Voice VOICE WA WA Public Competition 2014 2 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION PAGE 2 JUDGING CRITERIA PAGE 3 HOW TO GET STARTED PAGE 4 HOW TO CREATE A SOLUTION PAGE 5 ADVICE FOR PREPARED SPEECHES PAGE 6 ADVICE FOR IMPROMPTU QUESTIONS PAGE 7 DELIVERING YOUR SPEECH PAGE 8 FURTHER INFORMATION PAGE 9 opening young eyes to the world unyouth.org.au
3 INTRODUCTION Welcome to Voice, the innovative and exciting public speaking competition of UN Youth Australia! It s also the largest public speaking competition in Western Australia. This annual event is an exciting opportunity for students in Years 7 to 10 to broaden their knowledge of national and international affairs, while developing their presentation and public speaking skills in a unique forum. The competition is a fantastic opportunity to improve research and communication skills, and to meet and form friendships with other students from across WA. It s a chance like no other for you to engage with, and find your role in, the world around you. You ll explore issues of personal and global significance as you persuade, entertain, and inspire your audience. So that you re not thrown in the deep end, the competition includes an evening public speaking workshop where you will be given public speaking training from some of Western Australia s best public speakers. You will also be introduced to the crux of the competition; pitching a solution to a pressing issue, and answering questions about your solution posed by a panel of judges. We encourage innovation, sustainability, and originality of solutions. Additionally, the five highest placing students from each division of Voice WA will be invited to represent their school and state in the Voice National Finals, to be held in Hobart in April 2017. This is a guide to the unique brand of public speaking you ll be judged on in Voice, and includes tips to maximise your persuasiveness and the impact of your proposed solutions. The student guide contains all other information you need about the 2016 competition, a link to which can be found here on the website at unyouth.org.au/event/voice-wa. If after reading this you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact the convenor, Laura Gunning, by email at laura.gunning@unyouth.org.au
3 JUDGING CRITERIA You will be judged on both your pitch and on your answers to the impromptu questions. The three judging criteria are, in order of importance, Matter, Manner, and Method. Matter There should be good knowledge and analysis of the situation Sophisticated research into the proposed solution should be demonstrated Potential obstacles to the solution s success should be identified The proposed solution should be reasonably feasible and effective The proposed solution should be reasonably original Manner Clarity, speed, and tone of voice should be appropriate There should be appropriate use of gestures and expression The use of notes or palm cards should be non-intrusive The speech should employ persuasive techniques Method Ideas should be organised logically and be easy to understand Ideas should flow smoothly from one to another with no significant breaks in structure Plain English should be used with minimal jargon In addition to the above criteria, participants responses to questions will be reviewed against the following guidelines: Comprehensiveness of the response to the question Addition of new information Evidence of strong research/knowledge Justification of response Succinctness and brevity of response These criteria should guide you while you write and practise your speech, but don t worry if you're still unclear about how best to prepare. This guide, and the Public Speaking Workshop, will explain exactly what the criteria mean and how you can achieve them.
4 Choose a topic and stick to it HOW TO GET STARTED Don t labour over selecting the problem you ll address. Be decisive and you ll give yourself much more time to work on your speech. You re likely to perform similarly with most topics, as long as you give yourself enough time to develop your ideas. Choose a topic that you ll enjoy researching and learning about - Voice is as much about how well you understand your topic as it is how well you can speak. Give yourself time to practice Even if you write an amazing speech, finishing it the night before is doing yourself a disservice. Speeches are not read; they are presented. You only get one chance to deliver it to your audience - take the time to make sure that your presentation does your speech justice. The earlier you start researching and writing, the more confident and knowledgeable you ll be by the time your presentation evening takes place. Choose the best of your ideas Start by listing possible ideas and views. Sort through them and be as critical as possible. Think about which solutions are the most original, engaging and feasible. Focus on a few good ideas, rather than many superficial ideas - these are the ones that you should be focusing your research and writing efforts on. Thoroughly research your topic There are lots of places on the internet or in books that you can research your topic - you should use these to get an idea of the feasibility of your solution, examples or evidence to support what you are saying, and to gain a thorough knowledge of your topic and solution. Remember that you ll need to apply this research when answering the impromptu questions posed by the judges, so the more you understand the issues surrounding the subject, the better you will be able to perform in this section of the
5 Your solution should be original HOW TO CREATE A SOLUTION Try to craft a solution that your audience will remember at the end of the night for its uniqueness and innovation. If your solution already takes place in a widespread way, or if it s very general idea, it might be helpful to rethink how you plan to solve the problem. That being said, if you can show how your solution is different to similar ideas, and why yours is more likely to be effective, this can lead to an original and innovative speech. Try to take a new perspective on the issues you re tackling - your audience, and the judges, will be impressed if you can engage with your topic in a new light. Your solution should be effective Your solution should, ideally, have tangible effects and change. This means that it s often beneficial to suggest specific measures that can be taken to fixing a problem, and to point the specific outcomes that these will have. While a more general solution such as increasing education on an issue may seem like it will cover the whole topic comprehensively, you might be better off suggesting more direct measures - it will both increase the originality and the effectiveness of your solution. Your solution should be achievable It might be tempting to suggest a solution that seems perfect and will always be implemented smoothly. It s important, however, that your solution is realistic - it s better to suggest a feasible solution that only goes some way to fix a problem, rather than to suggest a perfect solution that could never exist in the real world. It s also worth acknowledging any potential obstacles to the success of your solution, and discussing how these can be overcome, and what the ultimate effect might be on the feasibility of your solution. Your solution should engage with underlying issues and ideas Your speech will be extremely engaging and interesting if you engage with the ideas and factors that interact with the issue you re solving. This doesn t mean that your solution itself needs to be overly complicated or technical, but it should recognise that the issues you re discussing are complex and need to be understood thoroughly.
6 Don t try to do too much ADVICE FOR PREPARED SPEECHES The aim of a speech isn t to fix all the world s problems in three to five minutes. Often, trying to cover too many things leads to simplistic arguments and unconvincing ideas. Try to focus on specific issues and providing interesting, engaging analysis and solutions. You also shouldn t spend too much time restating common knowledge, and should instead focus your time on original and sophisticated ideas. Speeches should be structured well and flow easily Your speech should move between sections clearly and smoothly. The links between different ideas or examples should be natural, and you should avoid moving between unrelated topics unless there is a clear and wellexplained transition. Additionally, there should be a well-defined structure. Your introduction, main ideas, and conclusion should all be crafted so the speech is easy for your audience to follow. Don t debate In debating, speeches are broken up into different arguments. While you should consider different points of view when preparing, your speech shouldn t be argumentative. Remember, you want to get your audience on side, rather than outsmart an opponent! You ll also find that listing points can often be less effective than moving smoothly from one idea to another. Choose the most interesting evidence Support your ideas with carefully chosen quotes, facts and examples. These should be as interesting as the ideas themselves. Again, avoid crowding your speech with facts over explaining one carefully chosen fact - describing a situation like a news report is informative, but not engaging. Speeches should move smoothly between the explanation of ideas and examples, without seeming forced or disrupting the natural flow. Be clear The audience only gets one chance to hear your speech. Unless a complex word or phrase makes your meaning clearer, avoid complicating your speech with it. It s often better to explain things simply, so that your audience can follow easily and not get distracted by unnecessarily wordy phrases. Each part of your speech should have a goal, and you should avoid saying lots of words that don t convey much meaning. Speeches should be rehearsed and refined You should have time to practise your speech, and this should show in your presentation. Before you deliver it, you should know how you want each section to sound and look. You should fix any awkward phrases or links, and make sure that the speech flows smoothly.
7 ADVICE FOR IMPROMPTU QUESTIONS Answers don t need to begin immediately You don t have to start answering until you feel confident and ready to address the question. Feel free to stand in silence for a few seconds while you think about the questions and prepare your answer in your head. These moments of preparation will be invaluable - don t be afraid to take them! Additionally, if you don t understand the questions or would like them repeated, ask the judges for clarification. You won t be penalised for doing so, and it ll help you to feel confident and give a stronger answer. Answers should be clear, direct, and concise Since your speaking time is limited, try to get straight to the point. Engage directly with the question at the outset. Remember that you need to answer both questions in your speaking time, so try to be efficient and concise with your explanations. Answers shouldn t have too many things in them Cramming too much into your answer may mean the audience is overwhelmed and confused. A well explained point is much more powerful that three superficial ones - only include as much information as you are able to thoroughly explain and justify. Make your answer simple, and explain it well. Answers should be delivered confidently Since you are being put on the spot, a confident delivery will impress the judges. Take your time; don t forget to focus on clarity, tone, hand gestures and eye contact, and you will be rewarded. Remember that you re the expert on your topic and solution - be confident that you know what you re doing and can answer the questions well. Answers should show evidence of research Questions are going to be directly relevant to your chosen topic and the content of your speech. You might be asked to explain an aspect of your solution a little more, or you might be asked to consider an aspect of the problem that you didn t cover in much detail. Either way, it s important that your degree of familiarity with your topic goes beyond just what you spoke about. The best answers will show that you understand the link between the question and your speech, and that you have done an appropriate amount of research to answer the question properly. This should help you to add information that you didn t mention in your speech, and to show that you have a thorough understanding of the topic. If you don t think you can answer one of the questions, you can choose not to. However, this is to be avoided, as it won t be looked upon favourably. It s better to have a go and say anything you can. Your answer doesn t have to be long or complex - even the simplest response can be very effective.
8 DELIVERING YOUR SPEECH Be confident The more thoroughly you know your speech, the better you ll feel about delivering it in front of an audience. Be familiar with the content of it and make sure you ve practised it before your presentation evening. Run through your speech with your parents, siblings, or even just to yourself - whatever works best in helping you feel confident and comfortable with it. This will also help to minimise filler words like um and ah, which can clutter your speech and make it flow less smoothly. Make effective use of eye-contact Eye-contact is one of the most important ways to engage your audience in your speech. It s best if you can have direct eye-contact with lots of different people in the room, and establish a rapport with them. The more relaxed and prepared that you are, the easier you ll find it. If you find it nerve-wracking, just remember that everyone in the room wants you to do well, and is interested in learning about your topic and solution. They want to connect with you, and eye-contact is one of the best ways to achieve it. Don t over-rely on palm cards You re welcome and encouraged to use notes in the form of palm cards during the delivery of your speech - speeches don t need to be memorised. However, you should bear in mind that any over-reliance on palm cards is likely to lose the attention of your audience and make you appear less confident. You should be highly familiar with your speech prior to presenting, and should only use palm cards as prompts. Use body language to your advantage Body language can be a fantastic technique to appear confident, such as standing upright and open to the audience, and to emphasise points, such as using strong hand gestures. You should put some thought into how you can best use body language for it to be natural and effective. However, be careful to not move around unnecessarily. Pacing around the floor, unless it s being used to emphasise a point, can often be distracting, and hand gestures that are the same throughout your speech can appear repetitive. Vary your speed, tone, and volume To keep your audience engaged for your entire speech, you should try to keep your delivery interesting and changing. Different ways of speaking are useful for different things. For example, your speech may need passion and emotive language at some points, and calm logic at other points - know your speech and understand your audience, and this will become clearer. Speaking very loudly and emphatically is only effective if it signals to audiences that a point is significant - they re less likely to see that if your whole speech is shouted.
11 FURTHER INFORMATION Remember, this public speaking guide is only meant to contain basic tips to get you started. You ll receive more comprehensive training and have the opportunity to ask questions at the public speaking workshop. If you re prepared, public speaking is not difficult and is easy to get better at. Voice WA is the only competition of its type to include a comprehensive educational component, and we re committed to providing you with the opportunity to greatly increase your public speaking skills. If after reading this guide and the Participant Handbook, as well as viewing the website at unyouth.org.au/event/voice-wa, you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact Laura Gunning, the convenor of Voice WA. Laura can be contacted by email at laura.gunning@unyouth.org.au. We look forward to meeting you soon at Voice!