4-H Public Speaking 4th-12th Grade

Helpful Hints:

• Select a topic that interests you as long as it’s appropriate for school. Then, gather
  information on your topic. You may find teachers, parents/ guardians, friends, librarians,
  magazines, & newspapers helpful sources of information
• Do your research then organize everything you are going to tell your audience. First make an
  outline, write a rough draft on paper, and finally, write your speech on index cards for easy to
  use notes when delivering your speech.
• Practice over and over! Practice giving your speech to parents/guardians, friends or even
  standing in front of a mirror! That’s the best way to become more comfortable with your speech.
• Deliver your speech! Your 4-H speech will be delivered in your November club meeting. All purple award winners will advance to the county contest!
• Pointers
  • Stand up straight and tall.
  • Speak loudly and project your voice for all to hear.
  • Make eye contact with your audience.
• The Parts that make up a good Speech:
  • Introduction—introduce your topic, capture the audiences attention, begin with a catchy phrase,
    question, quotation, funny joke or story that relates to your topic. Share some statistics or
    facts. Avoid saying your name.
  • Body—make 2-3 major points in your speech, include facts, have an order for what you say. This is the part of your speech that takes the most time.
  • Conclusion—summarize your main points, re-emphasize the main idea of your speech
• Time length for speeches:
  • 4th Grade– 1-3 minutes
  • 5th-8th Grade– 2-7 minutes
  • 9th-12th Grade– 3-7 minutes
• *Your speech should be new and unique to this contest
• *9th-12th grade speeches should relate to 4-H

1st, 2nd, and 3rd place rosette ribbons along with cash awards in each grade level at the county contest.

All 1st place winners at the county contest will be invited to participate at the area contest.

***2025 County Public Speaking contest will be held January 7th at 5:00 PM on the campus of UT Southern for those who receive a purple ribbon during the November club meetings. Please watch this page and your mailbox for more details.