West Lancashire Rotary Clubs
Public Speaking Competition Rules
1. Candidates must be 16 years old or under.
2. Judging will be by a panel of four, one of whom will be elected Chairperson.
3. The Contest Chair may terminate any speech.
At the conclusion the Chairperson will comment on the speeches and announce the winners.
4. Competitors will remain outside the auditorium until they have made their speech.
5. The following light signals will be used:-
| At the start of a speech | Green Light ON |
| After 3 minutes 30 seconds | Green Light OFF |
| After 4 minutes | Red Light ON |
| After 4 minutes 30 seconds | Red Light OFF |
However, the timekeepers will try their best to adjust the light times to take account of any interruptions to speeches caused by audience participation -eg, laughter or applause.
Candidates will not incur any time penalties provided they are still speaking when the Green Light goes off and have stopped before the Red light goes off.
6. The adjudicators decision will be final.
Criteria of Adjudication
1. Content 35 marks
relevance and logical development of argument; coherence and comprehensiveness of theme or themes
2. Oral Delivery 35 marks
diction, intonation, clarity of expression and pacing of speech.
3. Presentation 30 marks
whether notes used excessively; gestures and mannerisms; personal appearance; whether introductions and conclusions were appropriate.
Maximum Total 100 marks
Deduction of Marks
By Timekeeper: If the time limit is exceeded or the speech finishes before time (approximately 1 mark for every 10 seconds discrepancy)
Maximum of minus 10 marks
