North Carolina 4-H Presentation Guidelines: 4-H Public Speaking Rules and Regulations

Public speaking is something that every 4-H member must learn at some point during their 4-H Career and or their life.  Learning to be a good speaker is something that will be useful throughout a 4-H member's lifetime.  Good public speakers are made, not born. Everyone can do it.  A big part of a 4-H’ers career is learning those public speaking life skills.

Goals are to:

• Develop skills for communications about issues that are real in life
• Learn how to organize a speech
• Learn how to prepare a speech
• Learn how to present themselves to other people
• Develop Self-Confidence

Eligibility:

• Each participant must be a registered 4-H member.
• They must be active in 4-HOnline.
• Each county will be able to enter 2 per age per category.

Regulations:

• The speech can pertain to any area that a 4-H’er desires as long as it is 4-H appropriate. Should a topic be considered controversial, talk with the 4-H leader and Agent when appropriate before the contest.
• Notecards containing keyword outlines are permitted.
• No visual aids or posters are allowed.
• Judges are not allowed to ask questions.

Age Categories:

• 8-10
• 11-13
• 14-18
• Age is determined as of January 1^st of the current year

Time Limit:

• 5-7 Minutes

Dress Code:

Professional dress attire is appropriate for the Public Speaking Category

Awards:

• District Winners: Medallion & Monetary awards are listed in the 4-H Awards Handbook.
• State Winner: Medallion & Monetary awards are listed in the 4-H Awards Handbook.