Why Don’t We Value Speech Contests?
Over the past several years, I have become increasingly more dismayed over
the de-emphasization of speech contests in Founder’s District. I can’t
prove it, but I believe there is a definite link between the diminishing
support for speech contests and our increasing failure to retain members.
There are essentially two reasons given for de-emphasizing speech contests.
First, it is said that too many Area Governors concentrated on speech contests
to the detriment of other aspects of their jobs. This may be true, and, to
the extent it is true, it is certainly a problem that must be addressed and
resolved. But the remedy is not to de-emphasize speech contests; the remedy
is to train the Area Governor to delegate and let others take on the very enjoyable
task of putting on the contest. During my three times as an Area Governor,
I always let my clubs put on the contests, and they loved it. Moreover, I never
had a problem finding people willing to step up to become Area Governor.
Second, it is said that “there is nothing in the four critical success factors about speech contests.” For the sake of brevity, I won’t get into a discussion about the differences between “means” and “ends.” Let it suffice to say that, in de-emphasizing the importance of speech contests, we have minimized one of the greatest means, or tools, for achieving those critical success factors. What greater means is there for attracting new members than to invite prospective members to a quality speech contest? What greater incentive is there to get members to move through the manuals than to encourage them to attend and, eventually, participate in quality speech contests?
Quality Contests Matter
For the vast majority of Toastmasters, the only contact they will ever have
above the club level is the Area Speech Contest. If for some unknown reason
they attend one of these less important, afterthought events—and it
turns out to be a low-quality one at that—you can bet that if they
ever attend another speech contest, they will not bring their family and
friends. Most likely, they will stay with their club, maybe even obtain a
CTM, and then join the millions of ex-Toastmasters who have never experienced
the joy and excitement of a truly well run Area Speech Contest.
In my view, the greatest problem with de-emphasizing speech contests is the
creation of an atmosphere conducive to a downward spiral in quality. Poor speech
contests are becoming more and more common. When I was an Area Governor, we
considered it a personal failure if we could not muster sufficient participation
to put on our own contest and draw at least 40 to 50 people. Then, it became
commonplace for two Areas to combine their contests; now, it is no longer rare
to see three Areas combine their contests and still have only 25 to 30 people
show up. Pathetic! Soon, we can eliminate the Area Speech Contest altogether
and go straight to the Division Contest. But who can blame the Area Governor?
Speech contests are not a part of the critical success factors, so why bother?
Why Should We Bother?
Why should we bother? We should bother because speech contests are the lifeblood
of Toastmasters. With poor-quality contests, or even no contests at all,
we can continue to form new clubs, we can continue to sign up new members,
and we can even get them their CTMs and ATMs. But without quality activities
above the club level, and the most important of these are speech contests,
we are not going to get them to stay. The powers that be scratch their heads
and wonder why.