D90 Contest Judging Workshop 2025

Have you ever been to a workshop and thought, that was incredibly helpful?

That was me after attending the D90 Contest Judging Workshop, held on Sunday, 31st August.

Being a judge at a contest can feel overwhelming, especially when you first look at the judging sheet. How do you, as a judge, interpret its meaning? On the other hand, being a contestant can be just as overwhelming. You may find yourself asking: Did my speech really address all the points on that sheet? That is exactly why I attended this workshop, to strengthen both my judging and speaking skills.

The workshop was facilitated by Annette Roberts DTM and Tom Wilde DTM and we were informed of what is means to be a judge, what are the qualities you need and what are the barriers you run into, such as being non-biased and the Halo effect. We looked at all the sections of the judging sheet and had a very good discussion of the ‘meaning’ of those sections on the judging sheet.

Being a hybrid and interactive workshop, we heard from other Toastmasters in the room and online, their perspective, their examples made me think about my own judging skills and how I present my speeches.

The best part was, after the break which was the “mock” International Speech contest. There were three speakers and we all got to judge them according to the ballot. Normally the contestants don’t know where they missed out on points as the judges are unknown. In this case, we went through the judging sheet and had a good all-round discussion on how and why everyone judged the contestants the way they did. The feedback from the three speakers afterwards was so positive and all three expressed their gratitude to everyone for being so honest.

If you’re thinking of entering a speech contest or serving as a judge in a speech contest, this is definitely a workshop you won’t want to miss when it comes around again.

Written by Sandra Tuinman | Reviewed by Ramalka Kasige DTM

Image Credits: Allan Rees-Bevan DTM & Kaz Lind