This article is for members of Toastmasters International who are considering to take part in the International Speech Contest that takes place every year. Written by Manoj Vasudevan, 2017 World Champion of Public Speaking.
During my trips to Toastmasters events around the world, I am often asked,
“What do you think of Toastmasters judges? Are they smart or stupid? What can we do about it?”
Here are my perspectives:
Are judges smart or stupid?
Here's how opinions about judges generally emerge:
“If you win the contest, the judges are smart.
If you lose the contest, the judges are stupid.”
Here is the thing. I have never seen a contest winner complain about judging. In every speech contest, there is a price you need to pay to play.
The Price You Pay To Play This Game
To become a champion in the Toastmasters International Speech Contest, you need to win over the judges. That’s the rule of the game. (You can read about the 'how' later, under Ingredient 4: Mechanics.) Before that, you need to notice that there is a price you need to pay to play the speech contest game.
The price is your willingness to be judged by others and sometimes to be judged by people who may not be as good as you at speaking.
Look at the contest rule book for qualifications to be a judge. You don’t have to demonstrate your public speaking mastery to be a judge. You mainly need to complete a certain number of projects. Therefore, by design, veteran contestants are likely to have more speaking experience than the judges.
As one cheeky veteran said, “It’s sometimes like a PhD Thesis evaluation done by a bunch of Kindergarten students.”
Here is the added twist:
As a contestant, you are facing a subjective judgement based on objective criteria.
[The 'objective criteria' is the judge’s ballot. The
'subjective judgement' depends on the speech or the speaker, the judge feels most connected to. Even if the objective criteria were to change, the subjective judgement might not change much.]
In a way, this is pretty much true in any other game, where the scoring system is subject to each individual’s interpretation. Disagree? Then think about this – What will help you to score 100% in Speech Delivery? Unlike the case of a 100-metre sprint where the first person to cross the finish line gets gold, in a speech contest, there is no clear definition.
How do you pick a winner in gymnastics or synchronised swimming? Do you pick the person who makes the least mistakes? This is the challenge. It is not just hard, it is almost impossible to judge a speech contest using objective criteria, while it is subject to each judge’s upbringing, circumstances, competency, conditioning, beliefs, attitudes and orientation. Therefore, you need to know your judges.
Know Your Judges
I once asked one of my mentors, “Hey, who are the judges?” He said, “They come in different forms and substance.” He followed up with an explanation that is cynical, but true, especially at the lower levels of the contests. Following is the summary of what he said.
People who become judges are one of the following:
• Those who lost contests and can’t compete anymore this year
• Those who have more free time and are available to judge on the day of the contest
• Those who are district officers and therefore not allowed to compete
• Those who are aspiring to pursue the leadership track
• Those who really want to help to improve the speaking competency of the organisation, are competent evaluators or have previously proven their prowess at speaking. (He added that this is an exception rather than a rule.)
How do you impress or inspire such a diverse group? [You can find the step by step process for this in Ingredient 2: Message and Ingredient 3: Mechanics.]
To be fair to the judges, there are also some unseen challenges in judging.
The Unseen Challenges In Judging
Firstly, contest judging is a difficult task. If you haven’t tried judging a contest, you should try it at least once. It’s especially hard when contestants are mostly at the same level of competence and performance.
Sometimes, after hearing the contest results, you will meet someone in the audience, who thought someone else should have won. These are usually spectators who do not know what the contest rules are and how the contest judging works. If so, why didn’t the ‘best speech’ win?
Why Didn't "The Best Speech" Win?
Let us look at an illustration and get some insights on Human Behaviour!
Imagine a contest with 6 contestants and 6 judges.
• Contestant A delivers a mesmerising speech – erudite, eloquent and emotional, along with classic quotes, latest TV show references and new-age jargons.
• Contestant B delivers a technically correct speech but says something that’s considered inappropriate or confusing or incorrect.
• Contestant C delivers an average speech with little creativity or value or originality.
• Contestant E and F deliver good speeches and go overtime.
Here is a possible outcome. The six judges rank all contestants in the following order. The score card shows the following.
Points >>> |
3 |
2 |
1 |
Judge 1 |
A |
B |
C |
Judge 2 |
A |
B |
C |
Judge 3 |
A |
B |
C |
Judge 4 |
A |
B |
C |
Judge 5 |
E |
B |
F |
Judge 6 |
E |
B |
F |
Let us look at the initial tally.
Score of Speaker A : 12
Score of Speaker B : 12
Score of Speaker C : 4
Score of Speaker D : 0
Score of Speaker E : 6
Score of Speaker F : 2
Oh! There is a tie between Speaker A & Speaker B. What should we do?
As per Contest Rules, a new ballot is opened – the ballot of the Tiebreaking judge – the judge whose ballot is counted only if there is a tie. In this case, it is used to break the tie between Speaker A & Speaker B. Here is the scorecard of the tiebreaking judge. For the sake of simplicity, let us only look at the top 3 places.
Tiebreaking Judge’s Ballot — First Place: Speaker C, Second Place: Speaker B, Third Place: Speaker D. This breaks the tie in favour of B.
Based on this, here are the final winners: “Drum roll please!”
Third Place: Speaker C
Second Place: Speaker A
First Place: Speaker B
Speaker E & F are disqualified due to going overtime.
Oops… Speaker A, who was placed first by four out of six judges, didn’t win the first prize!!!
Post-battle Scene 1 (Lights, Camera, Action):
Imagine that all the judges get together for drinks after the contest. “Hey, who placed B first?”
“Not me!” “Not me!” Everyone parrots the same response.
Post-battle Scene 2 (Lights, Camera, Action):
A quintessential troublemaker starts the gossip which spreads like wildfire, “How come C got placed? She was so pathetic!” This becomes the talk of the Toastmasters town. This will be discussed for the next few years.
Post-battle Scene 3 (Lights, Camera, Action):
Speaker A is dejected. It hurts. All his efforts seem wasted. People come up to him and say, “Your speech was the best.” This makes it harder to digest. Then some judges come over, “I am not supposed to tell you this, but I was a judge. I placed you first.” To add insult to injury, someone comes along and says “You made this mistake. That’s why you didn’t win. Try again, next year.”
Speaker A now says one or all of the following:
• Why didn’t I win?
• How come C got placed? She was so pathetic!
• Hey, who placed B first? At best she deserved to be second.
• I am not a good speaker!
• Toastmasters contest is a sham.
• I will never compete again.
• I shouldn’t have competed in the first place.
• The judges are stupid.
Post-battle Scene 4 (Lights, Camera, Action):
Speaker B is mobbed by the crowd. Selfies are taken and posted on social media with the following comment. “Proud moment with the new champion”. (Seeing this post, Speaker A momentarily contemplates suicide, then changes track and kicks his dog instead, and starts an argument with his girlfriend.) Meanwhile, Speaker B says, “This time the judges were smart.”.
Post-battle Scene 5 (Lights, Camera, Action):
Speaker C becomes a District trainer. He receives the most-improved-speaker in the district award. Posts selfie on Facebook, along with the Certificate of Participation. (Seeing this post and feeling side-lined, Speaker B calls her mentor to complain about the pervasive politics in the organisation.)
Post-battle Scene 6 (Lights, Camera, Action):
Speaker D - “I should have won, but judges were stupid.”
He calls all his friends to explain in detail how great his speech was.
Speaker E - “I should have won, if I didn’t go overtime. Anyway, I don’t care about winning.”
Speaker F congratulates the winners, seeks feedback from the audience, speaks to mentors, discusses with coach and starts work on the next speech.
Do you know any contestants who behave like the above? This is all but a comic interlude of what goes behind the scenes, which begs the next question: what is the winning strategy? What’s the solution?
Go for the people, not for the trophy.
In the WCPS Book, I mention the benefits when we decide to go for the people. This is tough to do, as the desire to win is real. Still focus on winning hearts and minds, not the trophy. Why? The trophy is not guaranteed, but your ability to win over people is what makes you a proficient speaker. In the professional speaking world, what I have found is that one good speech that wins hearts and minds, gets you invited to many more paid engagements. There will be people in the room who want to hear your message. Speak to win hearts and minds – this includes the judges too. They can become your allies and ambassadors. There is one more thing we need to know about judges!
Judges are not Know-It-Alls.
When I lost my first humorous speech contest, I learnt a lesson I never forgot. My high IQ, creative, rib-tickling speech didn’t win any prize. Not first, not second, not third. I was fourth. There were only four contestants.
Many people came to tell me, “You were so good.”
I had yearned to secure the 3rd place.
I went to the winner and said, “I am disappointed that I didn’t win any prize”.
He said “Your jokes were really funny.”
“Then, why didn’t you laugh?”
“I won’t. I am a contestant.”
“Hmm. Why didn’t I win?”
“Your jokes are too intellectual. They don’t understand you. You need to dumb it down, if you want to get everyone along.”
That point was well taken. Since that day, I have never lost a humorous speech contest.
The main point here is this. Your speech needs to be truly universal. Everyone should be able to follow you and understand you without any mental strain. [You need to strive to take everyone along by mastering 21 Steps of Mechanics.]
As a contestant, it is better to make a conscious choice as you enter the contest and ready yourself to find gifts in the garbage.
Find Gifts In The Garbage
When you don’t win a contest, it is often tempting to find the culprit. When you blame others, there is no learning. The best way to deal with setbacks in contests is to ask yourself the following two questions.
1. Was there anything I could have done better?
2. Is there anything left for me to learn?
If you are honest with yourself, you will find the gifts in the garbage. Remember, your setback is not the end of your speaking journey. There is someone out there who still wants to hear your message.
The truth is this:
Your speech is not as good as you think it is, and your speech is not as bad as you think it is.
You can always make your speech better than it is today. However, it is important to know that sometimes, your speech needs another audience. Sometimes, your speech needs to be delivered in another format.(In the WCPS Book, I share how I got paid to speak as a professional speaker, way before becoming the world champion, by upgrading a speech that didn't work with Toastmasters 7-minute format.)
What's The Winning Strategy?
In the previous section, I shared with you the inherent challenges of judging and how it affects the results. People often ask me, What’s the winning strategy? What’s the solution to this problem? Here it is:
The strategy is to change your perspective on how you approach the speech contests and how you handle the outcome.
o Know your Why
The first thing to know is: Why are you competing? Why is this important to you? Why do you have to do this? If there is no why? Why try?!
o Don’t let a few judges decide whether or not you are a great speaker
Just because you didn’t win the contest doesn’t diminish your quality or calibre or competence as a speaker. It’s an opinion of a few individuals. Don’t make it your reality.
o Fall in love with speech crafting
Your failure to win doesn’t mean your effort is entirely wasted. Think about this – Without the pressure of the contest, you might not have put in so much effort for a seven-minute speech. You have grown as a speaker just by putting in that effort to craft your speech and sharpen your message. You have developed a habit of excellence. Your next speeches get easier. After all, your speech may just need another tweak. [See illustrative example under Ingredient 1: Mindset titled, Don’t change your speech, change your audience.]
o Don’t be infected by “The other guy’s speech was not as good as mine” syndrome.
This could be true or this could be your ego’s story. Do a reality check. Look for facts beyond opinions. There are well-meaning members who will try to lift you up when you lose by inflating your ego. “You were the best.” This is good to consume in small doses, but take it with a pinch of salt. Uncover the opportunities to grow. [Develop your World Champion Mindset]
o Show the courage to listen to your speeches.
This is difficult for many. If it is hard for you to listen to your speeches, imagine what your audience go through as they listen to you. Look for the little things you could have improved. Send your speech to experienced speakers, coaches, mentors to find out the mistakes you might have made. Watch the speeches of other contestants too, with detachment. Was there something you could do to make your message clearer, delivery stronger, impact larger? Did the audience lose you at some point? Did you say something that was confusing or offending or inaudible? Did you make a mistake that you didn’t realise before? Did it appear that you were lying? Look for opportunities to make your speech better. It’s said that the biggest room is the room for improvement.
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