Big 8 Conference Tournament

2011 — WI/US

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Public Address

Event Description:

Rules for Public Address

Time Limit: 8 minutes

Purpose of the Category
To develop the skill of providing a directly responsive statement to an issue of current public discussion.

Definition of the Category
The challenge to the speaker is to contribute to the public dialogue on a contemporary issue by presenting awell-informed statement that is directly responsive to a question about that issue. The speaker is to beknowledgeable, and is to use quality supporting-material to substantiate his/her position. The PublicAddress speech is to be well organized, clear, and effectively presented.

Rules
1. The participant must choose one of the annually presented questions to respond to in an original speech.The 2010-11 season questions are:

1. Sex Education: What sex educational curriculum, if any, should be taught in public schools?
2. Stem Cell Research: What are the potential benefits or harms, if any, of embryonic stem cellresearch?
3. Textbooks: To what extent, if any, should special interest groups (such as the state schoolboards of Texas or California) influence public school textbook content across the country?
4. 24/7 News Cycle: To what extent, if any, does the immediacy of the 24/7 news cycle help orhinder the public's ability to understand the complexity of current events?

2. Properties or visual aids are not permitted.
3. The use of notes is optional.
4. Maximum time limit: 8 minutes, with an allowable 15-second grace period. There is no minimum timerequirement. Vocal music, if used, must be incidental and consist of no more than 30 seconds total. Anyentry exceeding the grace period and/or the vocal music time limit may not be ranked first in the round.If all entries in a round exceed either time limit, no first rank shall be given in that round.

Criteria for Evaluation
1. The extent to which a direct and well-defined response to the question was provided.
2. The extent to which the speaker analyzed and organized the ideas to provide the answer.
3. The extent to which the contestant (a) supported the main idea with worthwhile evidence, and (b)employed effective language skills including such items as use of transitions and clear, vivid andappropriate word choices. Individual judges may lower the rank due to use of profanity or vulgarity.
4. The extent to which the vocal presentation was clear and appropriate to the subject, including such itemsas articulation, pronunciation, volume, rate, pitch and voice quality.
5. The extent to which the physical presence contributed to the clarity and effectiveness of the presentation,including such items as facial expression, eye contact, gestures and bodily movement.