To compete in the Table Topics Contest
the contestant needs to be a Lake Oswego Toastmasters Club Member in good
standing.
In the Table Topics contest, each contestant is
given the same table topic on which to speak.
Before the contest begins all of the contestants draw a number to
determine their order. All of the contestant, except the first contestant, are escorted from
the room. Then, each is brought back
into the room one at a time. The
contestant must then speak on the table topics subject without any preparation.
The timing of the Table Topics Contest
is one to two minutes. That means the
contestant is within time if the speech is between 0:45 and
As in other speech contests, the
judges give numerical rankings to the contestants. The numerical rankings are based on the
following criteria.
Judging Items
|
Excellent
|
Very Good
|
Good
|
Fair
|
Speech Development
Opening, body, close, organization, smoothness
|
30
|
23-29
|
17-22
|
0-16
|
|
Effectiveness Logic, directness, enthusiasm, achievement of purpose,
audience response
|
25
|
18-24
|
11-17
|
0-10
|
Physical
Appearance, body language
|
15
|
11-14
|
6-10
|
0-5
|
|
Voice Flexibility, volume
|
15
|
11-14
|
6-10
|
0-5
|
|
Language Appropriate to speech, purpose and audience. Good grammar, pronunciation, and word
selection
|
15
|
11-14
|
6-10
|
0-5
|