The Nuts & Bolts of 4-H Presentations
Everything you need to know and then some!
4-H Presentations
Entertaining
Commemorative
Types of Speeches
Persuasive
Informational
1st Things First
Peers
Hobbies
TOPIC
Title
Media
School
4-H Projects
Career Interest
Selecting & Developing A Topic
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Select your project: Safety
Choose your specific topic: Seat Belts
Decide on your purpose: to convince the audience of the need to use seat belts, how
seat belts save lives - persuade audience to use seat belts
Exercise in Selecting and Expanding Your Topic
4-H Project
General Topic Area
Specific Areas
Breakdown of One Area
Fire
Camping
Children
Lawn Mower
Insurance
Alcohol & Drugs
Demonstrate with dummies
Types of injuries they prevent
Seat belt laws
Kinds of seat belts
How they operate
Seat Belts
Automobile
Safety
Poisons
Animals
Changing tires
Safety features
Air bags
Safe driving skills
Highway laws
Auto 1st Aid Kits
Basic Organization
• Introduction
– Attention Getter
– Who are you and why are you here?
– What are you going to share with us today?
• Body
– What are you going to talk about . . . So what!
• Why is that information important to me?
• Summary & Conclusion
– Re-tell your information and sum it up!
– Make and ending statement – connect this to your attention getter.
– Ask if there are any questions
Elements of Public Speaking
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Eye Contact
Gestures
Language
Posture
Voice dynamics/articulation
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Appearance
Visual aids
Handling questions
Handling distractions
Visuals
• Visibility: easy to read
• Simplicity: message is
easy to understand
• Interest: attracts & hold
attention
• Useful: words, lettering,
pictures are suitable for
audience
• Structure: ideas a
grouped in sequential
order
• Information: is factual,
reliable and is current
Visuals Used Today Include
PowerPoint
Posters
Slides/Interactive
Screen
Rules & Regulations
Rules AREN’T Made to be broken
General Rules
• Age eligibility is established on January 1st of the current
year. To participate in a Presentation competition, the youth
must be nine years of age prior to January 1st of the
current year and not have had his/her 19th birthday before
January 1st of the current year.
• Divisions are 9-10, 11-13, and 14-18
• Cloverbuds/Primary Youth (ages 5 to 8) can participate in
their club and county activity day through “Danish
Competition” regulations.
General Rules
• Presentations are recommended to be between 5 to 12
minutes in length. Note: Category Exceptions!
• Each county may enter two presentations per age division
category.
• 4-H members may compete in no more than one
presentation program per year at the district and state
levels. "4-H Entertains" is not considered a presentation
program.
• Each county is limited to two (2) "4-H Entertains" Acts at
their DAD. Not a competition – a Showcase of Talent
General Rules
• ONLY the 9-10 district “GOLD medal winners are eligible
to participate in the state competition
• 11-13 & 14-18 level district Silver medal winners (runnersup’s) are eligible to participate in the state competition.
– There will be no scholarship available for runners-up’s to
attend Congress unless the district winner decides not to
participate.
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4-H members may continue to compete in a particular
presentation category until declared state GOLD Medal
winner in that age division.
– A GOLD medal presentation may not be presented again.
General Rules
• In all levels of the the Competitive Presentation program a team is composed of only two individuals.
• If the team giving a presentation is composed of
individual's in two different age divisions (9-10, 11-13, 1418), the team must compete in the older youths age
division.
General Rules
• No live animals / insects may be used in any presentation.
• No real OR play handguns/ firearms / Weapons are
allowed to be used during presentations.
– NCGS 14-269.2 Class 1 Felony
• School Suspension
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No swords, knifes, bows & arrows, etc.
General Rules
Food Categories
• 9-10 & 11-13 Presenters in Breads, Dairy Foods, Fruit &
Vegetable Use, and Peanut Foods will be asked to
demonstrate a mastery of preparation steps.
• Note: each category has basic ingredient requirements.
• 4-18 Presenters are not required to prepare a dish. Depth
of knowledge is stressed.
General Rules
• Only youth 15-years or older are eligible to attend the
National Junior Horticulture Association Contest.
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Egg Cookery
Peanut Foods
Fruits & Vegetables
Twigs (Artistic Arrangement)
PlanIt! Green (Horticulture Production & Marketing)
Ground Breakers & Inside Dirt (Landscaping)
General Rules
• The same presentation may be repeated from one year to
the next; however, the individual's personal development
will be much greater if the presentation is revised and
improved.
• A County Winner ribbon is given to each participant.
• A ribbon, medal and certificate are awarded to the Gold
district winner. Silver & Bronze winner do not receive a
certificates.
• One presentation in each category age division will be
designated as the district winner and will be eligible to
compete on the state level.
General Rules
• Open Class: Only presentations that do not fit into any other
subject-matter category are allowed in this area.
• Presentation Setup: The speaker is responsible for setting
up all equipment for the presentation.
• Interruptions: The judges will determine if the participant
should begin where they left off or start anew.
• Note cards: The speaker is allowed to use note cards but
they should be used as a tool for referencing material (the
speaker should not read directly from their cards).
– The speaker should keep their note cards to a minimum.
General Rules
• Questions:
– Only “Judges” are allowed to ask participants questions.
(Questions are not allowed in the Public Speaking category).
– Youth may opt to repeat the question, paraphrase the
question or include the question in their answer but this is
NOT a requirement.
– You have given an acceptable response when you admit you
are unable to answer the question.
2007 4-H Presentation Categories
Something for Everyone . . .
2007 Presentation Categories
http://www.nc4h.org/publications/presentations/quick_fact_sheet.pdf
The Judging Process
“Making the Best Better”
http://www.nc4h.org/publications/presentations/general_presentation_rubric.pdf
http://www.nc4h.org/publications/presentations/public_speaking_rubric.pdf
http://www.nc4h.org/publications/presentations/talent_showcase_feedback_form.pdf
Mitzi Downing, Ed.D.
Mitzi_downing@ncsu.edu
www.nc4h.org