ORATORY 10 Steps to a Winning Oratory: Oration is a persuasive speech. You want to move the listener from their point of view to yours. You HAVE to sell your speech. Motivated Sequence: 1. Get Attention 2. Establish a need 3. Satisfaction of needs: you are trying to persuade them to do it 4. Paint the picture: tie the whole thing together, visualize, SHOW the listener the whole picture. 5. Challenge the listener STEP 1: Choose your topic A. Choose something that you feel strongly about. B. Choose something that relates to everyone- not just a small group. C. Choose something that won’t offend anyone (abortion, racism, religion, etc.) D. Choose something that will stand out- something that people will remember. Be Creative! Anything is possible. STEP 2: Research Find out about your topic. Find information (poems, articles, quotes, statistics, stories, etc.), read it, and copy it. Brainstorm- write down ANY idea that you could use on your topic- even if you think it’s dumb. STEP 3: Organize your material Take all your material and ideas, read over them, and throw out anything you can’t use. Organize the remaining information into related parts. STEP 4: Outline I. Attention getter- a poem, story, quote, statement, statistic, etc. II. Establish- here you will state the focus of your speech, and your points. III. Satisfaction of needs- tell them why they should do what you want them to. IV. Conclusion- paint the picture here, tie it all together. V. ACTION STEP- these are your FINAL statements- the ones the judge will remember the most. Here you want to introduce a challenge, and tie your ending into your introduction. *Build one upon another. Put references down. Other people’s ideas will make your speech more persuasive. STEP 5: Rough Draft A good oratory lasts 10 minutes almost to the second. If it is not long enough, add more info to your points. If you have too much, take some info out- be selective, keep only the very best. STEP 6: Proofread Take it to an English Teacher to be corrected. STEP 7: Final Copy Make this triple spaced. This will allow you to write in ideas (i.e. voice changes, speed changes, and body movements) STEP 8: Take it to your coach STEP 9: Memorize Go over your speech EVERYDAY. Tape it. If you listen to it FIVE times a day, you will be able to give it in about two weeks. STEP 10: Movement Once the speech is memorized, practice it everyday with the movements. Block it like you would a play. You know you are giving an Oration right when you don’t think about the words or motions. You think about the audience and how you are affecting them. Performance 1. You need to be healthy to compete. Go to bed early the night before, and eat a healthy meal before you compete. If you state to feel sick, take care of yourself so that it won’t get worse. Give yourself a change to your best! 2. Stay away from Milk, Chocolate, and Pop- they ruin your voice, and make your mouth dry. 3. Exercise your voice and body. NEVER give a speech without warming up your voice and body first. Just talking to your friends and walking around for a while should be enough. 4. Don’t worry about or be distracted by other orators. 5. Appearance: Dress appropriately for your speech, and be clean. Wear something you feel great in, but that isn’t distracting. Keep your hair out of your face. Look your very best. 6. Perform your speech. Don’t just go through the oration- perform it. There is a difference. Be sure to use eye contact, and talk loudly. Make your speech stand out! ORATORY TOPIC LIST 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56. Self-destructive tendencies Old age Environmental rape Death of the American dream Value of anger Value of work People pollution Limits of tolerance Learn to do things Education Feeding on scandal Sexually abusive doctors No more great leaders Propaganda Drunk driving Gun control Artificially created life Growth of extremist Loss of activism Courage of conviction Moral courage Mental exercise Teacher abuse Beauty pageants The pill society Child snatching Divorce Time to reflect Fear of success Conformism The passion of living Using your handicaps Conservatism as a cloak for intolerance The fear of God and it’s pragmatic uses Action vs. Reaction Non-verbal communication Love thyself Making friends Treatment of mentally ill Alcoholism Being moral in an immoral society Child custody The supernatural Sensationalism Compulsive gambling Tranquilizers The terror of being an adult Turning failure into success Persistence Judicial activism Guilt Realistic optimism Bureaucracy Religion and politics Show your emotions Popularity of social concern 57. 58. 59. 60. 61. Anti-intellectualism Anti-religion Emotional overload Insensitivity Benefits of service to others 62. Indifference 63. Commitment 64. Ambition 65. Horror movies 66. Bigotry 67. Fast-paced lifestyle 68. Youth suicide 69. Anxiety 70. Vicarious experience 71. Wife abuse 72. Soap operas 73. Boredom 74. The New Right 75. Laughter, the best medicine 76. Passing the buck 77. Censorship 78. The youth of America 79. Loneliness 80. Video games 81. Injustice in America 82. Heroes 83. Health and freedom 84. Body Language 85. Labor unions 86. Personal worth 87. Deception 88. The worth of man 89. Government invasion of privacy 90. Aggressiveness 91. Coping with death 92. Insincerity 93. Armageddon 94. Cloning 95. Paranoia 96. Cheating 97. Burnout 98. Limits of human ego 99. Honesty 100. Motivation 101. Simplify, Simplify 102. Managing Time 103. Phobias 104. Fear 105. Sex Superiority 106. Children’s Rights 107. Drugs and the athlete 108. Exercise 109. The family of tomorrow 110. The power of suggestion 111. Teaching values 112. Differences 113. Discrimination 114. Decency 115. Prisons –heritage of crime 116. 117. 118. 119. 120. 121. 122. 123. 124. 125. 126. 127. 128. 129. 130. 131. 132. 133. 134. 135. 136. 137. 138. 139. 140. 141. 142. 143. 144. 145. 146. 147. 148. 149. 150. 151. 152. 153. 154. 155. 156. 157. 158. 159. 160. 161. 162. 163. 164. 165. 166. 167. 168. 169. 170. 171. 172. 173. 174. 175. 176. 177. Mind control and advertising Let the buyer beware Language Ignorance Communication Lack of leadership Insuits Door mist people A “gladiator” society The value of praise Guilt manipulation Is life worth living Child Custody The effect of divorce on others Advertising The power of suggestion Education Falling out of love Imagineering Who said life is fair? Cheating Stereotypes Bigotry Overcoming fears Brainwashing Raising your parents Energy Depression Cruelty Self-reliance The right to die Games people play Saying no Setting priorities Gun control Courage of conviction Genetic engineering Nutrition- junk food Cultural conditioning Dating games Americanism Hypochondria Authority Risk Depression Conceit Responsibility Money Trust Cultural conditioning Compulsive dieting Dieting Obsession with youth Obsession with thin Criminal authors Junk food Competition Fantasy Procrastination Shyness Self-confidence Cruelty 178. 179. 180. 181. 182. 183. 184. 185. 186. 187. 188. 189. 190. 191. 192. 193. 194. 195. 196. 197. 198. 199. 200. 201. 202. 203. 204. 205. 206. 207. 208. 209. 210. 211. 212. 213. 214. 215. 216. 217. 218. 219. 220. 221. 222. 223. 224. 225. 226. 227. 228. 229. 230. 231. 232. 233. 234. 235. 236. Things done in the name of religion Things of real worth in life Attitude Old age Procrastination Risk Mental exercise Individually Destroying others with words Sensual deadening Shyness as a handicap Paying the price Teen sensitivity Pornography Male macho Our polluted world Battered spouses Date rape Are we alone Goals Juvenile delinquency Malpractice Mind control The perfect mate No more great leaders Loss of activism The pill society Vanity Man’s self destruction The power to do The insanity pleas Rednecks Death of the American dream Exercise The simple answer Family Television violence Television women Self-confidence The right to fail Surrogate parents Searching for me Male in liberated world Winning Put-downs Your erroneous zones Superstitions Divorce The forgotten victim Forcing kids to grow up Extremism Beauty pageants Passion for life Insensitivity Reading Winning at any cost Morality “But he said…” Drug testing 237. 238. 239. 240. 241. 242. 243. 244. 245. 246. 247. 248. 249. 250. 251. 252. 253. 254. 255. 256. 257. 258. 259. 260. 261. 262. 263. 264. 265. 266. 267. 268. 269. 270. 271. 272. 273. 274. 275. 276. 277. 278. 279. 280. 281. 282. 283. 284. 285. 286. 287. 288. 289. 290. 291. 292. Language Intellectual stagnation The “joys” of aging Getting lucky Believing Teaching thinking Using your handicaps Commitment Rich and free Sensationalism Rights vs. Responsibility Discrimination Paranoia Authority Obsessions Negotiating Taking the easy way Though love Truth, Justice and the American Way Corruption in government Determination Laughter The spark of life Sexual stereotypes Critical thinking Loving yourself Honesty How to praise parents Television violence vs. women Popularity Fear of failing Dreams Accepting death Constructive fear Coping Winning through Love Temper Looking out for number One Quality Getting organized Getting involved Child snatching Fear of success Realistic optimism Ambition Persistence Children’s rights Teaching values Burnout Manners Giving vs. taking Self-hatred Omni-Cosmics (miracles) Lying Risk of revealing real self 293. 294. 295. 296. 297. 298. 299. 300. 301. 302. 303. 304. 305. 306. 307. 308. 309. 310. 311. 312. 313. 314. 315. 316. 317. 318. 319. 320. 321. 322. 323. 324. 325. 326. 327. 328. 329. 330. 331. 332. Make the miracle happen Emotional overload Fast-paced lifestyles Challenge of youth Managing time Religion and morality Let the buyer beware The human ego Inspiration or perspiration Charities – for service or profit Government or corporate bureaucracy Expressing emotions Power So sue me! Importance of expressing self Loss of imagination The power of influence Miracles do happen Life isn’t fair – work doesn’t always pay off Why me? Best is bought at price of great par I am a liberal (stereotyping) Republican Communist Dependability Being moral in an immoral world Something for nothing A society of excess Historical distortion Person as a billboard (composite of your actions) The world as a weapon The power of money The power of being good Why not me? Abuses of religion Teaching kids to hate Bad taste A touch of class Over sensationalism Damaging people through words Talk Titles Here are the titles of some talks and some quotations. See if you can come up with additional speech ideas. 333. 334. 335. I thank you “Cut” Once in a lifetime Making an Outline It is essential to make an outline prior to writing an oratory. An outline keeps a writer’s ideas organized, separated, and flexible. It is also much easier for a coach to find basic errors in one’s logic and reasoning before the ideas have been doctored with fancy phrases and saucy sayings. The outline must be written in complete sentences. A basic outline should look something like this: I. This is the Introduction. A. This is my clever story that makes my audience interested in my speech B. I have a transition or abstraction here. C. This is my strong thesis statement that tells my judge exactly what my focus is. II. I now move on to the body of the speech. A. It’s important to first show the effects and significance of my speech. 1. I now give a definition of the problem. 2. How many people are affected? 3. What kinds of effects happen because of this problem? 4, To what extent do these effects occur? B. Now that we know the effects, what causes them? 1. This is cause number one and an illustration. 2. This is cause number two and an illustration. 3. This is cause number three, and an illustration. 4. This is cause number four and an illustration. C. It’s important to give solutions now that the audience understands that there is a problem. 1. Here is solution number one. 2. Here is solution number two. 3. Here is solution number three. III. It is now time for the conclusion. A. I must restate my thesis in the conclusion. B. I should review my major points. C. I should conclude my speech by tying my opening story into the conclusion. Although this is a basic outline, it is surely not the only outline. There are several methods that can be used in writing an oratory, which of course begin with an outline. The method that you choose should depend upon the topic of your speech, whether serious or lighthearted. It should also depend upon the goal of your oratory and on your style. The following organizational patterns are some of the more commonly used outlines. The Dewey Problem-Solving Method A. Introduction which catches attention and includes a specific thesis. B. Define and discuss the problem. Present proof of the problem and show the impacts and ramifications of the problem. C. Suggest solutions D. Evaluate solutions showing the advantages and disadvantages of each. E. Advocate a best solution. F. Conclusion: Tell the audience how they can help with the solution. *Examples of when to use: Saving the environment, preserving energy. Personal Problem Outline A. Introduction to catch the attention and give a roadmap. B. Justify the importance of the speech with examples of the problem and the impacts. C. Personalize the problem. Show how it affects you. D. Personalize the problem to the audience. Show how it affects them E. Reinforce the significance of the topic. F. Present actions that can be taken. G. Summarize with tie-back to introduction. *Examples of when to use: Guilt, manipulation, the loss of morality. Wheel, Turn, or Flip Outline A. Outrageous or humorous introduction. B. Wheel or turn: “This is no laughing matter!” C. Horror stories to prove the extent of the problem. This should take about 33% of the speech time and include debate style harms. D. Present the solution. Have a social and an individual solution. E. Conclusion presents the consequence of the listener’s failure to act. *Examples of when to use: The evils of hate, how attitudes affect us. Monroe’s Motivated Sequence A. Attention Step: Gain the attention with a specific purpose. B. Need Step: Prove a problem exists and show the significance. C. Satisfaction Step: Present a solution. D. Visualization Step: Show the audience the benefits of solving the problem. a. Negative: Show that the situation will worsen without your solution. b. Positive: Show that the situation will improve with your solution. c. Negative/Positive Combination: Show the negative aspects and then the positive. E. Action Step: Tell the audience what they can do to help solve the problem. This is the most popular outline and can be used with most topics. Five-Step Formula A. Make contact with the listener: Get the audience’s attention and preview the topic. B. Justification: Prove that the topic is worth of consideration. C. Subject text: Present the central thesis. D. Establish belief: Unfold the central though through examples and exposition. E. Application: Present solutions, actions, and values. *Examples: Speeches that aim to gain recognition of a problem, rather than trying to get people to solve it. Combination of Motivated Sequence and Serett’s Structural Climax Approach A. Attention-getting step: Gain the attention and present a specific purpose. B. Explain the problem: Include existing conditions, causes, and harms; also, build to a climax so that the highest emotional point precedes the solution. C. Present the solution. D. Conclusion: Reaffirm the central theme and build to a higher emotional place. *Examples of when to use: Right to die, Suicide.