Duties of a Contest Chair
This page presents the overall process for organizing and running a speech contest, including the following:
Read the Speech Contest Rulebook. Ensure you understand and follow the rules. Do not allow exceptions. If in doubt, check with the Chief Judge.
Choose your contest location well in advance. For the Table Topics and Evaluation contests, ensure there is an area outside the contest room to isolate contestants from the contest until their time to speak.
Prepare or review the agenda. Following these timing guidelines:
- 5 to 10 minutes for the Contest Chair's opening remarks, remarks by Chief Judge and explanation of contest procedure
- To allow time for introduction, speaking time, applause and one minute of silence between contestant, use these timing guidelines:
- Evaluation: 6 minutes
- International & Humorous Speech: 10 minutes
- Table Topics: 5 minutes
- 2 to 3 minutes of silence after the final contestant (this is not timed)
- 10 to 15 minutes for the wind-up (interview of contestants and presentation of participation certificates while ballots are counted and winner's certificates are prepared).
Notify contestants that if they are not present at the briefing, they lose the right to receive a briefing. Notify alternate contestants that they should also attend the briefing. If a contestant is not present at the contest when the Contest Chair for their contest is announced, they will be ineligible to compete and their alternate will compete in their place.
Generally, allow at least 15 minutes between the start of the briefing and the start of the contest (30 minutes is preferred).
Advise contestants to arrive 15 minutes before the start of their briefing and 30 minutes before the start of their contest. The time between the briefing and the contest varies widely so
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Arrive at the contest briefing with sufficient time to prepare yourself to deliver the briefing. The more organized and relaxed you appear, the more relaxed you will make the contestants.
Brief the contestants.
Review the contest agenda to identify any required changes.
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Ensure the timers are ready before signaling the Sergeant at Arms to begin.
Ensure the Sergeant at Arms clearly understands the procedures exactly as the contestants were briefed. Encourage them to be calm and precise.
Allow one minute (timed) between speakers. After all have spoken, call for and maintain silence as judges mark their ballots. (This is not timed.)
After all ballots are picked up and the Chief Judge leaves the room, call all contestants up to the lectern. Interview each according to the biographical information they completed before the contest (to remove possible bias, if a contestant is competing in another contest in the same room on the same day, it is recommended that you postpone all interviews until after the later contest).
Present each with a certificate of participation. Lead the applause after each contestant.
End the interviews at the appointed time, even if it means cutting them short.
If there is time remaining, call for scheduled announcements only, as time permits.
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After the ballots are counted and tallied, the Chief Judge will re-enter the contest room and give the results and completed winners' certificates to the Contest Chair.
If a contestant was disqualified because of timing, say, "A contestant was disqualified because of timing," without revealing the contestant's name or amount of time concerned.
In contests with five or more participants, announce the third place, second place, and first place winners. In contests with four or fewer participants, announce the second place and first place winners. As you call each winner forward to present their certificate, glance at the Chief Judge for a nod to confirm that you read the correct name.
When there are 4 contestants, announce the names of the second and first place winners only. When there are 3 or fewer contestants, announce the name of the first place winner only.
Remind judges to destroy their judging guides and not to discuss the contest results with anyone.
Adjourn the meeting.
Complete the Notification of Contest Winner (1182), stating the winner and alternate. Bundle it with the Speech Contestant Biographical Information (1189) and Speaker's Certification of Eligibility and Originality (1183) forms to the Contest Chair of the next level of the contest.
Promote the results! If this is a District contest, be sure to inform the Webmaster (that's me) for the Hall of Fame.
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