Photo by: cw

Contest rules are designed and meant to guarantee the process of the contest. For example, no photo can be taken during the contest; this is to prevent participants get distracted by the camera flash or audience’s movement.

I have to admit that I dislike one of the contest rules very much. That is no video-recording during the contest. Some of the contests are not so strict on this rule and in fact most of the time, nobody will care whether you video-record the contest.

Since last year August, I video recorded most of the speeches that I have made. It is a very powerful educational tool for me. I can do a review of my own presentation over and over. Sometimes, I also feel that no video-recoding is a waste. After spending days or weeks or months of preparation for only a 5-7 minutes presentation, at the end, you could only bring back the smile and claps from the audience. Why not bringing back your presentation and memory in video format?

I have good and bad days, not only me; actually everybody has his good and bad days. I have discovered that the videos that I have taken in my good days can serve as a confidence booster to me. Whenever I have doubt in whether I can be a good speaker, I can always view back the GOOD videos of myself. It’s a good thing to collect your own video.

Recently, I was competing in a speech contest where I was strictly prohibited to do video-recording. I was so frustrated and disappointed. I just wanted to video-record my OWN presentation, not others. As a good organizer, if no video-recording is allowed, I would suggest him to get his own video team to record the whole process and sell or give away the CD to the contestants and audience.

I understand that in some events like concert and performance, no video-taking is due to copyright issues. Will I infringe any copyright issue in taking my own presentation? Some people may argue that who knows you are only taking your own video. Ok, fine. Rules are there to be obeyed. I have no authority to alter the rules. After all, having a contest video team is the best way to please the audience and contestants, if not, at least me.

There is no perfect rule. Sometimes, when we design rules, we have to think of whether the rule does serve the main objective of the event. To me, a speech contest is a learning hub, it’s not a place where we really fight with each other and treat each other as opponents. No, no… It’s a learning hub.