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Every Toastmasters speech contest comes with a touch of nerves, a hint of competition, and a whole lot of growth. Whether you’re the one standing at the microphone or the one quietly timing behind the scenes, these events are a gold mine of experience, connection, and confidence-building.
I joined Toastmasters in 2010 and have been an avid contestant over the years. As someone who has come in last at the club level and progressed to one of the top eight in the World Championship of Public Speaking, I have learned the value of participating in speech contests.
Participating as a speaker in a Toastmasters contest is like putting your public speaking journey on fast-forward. I wrote my speeches, rehearsed them, refined them—and then rewrote them all over again. The process challenged me to dig deeper into my message, polish my delivery, and push past comfort zones I didn’t even know I had.
I still remember my first contest. I had been a Toastmaster for only four weeks when the President of the Miracles Toastmasters Club in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, greeted me at the door and said, “We’re having a Humorous Speech Contest today. Want to compete?”
I laughed and told him I was a new Toastmaster and didn’t know what the speech contest was. He explained that all I had to do was tell a funny story for five to seven minutes. I thought, I can probably do that, and 20 minutes later, I was onstage telling a story about a houseboat trip where my sister, sister-in-law, and mom thought it would be hilarious to prank our husbands on a different boat—only to discover the boat approaching us wasn’t theirs.
Speech contests are a gold mine of experience, connection, and confidence-building.
To my shock, I won. I continued to compete every two weeks after that and made it all the way to the District stage.
To prepare for my speeches, I thought about the stories I wanted to tell and continued to dive into them in order to relive the experience. That kept my speeches lively, spontaneous, and full of energy. When I was enjoying myself, the audience couldn’t help but have fun right along with me. A great lesson to learn early in my Toastmasters journey.
Life and travel took me away from Toastmasters for almost a decade after that. But in 2019, I decided to rejoin, and before long, I found myself back on the contest stage.
In 2020, I came in third out of three (yes, dead last) in a club-level contest. A year later, I came in second at the District level. And in 2022, I walked onto the stage of the World Championship of Public Speaking—one of the proudest moments of my life.
That turnaround didn’t happen by luck. I came in last in 2020 because I sang a song in my speech; it was too long and came across as a mini concert. Determined to improve, I applied every piece of advice I could find, sought guidance from a former World Champion, practiced every day for 11 months, delivered my speech to anyone who would listen, and visited more than 20 Toastmasters clubs for feedback.
Although I participated in many contests, the truth is I never entered just to win—though winning does feel good. I entered because the contests make me a better speaker. They pushed me to polish my delivery, refine my stories, and step outside my comfort zone. Every contest stretched me in a new way.
The International Speech Contest taught me how to craft powerful, inspiring messages. The Humorous Speech Contest sharpened my comedic timing and helped me connect to my audience through laughter. The Table Topics Contest kept me sharp on my feet, and the Evaluation Speech Contest honed my listening skills and ability to give constructive feedback.
Over the years, as a contestant, I’ve experienced every kind of result—last place, second place, first place, and everything in between. But every contest has been worth it. Because the real prize isn’t the trophy—it’s the growth, connection, and fun.
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