On Feb. 5, Goldmine Toastmasters Club will join more than 12,500 Toastmasters clubs from around the world participating in the 2011 Toastmasters International Speech Contest.
It is the worldís largest speech contest, with more than 30,000 presenters in 113 countries vying to become the next World Champion of Public Speaking. The contest is free and open to the public.
The International Speech Contest begins at the local club level and proceeds through the area, division, district and final levels. Eighty-two district semifinalists compete during the four-day 2011 Toastmasters International Convention held Aug. 17-20, in Las Vegas. Nine contenders make it to the final round on Aug. 20, where the winner is crowned the Toastmasters World Champion of Public Speaking.
To enter the contest, a person must be an active member of Toastmasters International and have completed at least six speeches from Toastmastersí Competent Communication manual. All participant speeches must be original, presented in English and last five to seven minutes. Judging criteria include originality, speech content, organization, voice quality, gestures and timing.
Additional details about the Toastmasters International Speech Contest and 2011 Convention will be announced in early April. District winners will be announced in early August and posted on the Toastmasters Web site. For more information about Toastmasters International contests, please visit toastmasters.org/contest.
Goldmine Toastmasters Club meets at Fairfield Inn, 3033 Cloverleaf Parkway, Kannapolis, on Saturday at 8:30 a.m. To find out more about Goldmine Toastmasters Club visit www.goldminetoastmasters.com.