District 29 Toastmasters will hold 4 speech contests this program year – Humorous Speech and Table Topics in the Fall, and Evaluation and International Speech in the Spring, as approved by the District Executive Committee (DEC) on August 3. District leadership has determined that these contests will be held online at the Area and Division levels due to local restrictions and safety concerns. The District contests in May 2023 will be held in the hybrid format.
The DEC’s approval of holding 4 speech contests was made following a new contest policy announcement from Toastmasters International on July 28 that requires Districts to hold either online or hybrid contests beyond the club level. Prior to this announcement, Toastmasters International required Districts to hold in-person contests beyond the club level.
It was within the context of the prior policy that the DEC voted on July 25 in favor of holding just two contests for the program year – Table Topics and International Speech in the Spring. The motions approved at the July 25th meeting were rescinded at the August 3rd meeting.
Well done! I am excited for the opportunity to either participate or assist with the upcoming contests. Thanks for thinking about us.