Preparing for Your Next Public Speaking Competition (Part 2)

You already learned about importance as a criterion for judging Original Oratories. In the second part of this article, let’s focus on how speeches are judged for relatability and originality. So, let’s dive in!

In Original Oratory, relatability can mean a few different things. First, ask yourself, is it clear how audience members might be impacted by your topic? In essence, this metric helps the judge evaluate how much of an emotional reaction your topic will spark in your audience. For instance, let’s say you selected a topic about the problem of transportation infrastructure in the north of Brazil. This might turn into an interesting topic, but unless your speech takes place in Brazil or a large number of audience members are from Brazil, the topic is likely too far from their hearts.

But let’s say you are very passionate about Brazil’s infrastructure. You can make your topic more relatable in two ways.

If possible, the first and best way is to explain how the problem's scope extends beyond one location. For instance, if the lack of infrastructure in northern Brazil compromises the effectiveness of conservation efforts to protect the rainforest, then the scope of the problem is wider than just Brazil. Sometimes, however, the topic might be interesting but doesn’t have a large enough scope to elaborate on. In these cases, you can make your impact more relatable by referencing the topic as part of a trend pointing to a broader problem in society. For instance, let’s say that infrastructure issues in Brazil, India, and Indonesia all lead to significant harm to indigenous people in their respective locations. Establishing this connection would increase the relatability of your speech.

Relatability goes beyond just real-world examples. Having personal content also establishes relatability. This means that you are able to tie your speech to personal stories and beliefs to help demonstrate why you care about the topic in the first place. Which in turn, increases trust. On top of this, you want to feature inclusive rhetoric in your speech. Inclusive rhetoric involves language that allows your audience to feel included in the conversation. For instance, when pitching a solution, you’d want to call on your audience to work together with you and others to achieve a certain goal. Even if problems are caused by certain groups, try not to accuse or point fingers at anyone. Rather, focus on the specific attitudes or behaviors that lie at the root of the problem.

Finally, we have the last criteria: originality. There are two questions that judges will ask themselves when evaluating originality.

First: do you address the topic in a new, unique and inventive way? Topics such as global warming, social justice, and political change are constantly covered in the news; they are a part of popular culture. Thus, you want to make sure that when addressing topics people might already be familiar with, you present them from a different perspective, add in unexpected moments of humor, or deliver it in an unusual fashion.

The second question is: are your supporting examples new and interesting? While people like relatability, they also like balance. It’s important to therefore include examples that people aren’t already familiar with to help stir up additional imagery or curiosity in their minds.

You may have noticed that the three evaluation criteria focus heavily on the content of your speech. But don’t forget! OO is a prepared and memorized event, which means that delivery skills such as body language, facial expressions, and vocal variation will also be evaluated throughout these three criteria. For instance, projecting confidence through hand gestures and volume will help you establish “importance” in your topic, while quirky movements in your eyebrows or mouth can be evaluated under originality as you highlight intriguing new ideas through your expressions. Rather than having a separate category for delivery, OO challenges performers to practice their speeches in one coordinated effort of words and movements.

Taking this step in OO to understand how you will be evaluated in the importance, relatability, and originality of your speech will push you to write and revise from the perspective of your judge and audience. It’s not often that we get to sit in the umpire’s seat with Hawk-Eyes at our disposable. Use it wisely and may the force be with you in your next round.