Online Presenters will host two editions of its homegrown webinar contest this year, including a June 12 “invitational” contest where the contestants will be invited guest speakers. To attend, please fill out this RSVP form. The club’s own webinar contest was held on May 8 (watch the replay) and won by Jim Barber.
While the webinar contest is not an official Toastmasters contest format (at least not yet), it is an opportunity for speakers to demonstrate their virtual speaking skills in a competition with their peers. See the video clip below for advice to webinar contest speakers from 2020 World Champion of Public Speaking Mike Carr.
Here ar the contest rules, which other clubs who want to try something like this are welcome to adopt, extend, or modify. Short version: it’s a lot like the International Speech Contest, except contestants are awarded extra points for finding a way to engage with their audience despite the barriers of the online medium — and for maximizing the advantages of a virtual presentation.
Although it’s not mandatory, we encourage other online clubs to hold their own club-level webinar contests to help members prepare for the June 12 invitational contest.
For a better idea of how the contest works in practice, you can watch this recording of last year’s event, including the introduction by 2020 World Champion of Public Speaking Mike Carr.
As a bonus, see this advice for webinar contest competitors from Mike Carr.