National Public Speaking Finals
-
The Public Speaking Bee Finals will be held for the Senior level ONLY:
- SPW (Senior public speaking Bee): Grades 9, 10, 11 and 12
- A 1st rank winner at the National Finals of the North South Foundation senior public speaking bee is not eligible for competing in this and future North South Foundation spelling contests.
- The contestants for the competition will be placed in a separate room (Room A, Waiting Room). Badge numbers will determine the order of the speakers.
- Each contestant will be escorted to a separate room (Room B, Preparation Room) 30 minutes before the contestant’s turn, where he/she will be given the speech topic. Thus the contestants will not know the topic ahead of time. No smart phones or any other devices are allowed inside the room during preparation time.
- When the 30 minutes are over, the contestant will be escorted to the contest room (Room C) to give the speech. The contestant will have 3 minutes to deliver a short speech on the given topic. All the contestants are given the same topic.
-
Each contestant will be scored by a panel of three judges and the average of the
three scores will be used to rank the contestants. The judges will score on
14 criteria on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest score possible for that criterion. The decisions of the judges are final. - The First, Second and Third place winners are decided based on the average of the three judges scores. The first place winner shall be ahead by at least 0.01 point to be declared as the champion.
Winners and Ranks:
JPS: In the 3 minutes provided, describe a project that you and your friends might undertake during the week of spring-break that will help a section of the community or individuals that are less fortunate?
SPS: Suppose you are the speech writer for your favorite candidate for the Presidential elections in 2008. What would be your speech to convince voters on why they should vote for you?
- http://www.school-for-champions.com/speaking.htm
- http://www.kidsturncentral.com/links/speakinglinks.htm
- http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/speech/commcentral/mgpubspeakresour.html
- http://www.selfgrowth.com/public.html
Feeling some nervousness before giving a speech is natural and healthy. It shows you care about doing well. But, too much nervousness can be detrimental. Here's how you can control your nervousness and make effective, memorable presentations:
- Know the room. Be familiar with the place in which you will speak. Arrive early, walk around the speaking area and practice using the microphone and any visual aids.
- Know the audience. Greet some of the audience as they arrive. It's easier to speak to a group of friends than to a group of strangers.
- Know your material. If you're not familiar with your material or are uncomfortable with it, your nervousness will increase. Practice your speech and revise it if necessary.
- Relax. Ease tension by doing exercises.
- Visualize yourself giving your speech. Imagine yourself speaking, your voice loud, clear, and assured. When you visualize yourself as successful, you will be successful.
- Realize that people want you to succeed. Audiences want you to be interesting, stimulating, informative, and entertaining. They don't want you to fail.
- Don't apologize. If you mention your nervousness or apologize for any problems you think you have with your speech, you may be calling the audience's attention to something they hadn't noticed. Keep silent.
- Concentrate on the message -- not the medium. Focus your attention away from your own anxieties, and outwardly toward your message and your audience. Your nervousness will dissipate.
- Turn nervousness into positive energy. Harness your nervous energy and transform it into vitality and enthusiasm
- Gain experience. Experience builds confidence, which is the key to effective speaking. A Toastmasters club can provide the experience you need.
If you'd like to learn more about joining Toastmasters, please visit: http://www.toastmasters.org
Public Speaking, started in 2006, is a pilot contest and is one of the growing lists of contests offered by NorthSouth. This contest is offered with a view to help and educate our children on how to prepare and present a speech before their peers or to a group of people. We all face situations on a regular basis at work, school, and local meetings to deliver speeches to groups of individuals, coworkers and others on topics we have been involved with. At times, people feel stressed out during the preparation and in anticipation of giving a speech.
NorthSouth contests are developed with a view that as our children start preparing for these at an early age, they can become successful communicators and deliver better speeches and become successful. Since public speaking is an art, one can develop the skills for better speaking with determination and hard work.
The speeches will be scored by a qualified panel of NorthSouth Public Speaking judges (three judge will score each speech). Depending on the number of contestants, winners will be identified based on NorthSouth Public Speaking judging rules. The decisions by the judges shall be final and shall not be subject to any further appeal.
Results will be announced at the same time after all the contestants finish their speeches. All regional and national contest results shall be posted on the NorthSouth website.
- To stimulate enthusiasm and a love for public speaking
- To make public speaking an enjoyable task not a chore
- To better prepare for excelling in public speaking
- To develop important skills in delivering a better and powerful speeches
- To develop creativity and ingenuity in situations where one needs to deliver speeches at a short notice
- To provide for the satisfaction, joy, and thrill of meeting challenges
- To be hardworking, persevering, and determined to meet any challenges
- To meet other students of Indian origin and develop friendship
Online registration via NorthSouth homepage is generally available, starting early January. You can also refer to the NorthSouth Contest Calendar or ask your Regional Coordinator about registration deadlines and contest dates.
Currently, the national finals will be held only for the senior level. In the future, they may be held for all levels.