t made a decision yet, so I can still compete in the contest. Reality: Anyone who has expressed interest in serving as district governor, any lieutenant governor, secretary, treasurer, public relations officer, division governor or area governor, or who has agreed to serve in one of these positions, is a candidate and is not eligible to compete. As your district seeks members to fill officer positions for the 2005-06 year, it should ask every member whether they are participating in, or plan to participate in, the contest, as their candidacy would disqualify them from the contest.
Misconception: I’m a contestant in my club’s contest and have agreed to be a judge in another area’s contest. This is okay, because I’ll be judging a different area’s contest. Reality: You could possibly be competing against the other area’s winner at some point in the contest cycle. No contestant may help select his or her own competition. A member cannot be a judge at any level for a contest in which they are still competing. If you do so, you will be disqualified from the contest.
Misconception: Even though I’ve agreed to present an educational session at my district’s conference in May, I can still compete in the speech contest. Reality: Allowing a speech contestant who will be competing at an event during the District conference to also give a presentation at the conference compromises the integrity of the contest by giving the contestant more exposure to the audience than other contestants who did not have this same opportunity. This exposure possibly could positively or negatively influence the audience and judges. When soliciting presenters for your district conference, first ask each person if they are planning to compete or are already competing in the speech contest, as their agreement to present at the conference will disqualify them from the contest.
Misconception: My club didn’t send our contestant’s October-March dues to World Headquarters until April, after he already won the area contest. This is okay, though, because he did pay the club on time and we just forgot to send it. He still can compete. Reality: The member’s October-March dues had to be at World Headquarters before the club contest was held. The member was not in good standing at the time of the club contest and must be disqualified, even though the club made the mistake. A member must maintain eligibility at all levels of any contest. If at any level it is discovered that a contestant was ineligible to compete at any previous level, the contestant must be disqualified even if the ineligibility is not discovered until a later level and has been corrected.
We encourage your district to check all contestants’ eligibility at every contest level. To confirm someone’s membership, or if you have questions about eligibility requirements, please contact the Education and Club Operations Department at World Headquarters or send an e-mail to dyosha@toastmasters.org.
A Note About Judging Every year World Headquarters receives complaints from members about poor judging. Has this happened in your district? You can help your clubs’ contests be the best possible by conducting Toastmasters International’s Speech Contest Judges Training Program. The program offers practical tips for selecting a winner and addresses judging pitfalls that can stifle objectivity. Conduct the program during officer training or your conference to help your judges be the best possible. Click here to order your program through the “Online store.”
Click here to access the January 2005 issue of the District Newsletter.
CC: Board of Directors
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Disclaimers:
TO DOWNLOAD COPIES OF ANY OF
THE FOLLOWING PDF (Acrobat Reader)
Speech Contest
Forms
Miscellaneous
Speech Contest Forms
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Checklist
Sample Scripts
Humorous &
Evaluation Speech Contests TME / Contest Chair Sample Script Contest TME Script (by DTM Kan Kin Fung)
TME / Contest Chair Sample Script
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| Contests Flow Chart by Chan Boon Hwee ATMS CL - 8th January 2005 |
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