Michigan District Optimists

ORATORICAL CONTEST

2013-2014

2013-2014 Official Topic……

“How my Passion May Impact the

World”

Benefits….. * Great publicity* Great publicity* Get involved with school systems* Get involved with school systems* Involvement with other youth groups in* Involvement with other youth groups in the communitythe community* Meet youth you can work with in the* Meet youth you can work with in the futurefuture

* Meet parents who may be* Meet parents who may be interested in interested in joining your clubjoining your club

Contest Areas

General Rules• The OI Oratorical Contest will consist of three levels, i.e., Club,

Area, District• Contestants must enter through a local Optimist club• The official application must be completed by each contest and

submitted to the sponsoring club’s Contest Chair.• A separate gender contest will be held for 2013-2014 • No Club, Area, District shall have fewer than 3 or more that 20

contestants competing• OI has the right to edit, publish and record any speech used in any

contest without payment to the author.• No one should be allowed to exit or enter the room during a

presentation.• Audience is not to applaud until all presentations have been made.

Contestant Qualifications

•The contest is open to students under the age of 19 who have not graduated from high school or the equivalent. They must be educated in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. There is no minimum age.

•Is eligible to enter/compete in only one Optimist Oratorical contest during a contest year.

•Shall prepare his/her own speech and may make only minor changes or improvements in the speech at any time.

•Is no eligible to compete at any level of competition if he/she has won the District competition

•Must furnish a copy of their birth certificate or passport with their official entry form before competing; along with 2 double-spaced, typed copies of their speech.

Videotaping Guidelines

• Each contestant has the option of having the camera turned off during his/her presentation.

• All oratorical contests must be conducted live, not judged on videotape. However, contestants can be taped so that each can take home an individual taped copy of their speech or a master copy of all presentations can be supplied for all contestants.

Timekeeper

• This person can be an Optimist club member.

• Duties include:– Record official length of each speech and

assess penalties if needed, citing rational for penalty and totaling score on the “Timekeeper’s” official form. This form must be turned in to the Contest Chair and included in the master scores of each speaker.

Contest Rules

• All contestants must speak on the official topic.• A speech may be delivered in a language other

than English if the language used is an official language of the country in which the sponsoring club is located.

• All contestants must state the official topic before beginning their speech in order for the timekeeper to record the exact time of the speech. A 3-point penalty is automatically assessed by the timekeeper for failure to state the official topic.

Contest Rules (cont’d)

• Any quotation or copyrighted material used in the speech must be identified verbally during the presentation and in the written copy of the speech with the original author’s name. The contestant shall be fully responsible for the use of any quoted material and OI shall assume no responsibility. Failure to identify non-original material will result in disqualification.

Contest Rules (cont’d)

• Contestant will be disqualified for the use of props, special costumes or clothing, or the use of prompters.

• The time allowed is not under 4 minutes and not over 5 minutes. A penalty of one point per 15 seconds or fraction of over or under the time allotted. The official timekeeper will determine the penalty.

Contest Rules (cont’d)• Timing will begin immediately after the official

topic is expressed. Any salutation to judges, audience, etc., should precede the announcement of the topic. Timing will stop when the contestant finishes.

• No reference can be made that identifies the student, parents, school, community, sponsoring Optimist Club or District. This will result in a deduction of 5 points or a fraction of based on the degree of identification.

• Contestants will remain unidentified until after the last oration has been presented and the judges and timekeeper have left the room.

Contest Rules (cont’d)

• Any protest in conduct must be made immediately after the condition is noted. There will be no deviations from this rule.

• All protests will be decided by the Contest Chairperson according to the official rules. This decision is final. (No appeals will be recognized.)

Judges

• Select three qualified judges who are not acquainted with the students. At the club level, Optimist members may serve. Non-Optimists members with experience in the field of public speaking are to serve for the Area and District competitions.

Scoring

• Poise – 20 points

• Content of speech – 35 points

• Delivery and Presentation – 35 points

• Overall Effectiveness – 10 points

Penalties

• Failure to announce official topic – 3 points• Failure to identify non-original material –

disqualification• Use of props, etc – disqualification• Time penalties – 1 point for each 15

seconds or fraction of over or under the allotted time

• Self-identification – 5 points or fraction of based on degree of identification

Protests

• One person should be designated to handle protests. Anyone wishing to protest should raise their hand at the completion of the student’s speech and should be given pen/pencil and a card to record their protest. The cards will be collected and issues addressed before the judges and timekeeper leave the room to compile the scores.

Awards

• Club level – medallion• Area level- Plaque• District level – Plaque and scholarship

– Used for college, university, trade school– Each winner will receive $2500 each payable

to the educational institution of the recipient’s choice, subject to approval of OI

– Must be administered by OI and must be claimed by the age of 25

Competition Timeframes

• Local Club – March 1 – 30, 2014

• Region - April 1 - 30, 2014

• District – May 17, 2014

(At 3rd Quarter Mtg.in Bay City, MI)

ALL REGIONAL RESULTS MUST BE FORWARDED TO THE DISTRICT CHAIR NO LATER THAN FRIDAY, MAY 2, 2014

www.optimist.orgwww.optimistleaders.org

• Use the web addresses listed above to acquire a Club Contest Program Planning Guide which will include:

• Project Timeline• Job descriptions for the Project Chair,

Contestant Coordinator, Judging Coordinator, club Board of Directors

• Forms – Entry, Visitor Sign-In, Club Contest Worksheet, Judge’s Score Sheet, Timekeeper’s Score sheet, Official Report Form, Official, Evaluation

Follow-Up

• As soon as you complete your club contest, forward the winners’ entry form including fee (if any), birth certificate/passport and 2 copies of the speeches to the chairperson of the Regional competition. Area chairs will forward their winners’ info to the District chair.

• PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO COMPLETE THE EVALUATION FORMS AT EACH LEVEL!!!

Questions/Comments

Michigan District Oratorical Chairperson

Monetta Foster

248/451-9494 – (H)

248/505-1584 - (C)

Mamapore888@comcast.net