These rules apply to all Humorous Speech Contests, which
are conducted in English only. These rules may not be supplanted or modified,
and no exceptions may be made.
1. PURPOSE
A. To provide an opportunity for speakers to improve their
speaking abilities and to recognize the best as encouragement
to all.
B. To provide an opportunity
to learn by observing the more proficient speakers who have benefited from
their Toastmasters training.
C. To recognize the value of
humor in speaking.
2. SELECTION SEQUENCE
A. Each Club in good standing
may select a contestant to compete in the Area contest. An alternate should
also be selected. The Area speech contest winner then proceeds to the Division
contest (if applicable). The Division winner then proceeds to the District
contest. Should an Area or Division contest winner
be unable to participate in the next contest level, the highest placed
available contestant will advance to that level.
B. In those Areas with four
assigned Clubs or less eight weeks prior to the Area contest, Districts have
the option to allow the two highest placed available
contestants from each Club to compete in the Area contest. Should additional
Clubs charter prior to the Area contest, the two highest placed available contes
tants from each Club may compete. In those Divisions with four assigned
Areas or less. Districts have the option to
allow the two highest placed available contestants
from each Area to compete. In Districts with
four assigned Divisions or less, Districts have the option to allow the two
highest placed available contestants from each
Division to participate in the District contest.
3. ELIGIBILITY
A. All Toastmasters who are members in good standing, in a
Club in good standing, are eligible to compete.
New, dual, or reinstated members must have dues current with Toastmasters
International.
B. The following are ineligible to compete in any con-test:
incumbent International Officers and Directors;
District Officers (Governor, any Lieutenant Governor, Division
Governor, Area Governor, Secretary, Trea-surer, or Public Relations Officer)
whose terms expire lune 30; International Officer
and Director candi-dates; Immediate Past District Governors; District Officers
or announced candidates for the term beginning the upcoming )uly 1 .
The immediate past winner of the Regional Humorous Speech Contest is not
eligible to compete at any level in the current year's Humorous Speech Contest.
C. Toastmasters who are members in more than one Club and
who meet all other eligibility requirements may compete in each Club Humorous
Speech Contest in which membership in good standing is held. However, should
they win more than oneClub Humorous Speech
Contest, they can represent only one of the Clubs at the Area level. No
contestant can compete in more than one Area Humorous Speech Contest, even if
the two Areas are in different Divisions or different Districts.
D. A contestant must be a
member in good standing of the Club, Area, Division, or District being
represented when competing in a speech contest at the next level.
E. Each contestant must
complete the Speaker's Certifi-cation of Eligibility and Originality (form 1183)
and submit it to the chief judge prior to the contest.
SPEECH PREPARATION
A. The subject for the humorous speech shall be selected by
the contestant. The speaker should avoid potentially objectionable language,
anecdotes, and material.
B. Contestants must prepare their own five- to seven-minute
speech, which must be substantially original and certified as such in
writing to the chief judge by the contestants prior to the presentation of the
speeches (on form 1183, Speaker's Certification of Eligibility and Originality).
Any quoted material must be so identified during the speech presentation.
C. The speech must be thematic in nature (opening, body,
and close) and not be an act or monologue (series of one-liners).
GENERAL PROCEDURE
A. A contest chairman, chief
judge, at least five judges, two counters, and
two timers are appointed. These appointments will be as far as is practical at
Club levels, but required for Area through to District and Regional levels of
this contest.
B. Before the contest, contestants are briefed
on the rules by the contest chairman, judges,
counters, and timers are briefed on their duties by the chief judge.
Contes-tants will then draw for their speaking position with the contest
chairman.
C. lf a
contestant is absent from the briefing, the alternate speaker, if present, may
be included in place of the primary contestant. When the contest Toastmaster
is introduced, if not present, the primary contestant is disqualified and the
alternate officially becomes the contestant. Where the primary contestant
arrives and makes this known to the contest chairman and has all required
paperwork in good order prior to the introduction, and m
issed the brief ing.disqua
I ifi cation shall not occur and the primary
contestant may speak in the drawn order, but waives
the opportunity of a briefing.
D. All contestants will speak from the same platform or
area designated by the contest chairman with prior
knowledge of all the judges and all the contestants. The
contestants may speak from any position within the designated area and are not
limited to standing at the lectern/podium.
1. A lectern/podium will be available. However, the use of the
lectern/podium is optional.
2. If amplification is necessary, a lectern/podium
fixed-mounted microphone and a portable microphone should be made available,
if possible. It is suggested that the fixed-mounted microphone be non
directional. The selection and use of a micro-phone is optional for each
contestant.
3. All equipment will be available for contestants to
practice prior to the contest. Contestants are responsible for arranging
their preferred setup of the lectern/podium microphone and other equipment
in a quiet manner before being introduced by the Toastmaster.
E. Introduce each contestant by announcing the contestant's
name, speech title, speech title, and contestant's name.
F. There will be one minute of silence between contestants, during which the
judges will mark their ballots.
G. Contestants may remain throughout the duration of the contest, in the
same room.
H. Announcement of contest winners is final.
A. Speeches shall be from five to seven minutes. Contestants
who speak less than four minutes 30 seconds or more than seven minutes 30
seconds will be disqualified.
B. Time will begin with the first word uttered by the con-testant.
However, should the contestant engage in (definite verbal or nonverbal
communication with the audience (including the playing of music or other sound
effects, a staged act by another person, etc.) prior to reaching the speaking
position and uttering the first word of the speech, the timer shall activate the
timing device at that point. If this results in the contestant going overtime,
the contestant will be disqualified.
The green light will be turned on at five minutes and remain
on for one minute. The amber light will be turned on at six minutes and remain
on for one minute. The red light will be turned on at seven minutes and remain
on until the speech is concluded. No audible device, such as a buzzer, shall be
used for the over-time period.
C. Any sightless contestant may request and must be granted a
form of warning signal of his or her own choosing, which may be an audible
device. The contestant must provide any special device required for such signal.
D. In the event of Technical failure of the signal, a speaker
is allowed 30 seconds extra overtime before being disqualified.
E. Prior to announcing results, the chairman should announce
if time disqualification(s) occurred, but not name the contestant(s) involved.
