Original Oratory: writing and delivering a ten-minute speech that matters

The rules that shape the speech

Up to ten minutes, memorized, no notes, no props.
The speech must be your original work. No more than 150 words of quoted material, and quotes must be identified in the speech.
Judges rank speakers in rounds of six or seven. The best oratories persuade, not only inform.

Choosing a topic

The strongest oratories name a problem people recognize but have not thought about carefully, then argue for a response. Avoid topics so large that ten minutes cannot say anything specific about them. A good test: can you state your thesis in one sentence that someone might disagree with? "We should stop treating boredom as a problem to solve" is a thesis. "Mental health is important" is not.

Structure

Introduction (1 minute). A story or image that shows the problem, then the thesis.
The problem (2 to 3 minutes). What it is, who it affects, and why. Use one or two pieces of evidence, cited by source and year.
The causes (2 to 3 minutes). Why the problem exists. This is where most oratories are shallow; spend your research here.
The solution (2 to 3 minutes). What should change, at the level of the individual and the institution. Make it specific enough to act on.
Conclusion (1 minute). Return to the opening story with the thesis now proven.

Writing process

Write the thesis first, then the outline, then the full draft. Do not polish sentences before the structure works.
Read every draft aloud. Sentences that read well on paper often fail in the mouth. Cut anything you stumble on twice.
Remove every sentence that does not advance the argument. Ten minutes is about 1,300 words at a comfortable pace; most first drafts run 1,800.
Have two people read the draft: one who agrees with you and one who does not. The second reader finds the holes.

Memorizing

Memorize by paragraph, aloud, walking if it helps. Learn the first and last sentence of each paragraph first; they are the joints. Then fill in the middle. Practice recovering from a blank: pause, breathe, restart the paragraph from its first sentence. Judges rarely notice a pause; they always notice panic.

Delivery

Stand still during arguments and move only at transitions. Movement should mark structure, not fill silence.
Vary pace and volume with meaning. The quiet line lands harder than the loud one.
Look at individual judges and audience members long enough to finish a thought, then move to another.
Gesture from the shoulder, at chest height or above, and let your hands rest between gestures.

A six-week plan for a first oratory

Week 1: pick a topic and write the thesis and outline. Week 2: full draft. Week 3: revise aloud and cut to length. Week 4: memorize the introduction and conclusion. Week 5: memorize the body and run the full speech daily. Week 6: perform for a class, a teacher, and a CUDL coach; revise delivery.

Use the practice timer set to Oratory to check your time, and see speaking drills for delivery work.