An original oration shall be defined as a memorized, original persuasive speech with a unique approach to a universal theme.
Original orations shall be the work of the student.
If a student qualifies for regional or state speech and drama festival or state speech championship and it is found he/she has been guilty of plagiarism, he/she shall be disqualified. Plagiarism shall be defined as a quotation of more than four words without giving the source. b. Students should be encouraged to use standard persuasive format such as Monroe’s Motivated Sequence (Attention, Need, Satisfaction, Visualization, Action) or Problem-Cause-Solution.
Original orations shall not be more than 10 minutes in length.
Original orations shall be memorized and given without notes. Prompting shall not be allowed. Charts, displays, maps, graphs or any other materials which could be used for demonstration purposes are not permissible.
Oration Tips for Success
Don’t pick a topic that is overdone
Pick a topic that is controversial, but not deep-seeded values (like religion, abortion, death penalty)
Passion in delivery is mucho importante
Needs interpy sections to “act out”
Gestures can be planned—not a must, ornaments are encouraged
Topical humor
Follow outline structure
Intro: Hook, background, thesis/preview
Main Body (3 points): Transition themed sentence, topic sentence, back-up for each main point (at least one citation per main point)