Transcript Michigan District Optimists

Michigan District Optimists
ORATORICAL
CONTEST
2013-2014
2013-2014
Official Topic……
“How my Passion
May Impact the
World”
Benefits…..
* Great publicity
* Get involved with school systems
* Involvement with other youth groups in
the community
* Meet youth you can work with in the
future
* Meet parents who may be interested in
joining your club
Contest Areas
General Rules
• The OI Oratorical Contest will consist of three levels, i.e., Club,
Area, District
• Contestants must enter through a local Optimist club
• The official application must be completed by each contest and
submitted to the sponsoring club’s Contest Chair.
• A separate gender contest will be held for 2013-2014
• No Club, Area, District shall have fewer than 3 or more that 20
contestants competing
• OI has the right to edit, publish and record any speech used in any
contest without payment to the author.
• No one should be allowed to exit or enter the room during a
presentation.
• Audience is not to applaud until all presentations have been made.
Contestant Qualifications
•The contest is open to students under the age of 19 who have not
graduated from high school or the equivalent. They must be educated in the
U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. There is no minimum age.
•Is eligible to enter/compete in only one Optimist Oratorical contest during a
contest year.
•Shall prepare his/her own speech and may make only minor changes or
improvements in the speech at any time.
•Is no eligible to compete at any level of competition if he/she has won the
District competition
•Must furnish a copy of their birth certificate or passport with their official
entry form before competing; along with 2 double-spaced, typed copies of
their speech.
Videotaping Guidelines
• Each contestant has the option of having the
camera turned off during his/her presentation.
• All oratorical contests must be conducted live,
not judged on videotape. However, contestants
can be taped so that each can take home an
individual taped copy of their speech or a master
copy of all presentations can be supplied for all
contestants.
Timekeeper
• This person can be an Optimist club
member.
• Duties include:
– Record official length of each speech and
assess penalties if needed, citing rational for
penalty and totaling score on the
“Timekeeper’s” official form. This form must
be turned in to the Contest Chair and included
in the master scores of each speaker.
Contest Rules
• All contestants must speak on the official topic.
• A speech may be delivered in a language other
than English if the language used is an official
language of the country in which the sponsoring
club is located.
• All contestants must state the official topic
before beginning their speech in order for the
timekeeper to record the exact time of the
speech. A 3-point penalty is automatically
assessed by the timekeeper for failure to state
the official topic.
Contest Rules (cont’d)
• Any quotation or copyrighted material
used in the speech must be identified
verbally during the presentation and in the
written copy of the speech with the original
author’s name. The contestant shall be
fully responsible for the use of any quoted
material and OI shall assume no
responsibility. Failure to identify nonoriginal material will result in
disqualification.
Contest Rules (cont’d)
• Contestant will be disqualified for the use
of props, special costumes or clothing, or
the use of prompters.
• The time allowed is not under 4 minutes
and not over 5 minutes. A penalty of one
point per 15 seconds or fraction of over or
under the time allotted. The official
timekeeper will determine the penalty.
Contest Rules (cont’d)
• Timing will begin immediately after the official
topic is expressed. Any salutation to judges,
audience, etc., should precede the
announcement of the topic. Timing will stop
when the contestant finishes.
• No reference can be made that identifies the
student, parents, school, community, sponsoring
Optimist Club or District. This will result in a
deduction of 5 points or a fraction of based on
the degree of identification.
• Contestants will remain unidentified until after
the last oration has been presented and the
judges and timekeeper have left the room.
Contest Rules (cont’d)
• Any protest in conduct must be made
immediately after the condition is noted.
There will be no deviations from this rule.
• All protests will be decided by the Contest
Chairperson according to the official rules.
This decision is final. (No appeals will be
recognized.)
Judges
• Select three qualified judges who are not
acquainted with the students. At the club
level, Optimist members may serve. NonOptimists members with experience in the
field of public speaking are to serve for the
Area and District competitions.
Scoring
• Poise – 20 points
• Content of speech – 35 points
• Delivery and Presentation – 35
points
• Overall Effectiveness – 10 points
Penalties
• Failure to announce official topic – 3 points
• Failure to identify non-original material –
disqualification
• Use of props, etc – disqualification
• Time penalties – 1 point for each 15
seconds or fraction of over or under the
allotted time
• Self-identification – 5 points or fraction of
based on degree of identification
Protests
• One person should be designated to
handle protests. Anyone wishing to protest
should raise their hand at the completion
of the student’s speech and should be
given pen/pencil and a card to record their
protest. The cards will be collected and
issues addressed before the judges and
timekeeper leave the room to compile the
scores.
Awards
• Club level – medallion
• Area level- Plaque
• District level – Plaque and scholarship
– Used for college, university, trade school
– Each winner will receive $2500 each payable
to the educational institution of the recipient’s
choice, subject to approval of OI
– Must be administered by OI and must be
claimed by the age of 25
Competition Timeframes
• Local Club – March 1 – 30, 2014
• Region April 1 - 30, 2014
• District –
May 17, 2014
(At 3rd Quarter Mtg.in Bay City, MI)
ALL REGIONAL RESULTS MUST BE
FORWARDED TO THE DISTRICT CHAIR
NO LATER THAN FRIDAY, MAY 2, 2014
www.optimist.org
www.optimistleaders.org
• Use the web addresses listed above to acquire a
Club Contest Program Planning Guide which will
include:
• Project Timeline
• Job descriptions for the Project Chair,
Contestant Coordinator, Judging Coordinator,
club Board of Directors
• Forms – Entry, Visitor Sign-In, Club Contest
Worksheet, Judge’s Score Sheet, Timekeeper’s
Score sheet, Official Report Form, Official,
Evaluation
Follow-Up
• As soon as you complete your club contest,
forward the winners’ entry form including fee (if
any), birth certificate/passport and 2 copies of
the speeches to the chairperson of the Regional
competition. Area chairs will forward their
winners’ info to the District chair.
• PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO
COMPLETE THE EVALUATION
FORMS AT EACH LEVEL!!!
Questions/Comments
Michigan District Oratorical Chairperson
Monetta Foster
248/451-9494 – (H)
248/505-1584 - (C)
[email protected]