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| Author |
Message |
Regina Litman
Guest
|
 Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2006 9:26 am Post subject: Re: When does your district hold additional contests? |
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betsy_in_va wrote:
| Quote: |
Hmm, this is interesting. I never thought of there being an
anti-contest camp. What are some of the anti-contest reasons? What are
the critical parts of the organization that would be hurt by having
lots of contests?
This is a whole new perspective for me. I thought everyone loved
contests (except for the people who hate all the preparation). I swear,
I learn the most interesting things on this board!
|
I'm one of the anti-contest folks, so I can give you some perspective. I
am not a competitive person by nature. Plus, as a child, I was a sore
loser, partly because I never seem to win when I compete anywhere. I
still don't know how I finally managed to get to the District Evaluation
contest this year! (And, incidentally, I did not win three times to get
there. I only won twice. There was one level in which the top two
advanced to the next level, and I came in second.)
But I'm not as anti-contest as I was before. I've had the thrill of
winning at a few places now. It's no longer third grade, where the kids
are running for election to class positions, and the most popular kids
win all of the time. And I see how exciting the contests have been for
other people.
--
Please note my correct email address:
rslitman [at-sign] infionline [dot] net |
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rich.hopkins@gmail.com
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2006 10:25 am Post subject: Re: When does your district hold additional contests? |
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|
I had a conversation last night about this, and asked the same
question.
Bottom line for many is this: Can you name the Int'l President in 1990?
or 2001?
How about the World Champion those years?
For many - the WCPS gets to much pub and celebrity status. Nevermind
that A. that champion often creates it for themselves, through
marketing efforts that any good business would approve of, or B. that
any marketing for a WCPS is marketing for TM.
To me it may be a bit like college football and basketball in the
states. We all know the QB or Point guard, but rarely the chancellor.
The other part of that comparison is what is more important - the
competition and exposure of competition, or the education provided by
the institution? The education, clearly - but the competition can be a
wonderful feeder to the school, and to Toastmasters.
And of course - when the competitors start thinking too much of
themselves, or that they are more important than the institution - lots
of bad things follow.
Rich the Almighty and Incredible Speaker.
District 9, Region I
www.richhopkins.net
www.buildingachampion.blogspot.com
betsy_in_va wrote:
| Quote: | It's a compromise between the anti-contest and pro-contest camps. It allows
for a number of local contests to be held, without creating a contest
infrastructure that will detract away from the other, more critical, parts
of the organization.
Hmm, this is interesting. I never thought of there being an
anti-contest camp. What are some of the anti-contest reasons? What are
the critical parts of the organization that would be hurt by having
lots of contests?
This is a whole new perspective for me. I thought everyone loved
contests (except for the people who hate all the preparation). I swear,
I learn the most interesting things on this board! |
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|
| Back to top |
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Rod Taylor
Guest
|
| Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2006 2:32 pm Post subject: Re: When does your district hold additional contests? |
|
|
"betsy_in_va" <b7760@keogan.com> wrote in message
news:1155507756.601692.39420@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com...
| Quote: |
And, from Debbie Horn at WHQ, 'The rule does not restrict the number
of
contests held at the club level. This means a club may hold as many
contests as it chooses for its own members. But it cannot open any
up
any of those contests to members of other clubs.'
There must be a reason behind this policy, but it seems short sighted
to me. Holding multi-club events is an important part of networking
and
getting our members excited about toastmasters (as well as
leadership).
And contests are a lot of fun, it would be nice to see informal
contests at all sorts of events. I like Rich's idea of having an
informal contest as a TLI event. But, I'm sure there is a reason for
this that I just haven't seen yet.
How seriously does this rule apply? We give out ribbons for best
speaker, best evaluator, and best table topics, at our club meetings.
If several clubs hold a joint meeting, are we allowed to give out
ribbons?
|
The rule applies only to speech contests, which are governed by the
Speech Contest Rulebook. Ribbons for Best ... are not contests
because, usually, there are no preselected judges (everyone votes) and
each member has only one vote (not a three-place ballot).
The rationale behind the policy was to control the number of contests
above Club level in the belief that such contests took time and
resources away from activities related to the CSFs.
Of course, that assumes (wrongly, in my opinion) that those responsible
for organising contests would apply similar effort elsewhere if they did
not have contests to organise. It was also felt that only a small
proportion of Toastmasters took part in contests and therefore the
effort was disproportional.
These assumptions might hold in the USA, but they don't apply here. We
have a competitive culture and we hold well-supported contests. It's
not uncommon to have five contestants for each contest at Club level.
Under the conditions of Rule 3B, we allow two contestants to advance
from Club to Area. The AG or Div Gov rarely puts much work into
arranging a contest - it's just a matter of setting the date, choosing a
Club to host the contest and they do all the work. There's never a
shortage of Clubs willing to host a contest.
If the restriction on the number of contests was reduced, District 74
would certainly have two additional contests immediately, possibly three
or four.
Rod Taylor (rodt iafrica - don't forget the @ and the dotcom)
Transformers Toastmasters Club
District 74, Southern Africa |
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Rod Taylor
Guest
|
| Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2006 3:15 pm Post subject: Re: When does your district hold additional contests? |
|
|
"Colin Angus Mackay" <colmac_dontspamme_2003@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in
message news:44dfa84b$0$7951$db0fefd9@news.zen.co.uk...
| Quote: |
Toastmasters International changed some rules in the 70s which the
clubs
in Scotland (and many others through the rest of the UK) did not agree
with. If the rules had been ignored Scotland would probably have
dozens
more Toastmaster clubs. As it was, the rules were enforced and the
clubs
broke away to form their own speaking club.
Toastmasters would now have a much stronger representation in Scotland
were it not for the rigid rules in place. Rules need to be flexible.
Modern skyscrapers have some ability to sway in strong winds because
if
they were too rigid then they would break. Trees also flex in high
winds
for the same reasons.
|
There are rules and there are rules  )
I agree that rules relating to such things as policy or organisational
structure should have a degree of flexibility in their application to
allow the organisation to function or grow in the most effective manner.
On the other hand, once you start bending the rules for something like
speech contests, you are not treating all contestants the same and that
is clearly unfair.
Rod Taylor (rodt iafrica - don't forget the @ and the dotcom)
Transformers Toastmasters Club
District 74, Southern Africa |
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Colin William
Guest
|
| Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2006 8:03 pm Post subject: Re: When does your district hold additional contests? |
|
|
"Joy" <toastie@real-me.net> wrote
| Quote: | Many of the TI rules seem short-sighted to me, especially those that
appear to oppose cooperation above the club level. A couple of years ago,
two Areas got together and held a Speech-a-thon at a local Borders.
(Borders is a bookstore that typically includes a coffee house, and
sometimes an area where readings, etc. can be done. We used this area.)
It lasted for several hours, alternating five speeches with five
evaluations, followed by a short break. Many of the Borders customers
stopped by, or sat at tables close enough that they could listen. We had
Toastmasters literature and information about the clubs involved on a
table where passers-by could pick it up. I don't know whether we gained
any new members from it, but all the participants enjoyed themselves and
had the opportunity to speak in a different type of environment. The two
Area Governors involved were severely reprimanded by TI, and were told in
no uncertain terms that Areas could not hold such joint events, and under
no circumstances was the term "Speech-a-thon" to be used.
As far as I can tell, it was viewed as a positive event by everyone except
TI. No explanation was given as to why this was a no-no.
|
Freaking ridiculous. I mean, unless "Speech-a-thon" is somebody else's
trademark, then I see no problem there, and the prohibition on joint area
activities sounds truly stupid.
Colin |
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Jean
Guest
|
| Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2006 9:39 pm Post subject: Re: When does your district hold additional contests? |
|
|
Hi everyone
I've been reading this thread with interest.
As a member, I am all for inter-club and inter-area involvement. The
problem with TI and what a lot of folks fail to realise is that if you
have inter-club meetings or contests or... it becomes an AREA and/or
DIVISIONAL event, not a club event and the AREA and/or DIVISION is
responsible for what happens (from the TI point of view). If it is an
inter-area meeting or contest or... it becomes a DISTRICT event (at
least in the UK - it may be a Regional event where you are) and the
DISTRICT is responsible as far as TI is concerned.
Looking at the matter from the perspective above, I've been wracking my
brain to come up with a creative solution to overcome any rules or
concerns TI might have. I promote ambassadorship and visiting other
clubs and areas because it promotes growth and adds to your skillbase
(simply by picking up other ways of doing things if nothing else).
Beyond that, it helps you network and get to know other TMs in other
places and they, you! Talk about a win-win situation!
Anyone out there with creative solutions or ideas on how to overcome
the issues? If so, would love to hear 'em.
Warmest regards
Jean
Colin William wrote:
| Quote: | "Joy" <toastie@real-me.net> wrote
Many of the TI rules seem short-sighted to me, especially those that
appear to oppose cooperation above the club level. A couple of years ago,
two Areas got together and held a Speech-a-thon at a local Borders.
(Borders is a bookstore that typically includes a coffee house, and
sometimes an area where readings, etc. can be done. We used this area.)
It lasted for several hours, alternating five speeches with five
evaluations, followed by a short break. Many of the Borders customers
stopped by, or sat at tables close enough that they could listen. We had
Toastmasters literature and information about the clubs involved on a
table where passers-by could pick it up. I don't know whether we gained
any new members from it, but all the participants enjoyed themselves and
had the opportunity to speak in a different type of environment. The two
Area Governors involved were severely reprimanded by TI, and were told in
no uncertain terms that Areas could not hold such joint events, and under
no circumstances was the term "Speech-a-thon" to be used.
As far as I can tell, it was viewed as a positive event by everyone except
TI. No explanation was given as to why this was a no-no.
Freaking ridiculous. I mean, unless "Speech-a-thon" is somebody else's
trademark, then I see no problem there, and the prohibition on joint area
activities sounds truly stupid.
Colin |
|
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Ken Gr
Guest
|
| Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2006 11:47 pm Post subject: Re: When does your district hold additional contests? |
|
|
On Mon, 14 Aug 2006 10:15:43 +0200, Rod Taylor wrote:
| Quote: | "Colin Angus Mackay" <colmac_dontspamme_2003@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in
message news:44dfa84b$0$7951$db0fefd9@news.zen.co.uk...
Toastmasters International changed some rules in the 70s which the
clubs
in Scotland (and many others through the rest of the UK) did not agree
with. If the rules had been ignored Scotland would probably have
dozens
more Toastmaster clubs. As it was, the rules were enforced and the
clubs
broke away to form their own speaking club.
snip |
I have often wondered just what were the staws that "broke the camels
ck" and precipitated the separation from TI and creation of ASC . Can
you provide any detail ? Thanks |
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| Back to top |
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TracyT
Guest
|
| Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 1:39 am Post subject: Re: When does your district hold additional contests? |
|
|
Our club has been having quarterly "Speak-A-Thons". Starting with the
last one, we've invited other clubs to attend as well. Maybe that is a
loophole? It's a club "special event" but we invite other clubs to
attend if they want.
So far no one has complained or contacted me and asked me to quit
organizing these. However, now that I've posted it on the newsgroup,
maybe I'll get contacted. :)
Tracy Thomason - CTM
Jean wrote:
| Quote: | Hi everyone
I've been reading this thread with interest.
As a member, I am all for inter-club and inter-area involvement. The
problem with TI and what a lot of folks fail to realise is that if you
have inter-club meetings or contests or... it becomes an AREA and/or
DIVISIONAL event, not a club event and the AREA and/or DIVISION is
responsible for what happens (from the TI point of view). If it is an
inter-area meeting or contest or... it becomes a DISTRICT event (at
least in the UK - it may be a Regional event where you are) and the
DISTRICT is responsible as far as TI is concerned.
Looking at the matter from the perspective above, I've been wracking my
brain to come up with a creative solution to overcome any rules or
concerns TI might have. I promote ambassadorship and visiting other
clubs and areas because it promotes growth and adds to your skillbase
(simply by picking up other ways of doing things if nothing else).
Beyond that, it helps you network and get to know other TMs in other
places and they, you! Talk about a win-win situation!
Anyone out there with creative solutions or ideas on how to overcome
the issues? If so, would love to hear 'em.
Warmest regards
Jean
Colin William wrote:
"Joy" <toastie@real-me.net> wrote
Many of the TI rules seem short-sighted to me, especially those that
appear to oppose cooperation above the club level. A couple of years ago,
two Areas got together and held a Speech-a-thon at a local Borders.
(Borders is a bookstore that typically includes a coffee house, and
sometimes an area where readings, etc. can be done. We used this area.)
It lasted for several hours, alternating five speeches with five
evaluations, followed by a short break. Many of the Borders customers
stopped by, or sat at tables close enough that they could listen. We had
Toastmasters literature and information about the clubs involved on a
table where passers-by could pick it up. I don't know whether we gained
any new members from it, but all the participants enjoyed themselves and
had the opportunity to speak in a different type of environment. The two
Area Governors involved were severely reprimanded by TI, and were told in
no uncertain terms that Areas could not hold such joint events, and under
no circumstances was the term "Speech-a-thon" to be used.
As far as I can tell, it was viewed as a positive event by everyone except
TI. No explanation was given as to why this was a no-no.
Freaking ridiculous. I mean, unless "Speech-a-thon" is somebody else's
trademark, then I see no problem there, and the prohibition on joint area
activities sounds truly stupid.
Colin |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
Colin William
Guest
|
| Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 1:44 am Post subject: Re: When does your district hold additional contests? |
|
|
"TracyT" <tracy@thomason.net> wrote
| Quote: | Our club has been having quarterly "Speak-A-Thons". Starting with the
last one, we've invited other clubs to attend as well. Maybe that is a
loophole? It's a club "special event" but we invite other clubs to
attend if they want.
So far no one has complained or contacted me and asked me to quit
organizing these. However, now that I've posted it on the newsgroup,
maybe I'll get contacted.
|
When it comes to TI, I say "Don't ask, don't tell" for stuff like this. As
long as it isn't an official contest, I say the heck with 'em. They seem
oblivious to so many things of meaningful importance that it's unlikely
you'd get caught ;-)
Colin |
|
| Back to top |
|
Rod Taylor
Guest
|
| Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 2:50 am Post subject: Re: When does your district hold additional contests? |
|
|
"Joy" <toastie@real-me.net> wrote in message
news:dmODg.7985$kO3.5147@newssvr12.news.prodigy.com...
| Quote: | "betsy_in_va" <b7760@keogan.com> wrote in message
news:1155507756.601692.39420@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com...
And, from Debbie Horn at WHQ, 'The rule does not restrict the
number of
contests held at the club level. This means a club may hold as
many
contests as it chooses for its own members. But it cannot open any
up
any of those contests to members of other clubs.'
There must be a reason behind this policy, but it seems short
sighted
to me. Holding multi-club events is an important part of networking
and
getting our members excited about toastmasters (as well as
leadership).
And contests are a lot of fun, it would be nice to see informal
contests at all sorts of events. I like Rich's idea of having an
informal contest as a TLI event. But, I'm sure there is a reason for
this that I just haven't seen yet.
How seriously does this rule apply? We give out ribbons for best
speaker, best evaluator, and best table topics, at our club
meetings.
If several clubs hold a joint meeting, are we allowed to give out
ribbons?
I don't know whether it's legal to hand out ribbons at a joint
contest, but
we always do.
Many of the TI rules seem short-sighted to me, especially those that
appear
to oppose cooperation above the club level. A couple of years ago,
two
Areas got together and held a Speech-a-thon at a local Borders.
(Borders is
a bookstore that typically includes a coffee house, and sometimes an
area
where readings, etc. can be done. We used this area.) It lasted for
several hours, alternating five speeches with five evaluations,
followed by
a short break. Many of the Borders customers stopped by, or sat at
tables
close enough that they could listen. We had Toastmasters literature
and
information about the clubs involved on a table where passers-by could
pick
it up. I don't know whether we gained any new members from it, but
all the
participants enjoyed themselves and had the opportunity to speak in a
different type of environment. The two Area Governors involved were
severely reprimanded by TI, and were told in no uncertain terms that
Areas
could not hold such joint events, and under no circumstances was the
term
"Speech-a-thon" to be used.
As far as I can tell, it was viewed as a positive event by everyone
except
TI. No explanation was given as to why this was a no-no.
|
Just for interest, how did WHQ find out about it? Did someone complain?
I have no idea why "Speech-a-thon" is unacceptable, except perhaps for
copyright reasons. Does anyone know? Eric? Susan?
Possibly where two or more Areas are involved, it's considered a
Division event and WHQ felt that all Areas in the Division should
therefore have been involved.
One local Club does this once a year, usually for an entire Saturday
morning to help boost CTMs etc. It's called a "Speak-a-thon" - what's
the difference? Members of other Clubs are invited. Other Clubs have
done this from time to time. No-one from District, who are well aware
of the practice, has ever indicated that this is unacceptable.
We would be unlikely to have two Areas sharing such a venture here (it
would probably be organised by the Division) but inter-Club activities
are not uncommon in terms of joint meetings and the like. Apart from the
no-no inter-Club Afrikaans speech contest that I mentioned previously,
we've never had problems with these activities.
Rod Taylor (rodt iafrica - don't forget the @ and the dotcom)
Transformers Toastmasters Club
District 74, Southern Africa |
|
| Back to top |
|
rich.hopkins@gmail.com
Guest
|
| Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 3:04 am Post subject: Re: When does your district hold additional contests? |
|
|
A Google of Speech-a-thon brings up some black power events, TM events,
and fundraising. Perhaps it is the fund-raising implication that causes
issues? TM seems to be very finicky with fundraising.
For a communications group, we seem to get hung up a lot on labels.
Rich.
Rod Taylor wrote:
| Quote: | "Joy" <toastie@real-me.net> wrote in message
news:dmODg.7985$kO3.5147@newssvr12.news.prodigy.com...
"betsy_in_va" <b7760@keogan.com> wrote in message
news:1155507756.601692.39420@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com...
And, from Debbie Horn at WHQ, 'The rule does not restrict the
number of
contests held at the club level. This means a club may hold as
many
contests as it chooses for its own members. But it cannot open any
up
any of those contests to members of other clubs.'
There must be a reason behind this policy, but it seems short
sighted
to me. Holding multi-club events is an important part of networking
and
getting our members excited about toastmasters (as well as
leadership).
And contests are a lot of fun, it would be nice to see informal
contests at all sorts of events. I like Rich's idea of having an
informal contest as a TLI event. But, I'm sure there is a reason for
this that I just haven't seen yet.
How seriously does this rule apply? We give out ribbons for best
speaker, best evaluator, and best table topics, at our club
meetings.
If several clubs hold a joint meeting, are we allowed to give out
ribbons?
I don't know whether it's legal to hand out ribbons at a joint
contest, but
we always do.
Many of the TI rules seem short-sighted to me, especially those that
appear
to oppose cooperation above the club level. A couple of years ago,
two
Areas got together and held a Speech-a-thon at a local Borders.
(Borders is
a bookstore that typically includes a coffee house, and sometimes an
area
where readings, etc. can be done. We used this area.) It lasted for
several hours, alternating five speeches with five evaluations,
followed by
a short break. Many of the Borders customers stopped by, or sat at
tables
close enough that they could listen. We had Toastmasters literature
and
information about the clubs involved on a table where passers-by could
pick
it up. I don't know whether we gained any new members from it, but
all the
participants enjoyed themselves and had the opportunity to speak in a
different type of environment. The two Area Governors involved were
severely reprimanded by TI, and were told in no uncertain terms that
Areas
could not hold such joint events, and under no circumstances was the
term
"Speech-a-thon" to be used.
As far as I can tell, it was viewed as a positive event by everyone
except
TI. No explanation was given as to why this was a no-no.
Just for interest, how did WHQ find out about it? Did someone complain?
I have no idea why "Speech-a-thon" is unacceptable, except perhaps for
copyright reasons. Does anyone know? Eric? Susan?
Possibly where two or more Areas are involved, it's considered a
Division event and WHQ felt that all Areas in the Division should
therefore have been involved.
One local Club does this once a year, usually for an entire Saturday
morning to help boost CTMs etc. It's called a "Speak-a-thon" - what's
the difference? Members of other Clubs are invited. Other Clubs have
done this from time to time. No-one from District, who are well aware
of the practice, has ever indicated that this is unacceptable.
We would be unlikely to have two Areas sharing such a venture here (it
would probably be organised by the Division) but inter-Club activities
are not uncommon in terms of joint meetings and the like. Apart from the
no-no inter-Club Afrikaans speech contest that I mentioned previously,
we've never had problems with these activities.
Rod Taylor (rodt iafrica - don't forget the @ and the dotcom)
Transformers Toastmasters Club
District 74, Southern Africa |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
Joy
Guest
|
| Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 5:57 am Post subject: Re: When does your district hold additional contests? |
|
|
"Rod Taylor" <seemysignature@nospam.ever> wrote in message
news:6qWdnT76TcuUEH3ZnZ2dnUVZ_oqdnZ2d@is.co.za...
| Quote: | "betsy_in_va" <b7760@keogan.com> wrote in message
news:1155507756.601692.39420@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com...
And, from Debbie Horn at WHQ, 'The rule does not restrict the number
of
contests held at the club level. This means a club may hold as many
contests as it chooses for its own members. But it cannot open any
up
any of those contests to members of other clubs.'
There must be a reason behind this policy, but it seems short sighted
to me. Holding multi-club events is an important part of networking
and
getting our members excited about toastmasters (as well as
leadership).
And contests are a lot of fun, it would be nice to see informal
contests at all sorts of events. I like Rich's idea of having an
informal contest as a TLI event. But, I'm sure there is a reason for
this that I just haven't seen yet.
How seriously does this rule apply? We give out ribbons for best
speaker, best evaluator, and best table topics, at our club meetings.
If several clubs hold a joint meeting, are we allowed to give out
ribbons?
The rule applies only to speech contests, which are governed by the
Speech Contest Rulebook. Ribbons for Best ... are not contests
because, usually, there are no preselected judges (everyone votes) and
each member has only one vote (not a three-place ballot).
The rationale behind the policy was to control the number of contests
above Club level in the belief that such contests took time and
resources away from activities related to the CSFs.
Of course, that assumes (wrongly, in my opinion) that those responsible
for organising contests would apply similar effort elsewhere if they did
not have contests to organise. It was also felt that only a small
proportion of Toastmasters took part in contests and therefore the
effort was disproportional.
These assumptions might hold in the USA, but they don't apply here. We
have a competitive culture and we hold well-supported contests. It's
not uncommon to have five contestants for each contest at Club level.
Under the conditions of Rule 3B, we allow two contestants to advance
from Club to Area. The AG or Div Gov rarely puts much work into
arranging a contest - it's just a matter of setting the date, choosing a
Club to host the contest and they do all the work. There's never a
shortage of Clubs willing to host a contest.
If the restriction on the number of contests was reduced, District 74
would certainly have two additional contests immediately, possibly three
or four.
Rod Taylor (rodt iafrica - don't forget the @ and the dotcom)
Transformers Toastmasters Club
District 74, Southern Africa
|
I can see a number of reasons to support contests.
There are some people who are very competitive, and who are more likely to
speak when there is a competition. IMO, anything that gets people to speak
is a good thing for Toastmasters.
Most of us are likely to spend more time crafting and honing a contest
speech than a speech we will give at a club meeting.
A contest is a good draw for guests, some of whom may decide to join. A
well-run contest is an excellent showcase for Toastmasters. I know of
people who have joined after seeing a contest.
An evaluation contest serves two purposes, above and beyond the contest.
The test speaker has an opportunity to receive a full evaluation by multiple
evaluators. This generally serves to point out the speaker's strengths and
weaknesses. It also demonstrates the fact that an evaluation is a personal
opinion, since it is likely that two or more evaluators will have different
viewpoints about some point. An evaluation contest at the club level gives
beginners an opportunity to give an evaluation without being the only
evaluator. Many beginners are reluctant to evaluate for fear they will "say
the wrong thing". If they are assured that the speaker will hear other
evaluations, so that anything they say will either be diluted or reinforced,
they are more likely to be willing to try. Occasionally such a beginner
will surprise him/herself and win the club contest.
Joy |
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| Back to top |
|
Joy
Guest
|
| Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 6:00 am Post subject: Re: When does your district hold additional contests? |
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According to my understanding, an Area event includes all clubs in the area.
An event involving or sponsored by two or three clubs, in an area containing
five or six clubs, is not an Area event. The same goes for two Areas
cooperating on an event when there are six or seven Areas in the Division.
Joy
"Jean" <jean_hf@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
news:1155566375.293235.43320@i42g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
| Quote: | Hi everyone
I've been reading this thread with interest.
As a member, I am all for inter-club and inter-area involvement. The
problem with TI and what a lot of folks fail to realise is that if you
have inter-club meetings or contests or... it becomes an AREA and/or
DIVISIONAL event, not a club event and the AREA and/or DIVISION is
responsible for what happens (from the TI point of view). If it is an
inter-area meeting or contest or... it becomes a DISTRICT event (at
least in the UK - it may be a Regional event where you are) and the
DISTRICT is responsible as far as TI is concerned.
Looking at the matter from the perspective above, I've been wracking my
brain to come up with a creative solution to overcome any rules or
concerns TI might have. I promote ambassadorship and visiting other
clubs and areas because it promotes growth and adds to your skillbase
(simply by picking up other ways of doing things if nothing else).
Beyond that, it helps you network and get to know other TMs in other
places and they, you! Talk about a win-win situation!
Anyone out there with creative solutions or ideas on how to overcome
the issues? If so, would love to hear 'em.
Warmest regards
Jean
Colin William wrote:
"Joy" <toastie@real-me.net> wrote
Many of the TI rules seem short-sighted to me, especially those that
appear to oppose cooperation above the club level. A couple of years
ago,
two Areas got together and held a Speech-a-thon at a local Borders.
(Borders is a bookstore that typically includes a coffee house, and
sometimes an area where readings, etc. can be done. We used this
area.)
It lasted for several hours, alternating five speeches with five
evaluations, followed by a short break. Many of the Borders customers
stopped by, or sat at tables close enough that they could listen. We
had
Toastmasters literature and information about the clubs involved on a
table where passers-by could pick it up. I don't know whether we
gained
any new members from it, but all the participants enjoyed themselves
and
had the opportunity to speak in a different type of environment. The
two
Area Governors involved were severely reprimanded by TI, and were told
in
no uncertain terms that Areas could not hold such joint events, and
under
no circumstances was the term "Speech-a-thon" to be used.
As far as I can tell, it was viewed as a positive event by everyone
except
TI. No explanation was given as to why this was a no-no.
Freaking ridiculous. I mean, unless "Speech-a-thon" is somebody else's
trademark, then I see no problem there, and the prohibition on joint area
activities sounds truly stupid.
Colin |
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Joy
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 6:01 am Post subject: Re: When does your district hold additional contests? |
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"Colin William" <colintwilliam@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:4kbuuoF5v1saU1@individual.net...
| Quote: |
"TracyT" <tracy@thomason.net> wrote
Our club has been having quarterly "Speak-A-Thons". Starting with the
last one, we've invited other clubs to attend as well. Maybe that is a
loophole? It's a club "special event" but we invite other clubs to
attend if they want.
So far no one has complained or contacted me and asked me to quit
organizing these. However, now that I've posted it on the newsgroup,
maybe I'll get contacted. :)
When it comes to TI, I say "Don't ask, don't tell" for stuff like this. As
long as it isn't an official contest, I say the heck with 'em. They seem
oblivious to so many things of meaningful importance that it's unlikely
you'd get caught ;-)
Colin
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As I understand it, the District governor heard about the Speech-a-thon and
disapproved, so she reported it to TI.
Joy |
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Joy
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 6:04 am Post subject: Re: When does your district hold additional contests? |
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"Rod Taylor" <seemysignature@nospam.ever> wrote in message
news:c9OdnUOxcKEmSX3ZnZ2dnUVZ_oCdnZ2d@is.co.za...
| Quote: | "Joy" <toastie@real-me.net> wrote in message
news:dmODg.7985$kO3.5147@newssvr12.news.prodigy.com...
"betsy_in_va" <b7760@keogan.com> wrote in message
news:1155507756.601692.39420@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com...
And, from Debbie Horn at WHQ, 'The rule does not restrict the
number of
contests held at the club level. This means a club may hold as
many
contests as it chooses for its own members. But it cannot open any
up
any of those contests to members of other clubs.'
There must be a reason behind this policy, but it seems short
sighted
to me. Holding multi-club events is an important part of networking
and
getting our members excited about toastmasters (as well as
leadership).
And contests are a lot of fun, it would be nice to see informal
contests at all sorts of events. I like Rich's idea of having an
informal contest as a TLI event. But, I'm sure there is a reason for
this that I just haven't seen yet.
How seriously does this rule apply? We give out ribbons for best
speaker, best evaluator, and best table topics, at our club
meetings.
If several clubs hold a joint meeting, are we allowed to give out
ribbons?
I don't know whether it's legal to hand out ribbons at a joint
contest, but
we always do.
Many of the TI rules seem short-sighted to me, especially those that
appear
to oppose cooperation above the club level. A couple of years ago,
two
Areas got together and held a Speech-a-thon at a local Borders.
(Borders is
a bookstore that typically includes a coffee house, and sometimes an
area
where readings, etc. can be done. We used this area.) It lasted for
several hours, alternating five speeches with five evaluations,
followed by
a short break. Many of the Borders customers stopped by, or sat at
tables
close enough that they could listen. We had Toastmasters literature
and
information about the clubs involved on a table where passers-by could
pick
it up. I don't know whether we gained any new members from it, but
all the
participants enjoyed themselves and had the opportunity to speak in a
different type of environment. The two Area Governors involved were
severely reprimanded by TI, and were told in no uncertain terms that
Areas
could not hold such joint events, and under no circumstances was the
term
"Speech-a-thon" to be used.
As far as I can tell, it was viewed as a positive event by everyone
except
TI. No explanation was given as to why this was a no-no.
Just for interest, how did WHQ find out about it? Did someone complain?
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Yes, the District Governor heard about it and disapproved, so she reported
it to TI.
| Quote: | I have no idea why "Speech-a-thon" is unacceptable, except perhaps for
copyright reasons. Does anyone know? Eric? Susan?
Possibly where two or more Areas are involved, it's considered a
Division event and WHQ felt that all Areas in the Division should
therefore have been involved.
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Actually, anyone in the Division was welcome to participate, but the two
Areas sponsored the event.
| Quote: | One local Club does this once a year, usually for an entire Saturday
morning to help boost CTMs etc. It's called a "Speak-a-thon" - what's
the difference? Members of other Clubs are invited. Other Clubs have
done this from time to time. No-one from District, who are well aware
of the practice, has ever indicated that this is unacceptable.
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I suppose the difference is that our event was held in a public place,
rather than at a club's meeting place.
| Quote: | We would be unlikely to have two Areas sharing such a venture here (it
would probably be organised by the Division) but inter-Club activities
are not uncommon in terms of joint meetings and the like. Apart from the
no-no inter-Club Afrikaans speech contest that I mentioned previously,
we've never had problems with these activities.
Rod Taylor (rodt iafrica - don't forget the @ and the dotcom)
Transformers Toastmasters Club
District 74, Southern Africa
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