Original Oratory

→A memorized, persuasive speech composed by the student.

Why→ In our personal lives we experience situations that demand persuasive skills.
Present→ You may have to persuade your parents not to ground you for breaking curfew or getting a low grade in
chemistry.
Future→ In college or in the work place, the ability to articulate and persuade is critical. Without it you can be
manipulated by others’ views and hold you real opinions inside.

What you learn:

1. How to persuade.
2. You will be able to write a speech that your audience appreciates and prefers.
3. Learn to reach your audience in a positive manner and experience much success as an orator.

What exactly is O. O.?

→ In the simplest of terms, an oration is defined as a speech through which a speaker attempts to persuade the
audience to his or her viewpoint on an issue.

What makes a good O.O.?

1. Universal appeal: appeals to ALL potential audience members.
2. Personal experiences: self-interests and personal experiences can have a powerful effect on an audience.

Goals of Oratory:
1. Orators try to communicate a specific problem to the audience.
a. Example: a lack of morality or the need for more equitable laws for citizens.
2. Create emotional and intellectual response in their audience.
3. Motivate audiences on one topic.
a. You want your audience to leave with a desire and the knowledge to facilitate the action needed to
solve a societal problem.
4. Combining pertinent research, emotional appeals, and an appeal for action in achieving the goals of O.O.

Giving the speech:

1. Present with a sincere and passionate delivery.
2. Topic should come from the heart, as well as presentation.
3. If you believe in your topic then it is easier to develop the oratorical skill required to make your
presentation meaningful and realistic to the audience.

Guidelines:
1. Rules are different state to state.
2. Time: Ten minute max (8 minute minimum)
3. Memorized
4. Speed: 115-135 words per minute
a. Much slower than debate.
5. Deliver with conviction, a sense of dramatic timing, and appropriate emphasis on key words and phrases.
6. 150 of quotes material maximum

Picking a Topic:
1. Most critical part
2. May be centered on problems
3. May offer solutions to problems
4. May be inspirational
How are people persuaded?
1. Pathos: the speaker considers the needs, wants and desires of the listeners.
a. The speaker tries to satisfy the listener with something that he or she inherently desires.
2. Ethos: the audience evaluates the character of the speaker
a. Is the speaker credible enough to believe?
b. Are the facts solid and presented with noble intentions?
c. Is the speaker’s appearance positive?
3. Logos: the logical side of listeners
a. Is the speaker appealing to common sense and solid reasoning?
i. Without logic, no amount of emotion or a new dress or suit, will sway the judge.

To sort out oratory speech topics easily, I have developed a simple but effective format for your convenience. Try to
add at least two factual supporting points per major point. It will enhance your credibility, authority and reliance on
the subject. Sharing your personal experiences will do too:

I INTRODUCTION
A. Attention hook to make them want to listen.
B. What your public speaking speech is about - your thesis statement.
C. Make it important to your audience, show them the relevance.

II PROBLEM
A. What is the problem or impending danger?
B. Why is it a problem, threat or risk?

III CAUSE
A. What is causing the problem.
B. What are the roots of the problem we should wipe out?

IV EFFECT
A. The negative effects.
B. Share your experiences and personal feelings.

V SOLUTION
A. Offer a innovative solution or recommendation to fix the problem.
B. Explain the benefits and merits for the audience.

VI CONCLUSION
A. Restate the oratory speech topics.
B. Make a tie with your introduction paragraph.
C. Encourage them to change their beliefs, values or policies.
D. Close with a memorable original oratory idea statement.
 Possible Oratory Topics
Adoption Affirmative Action Silver Lining in Life AIDS
Awareness isn't
Alcoholism Boy, I'm nervous Donations
everything
Brotherly love Children with AIDS College entrance exams Collect selection
Commercials College sports Conformity Congressional Fiascos
Cosmetic Diet Disorders Drunk Driving Education cuts
Educate children about
Energy problems Farm crisis Farm Programs
sex
Four Male Myths Functional illiteracy Genetic engineering Grain grading
Great escape Head start Heroes Homelessness
Impossible Dream Its positively up to you Latch-key kids Letterman
Look and be silent or
Nightmare of prejudice Nitrates Nuclear energy
dream
Optimism, what can hurt
Nuclear waste disposal Pagan issues Playing God
you
Poverty Power of the press Promise yourself Sanctuary Movement
To be or not to be
Insanity Plea Turning out terrific kids TV ministers
whose?
Invasion if individual
Waste Dumps We, the people who's the dummy
rights
Exporting hazardous
Right of the handicapped Scholarship Teacher shortage
product
Friendships Apathy Fear Silence
Communicating Day Care centers Individuality Fame Game
Elderly Creativity Love Life
Cheating Stress "Me' Syndrome Ethics
Games people play Priorities Tolerance Listening
Winning Trust Guilt Stereotyping

Remember: This is not a political speech; this is a speech that prompts for a change. Topics
can be similar to those of politics but your action statement must prompt for a personal
change not political change.
 Example of an original oratory put in detailed outline form.
Underlined – Quotes
Italics - Paraphrasing

I. Introduction
A. Attention Getter: Acted out – I walked up to the front of the room with my note cards. I was
extremely nervous and shaking. When I started to give my speech (very poorly), I dropped the note
cards, and rushed to start picking them up. I then apologized. Once I took a deep breath, I put the note
cards down, and went into my speech.

B. Significance: According to Roy Berko, former associate director for the National Communication
Association, “Ninety-five percent of the American population reports some degree of anxiety about
communicating in front of a person or group.”

C. Thesis: Since communication skills are so important, why isn’t a speech class required for graduation
in Oklahoma, Kansas, and other surrounding state high schools?

D. Preview: First, I will identify the problem, and second, I will propose a possible solution.

E. Transition into Main Point: First, the problem.

II. Main Body

A. First Main Point:
Oklahoma high schools, for example, do not require a communication speech course to be taken
before graduation; therefore students are graduating high school without the crucial communication skills
needed for a successful future.
This is problematic because these same high school students are not being adequately trained or
prepared for today’s job market. According to the 1995 issue of Journal of Psychology Interdisciplinary &
Applied, the author states that research has indicated that individuals are less aggressive, are less willing
to talk, avoid social interaction, and are more constrained compared to people that have had a
communication course.
These findings are very likely related to communication apprehension. Communication apprehension
as defined by the 1999 book, Communication for the Classroom Teacher, is “when an individual is fearful
of communication and will go to great lengths to avoid communication situations, and when by chance they
are placed in them, the students feel uncomfortable, tense, embarrassed and shy.”
According to the 1999 book Voice and Articulation, every spring, many companies send
representatives to college campuses to interview prospective employees. These colleges recently asked
various firms to state their reasons for not hiring the students they had rejected. In approximately two-
thirds of the cases, the reason given was because the job seeker did not speak effectively during the
interview. The U.S. Department of Labor, Washington D.C. states bluntly that for 8 out of 10 jobs, you
have to be able to speak effectively.
According to the 1999 book Communication Theories, communication apprehension can occur because the
student has never been trained or taught on how to be an effective communicator.
Communication plays a key role in our society. Students are cheated out of job opportunities because of
their lack in proper communication skills, and businesses are not receiving applicants that fully qualified for the
job demands. When a person cannot communicate properly/correctly in their surroundings/environments, then
this not only has a negative effect on the community but on themselves as well.

B. Transition: Now you be asking yourself, “Is this problem really serious enough for us to take
action?”

C. Second Main Point:

According to Roy Berko, who I mentioned earlier, “63 percent of the nation’s young people cannot give
clear oral directions; 95 percent of the population communicate without anxiety in front of a group; and nearly
 20 percent of the nation’s young people cannot accomplish any of the simplest of communication tasks,
including relaying specific information, giving instructions, recounting details, defending personal opinions,
and developing a persuasive argument.”
Without appropriate communication skills a person will have trouble presenting themselves professionally
in a job interview, as well as standing up in front of a small group of people.
When former President Clinton signed the Goal 2000: Educate America Act in 1994, it signaled an
unprecedented federal commitment to America education. The act had particular significance for
communication education: the legislation included the arts as one of the eight core subjects, suggesting they
were no longer a curricular extra, but an area of study as important as math, science, or any other subject. In
the years since the act was past, some progress has certainly been made. Most states have adopted the
National Standards for Arts Education. So while there is some reason for optimism, it is just as certain that
there is work to be done.

D. Transition: Now, what can we do? I would like to propose the following solution.

E. Third Main Point:

To solve this problem, all of us need to have our voices heard to our state governor, state legislators, and
the state board of educators. We must get our state legislators to pass a bill requiring high school students to
complete at least one half credit of communication before graduating.
According to the 1995 issue of Communication Reports, a study was conducted to determine what could
help students with their communication apprehension. The findings of the study suggested that a basic course
in oral interpretation (a type of communication class) could serve to reduce student’s level of communication
apprehension.
We would be modeling this bill after Texas and their 1998 communication requirements for high school
graduates.

F. Transition: Now you might be asking yourself, “Would we have the teachers, or the funding to
make this possible?”

G. Fourth Main Point:

However, as more job positions are created, the demand for communication teachers will increase and more
people will be attracted to the field. And as to the funding, as of now most schools have a communication class
as an elective, the only difference is that the class would be mandatory.
Having a communication class required, will greatly affect the society and the way it communicates in a
positive way. High school students will graduate better equipped to communicate in today’s job market.
With improved communication skills, students will not only portray a higher level of self-confidence, but
they will have the ability to be more creative in their thinking.
With this higher level of self-confidence, knowledge, and creativeness students will be more successful in
their school, work, home, and community.

H. Transition into Closing: Today we have discussed a problem and have been offered a solution.

III. Conclusion
A. Review of Main Points: Students are graduating high school lacking the crucial communication
skills needed to be successful. It would be very beneficial to our students to take at least one half credit in a
communication course before graduating.

B. Refer to Attention Getter: The very first time I ever gave a speech I can remember feeling so
much anxiety that I thought I would never want to give a speech again. However, thanks to a wonderful
speech coach and my mother, I am able to do what I am doing today.

C. Closing Statement: I urge all of you to leave here today and contact not only your state governor
and the state legislators, but to also contact your state board of education. Let them know how crucial it is
to our future leaders of America to be required to take a communication course.