1. Man! This Wig
Really Itches! Listen
Carefully!
Be Fair! Accuracy
Rules!
Toastmasters Learning Institute
District 47
Bob Turel, DTM

2. What’s Your Mission?
It is the responsibility of a Contest Judge to do two things:
1. SELECT A WINNER
2. Be ETHICAL

3. What Makes an Effective Judge?
Contest Judges should strive to be:
• Accurate
• Fair
• Trustworthy
• Knowledgeable
• Effective Listeners
The Contest Judge’s CODE OF ETHICS
• Avoid bias in selecting winners.
• Do not time speeches or consider the possibility of under
or overtime when making selections.
• Support Contest rules and do not reveal scores.

4. Barriers to Objectivity
Part 1
The Barrier The Judges’ Challenge
• First or last • Treat each speaker the
speaker is best. same.
• Let’s help the • Don’t let feelings
underdog. influence your judging.
• Resist giving speakers
• The Halo effect.
high marks for anything
other than good
performance.

5. Barriers to Objectivity
Part 2
The Barrier The Judges’ Challenge
• Don’t downgrade in one
• Reverse Halo category because of
effect. performance in a different
category.
• Second time
• Judge the speech as if it’s the
around. first time you’ve heard it.
• Give someone • Never consider past
successes or failures.
else a chance.
• Think about the norms in your
• Club norms. club. Then determine whether
they should be applied
universally.

6. Barriers to Objectivity
Part 3
The Barrier The Judges’ Challenge
• Bias and personal • Set aside likes and
preference. dislikes by asking
yourself:
• Unfamiliar judging – What do I like or
forms. dislike about this
speech?
– Is what I like or
dislike relevant?
• Study them thoroughly.

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Jeff tha
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Joy c
Stev
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9 8 7 6 5 4
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How can you stay focused on judging one
speaker’s presentation at a time? Note: You must
First, enter the contestants names from vote for the top
right to left according to the speaking three contestants,
order. and sign the Ballot,
Next, fold the form over so that the or your vote is
previous contestant’s name and scores voided!
cannot be seen.
Joyce Smith
Samantha Jones
Jennifer Thayer
Bob Turel

8. Very often when we are ready to engage as a judge in a
Toastmasters Contest, we may not have all the Rules and
Regulations committed to memory, or even available to us as
a handy reference guide.
This following supplemental section to the workshop
participant’s guide is a compilation of information gathered
from the experience of several Toastmasters over the years. It
is comprehensive enough to help you address most issues that
may arise before or during a contest.
Since there is no rule against keeping it with you when you are
a contest judge, it is recommended that you have it with you
before and during each contest in which you participate as a
judge.

9. Frequently Asked Questions
Competing and Judging at the Same Time
• You are planning to compete in your Club, and you have judged in
another Club’s contest. Are you allowed to still compete in your
Club? NO
• In Scenario 1, would it matter what Area the Club was in? NO
• Are you allowed to judge at the Club level after you have
competed and won? NO
• Using Scenario 3, what if you lost? YES
• Are you allowed to judge at any Area level after you have won
either 1st or 2nd place at the Club level? NO

10. Frequently Asked Questions
Judging When You’re an Officer or Presenter
1. While holding a District Office (Area Governor and above) are you allowed to
judge a contest?
 For Division Contests and above ? NO
 For Area Contests other than your own Area? YES, but it is still recommended
against by World Headquarters, because it invites bias.
2. Can you be a judge if you have declared for a District Office? NO
3. Are you allowed to judge at the District Conference if you are a Presenter?
YES
4. Can you be a Presenter and a Competitor at the District Conference? NO

11. Audio-Visual Issues
1. You have a blind contestant in your Contest, and a sound timer is used for signaling and it sustains a power
failure, what do you do?
A. Ensure there is a manual sounding device available for backup (Ex. Buzzer, Bell, or Human voice.)
B.The contestant may choose a special device of his/her own, but must do so before the contest and provide
instructions for it as well.
2. Use of a microphone, if available, must be offered to all contestants. There is no requirement to use it.
•Can a contestant bring his own? NO
•May a contestant bring her own sound system? NO
3. If a timing device’s bulb goes out during a speech, what do you do?
• Give the speaker an extra 30 seconds, and
• Implement a backup system immediately (Ex. Placards or a secondary set of lights.)
• The Chief Judge should ensure that is noted by the Timers. The Contest Master does not comment. The speaker does
not stop.
• A Stopwatch fails. Can a Timer stop the Contest? NO*
* All Contests call for a backup stopwatch that should be running simultaneously with the main timing device.
• Does the “Extra 30 Seconds overtime, in the event of a technical failure” rule apply to all Contestants, even
blind ones? YES
• A microphone fails while a contestant is speaking? Is it a technical failure? NO (Only lights. Use of a mike is
optional. Lights are not.)

12. Protests
An audience member tells a judge that a contestant’s speech was not original. May the judge lodge a
protest? NO+
+ The judge must have personal knowledge that the speech is not original.
3.What is the most effective way to lodge a protest?
A.Write the word “protest” on the voting ballot submitted to the Counters, or
B.Discreetly approach the Chief Judge during the moment of silence between speakers, or before the awards are
announced.
Judging Ballots
A Contest Master reads the Contest’s results incorrectly. After the awards are presented, can a correction be
made, even if its only a minute or so? NO+
+ Corrections to the awards results can only be made by the Chief Judge or ballot counters prior to the
announcements.
•A ballot is cast without a signature. Can it be counted? NO^
^ The ballot is invalid. Ballots should be signed by judges before the contest begins. Do not obtain a signature after
the fact.
•There are four speakers in a contest, and one of the ballots lists only two contestants. Is it valid? NO~
~ Three places must be completed on ballot forms in a contest that has three or more contestants.
The Tiebreaker Judge’s ballot must contain the names of all the contestants listed according to the places awarded
by that judge.
•If a judge requires a replacement ballot form, may another one be made available? YES`
` See the Chief Judge during the moment of silence between speakers, or the two minutes of silence during the final
ballot completion.

13. Use of Props and Speaking Area
May the lectern may be moved based on the contestant’s request? NO
• A contestant walks into an area not designated as the speaking area. Is s/he disqualified? NO~
~ A judge may lower the point score, but only two things can disqualify a contestant: Timing and Originality
• A contestant who drew first place arranges his props on stage at the beginning of the contest. Is
that allowed? NO*
• Any props must be set in place only during the moment of silence preceding the announcement of the
contestant. This arrangement should be made with the Sergeant at Arms beforehand to make the setup,
and the props must be removed during the moment of silence that follows.
• May the Contest Master remain on stage while a contestant speaks? YES*
* However it is not recommended, and in fact the Chief Judge should insist the Contest Master exit the stage
to avoid distractions.
Judging in More Than One Contest
A TM is available to judge one of the contests, (Ex. Table Topic) but not available to judge the second
contest (Ex. International Speech.) Should that Toastmaster be a judge? YES^
^ A judge should participate in both contests if held the same day as a convenience, but separate judges are
acceptable. (Especially when Contests held in periods of time than span more than day.)
Miscellaneous
Should a judge, even informally, express his thoughts to anyone before or after the contest
performances? NO#
# Judges, Counters and Timers should never say anything about the competition.