The English Speaking Union Romania The 2011 National Public Speaking Competition 18th Edition

Guidance for judges

General judgment issues This competition is not a debate Look for the participants ability to be spontaneous and his/her ability to speak in public Pay attention to rhetorical skills rather than level of English Use of Notes Penalize the speaker if he/she relies too much on notes Penalize speeches too closely memorized Assessment criteria Subject, reasoning and evidence 35 points Reward: The speakers approach to the theme A clearly structured speech A carefully structured topic Good understanding of the subject Carefully selected facts and arguments Penalize: Irrelevance to the theme of the competition Weak and frivolous approach Lack of convincing arguments Lack of focus on the audience

Expression and delivery 35 points Reward: The ability to sustain audience interest Carefully crafted oral presentation Use of appropriate volume and tone of voice, pitch and pause Appropriate eye contact and gestures Confident attitude Effective use of language and rhetorical devices Penalize: Inadequate posture Excessive use of gestures Lack of eye contact with the audience Lack of confidence
1

Being overly pretentious Giving the impression of reading a script Verbosity Establishing credibility points Reward: Ability to communicate emotions and thoughts Holding the audiences attention Effective use of humour Natural style Relevant and spontaneous comments Penalize: Failure to achieve the objectives of the speech Over rehearsed style Failure to establish a connection with the audience 15 15

Responding to questions points Reward: Confidence in dealing with questions Relevant and concise answers Ability to anticipate questions Penalize: first question

An attempt to avoid other questions by a lengthy answer to the Lack of confidence and understanding Staged questions