Tillamook Oktoberfest
2022 — Tillamook, OR/US
Open Oratory
Event Description:
ubject. No limitation is placed on subject matter, other than that it be significant and worthy. The composition is to be the student's original work. No more than one hundred and fifty quoted words including all short words such as "a," "an," "the", etc., may be used.
Length. There is no minimum time limit; each speech is limited to 10 minutes presentation time with 30 seconds of grace allowed. Time signals may be given at the speaker’s request; however, presentation within the time length is ultimately the responsibility of the speaker. If laughter delays the speaker, the timekeeper shall make allowance by stopping the watch at the beginning and starting it at the end of each interruption. Contestants who violate the time limit may receive a lower rank. No contestant may be penalized if a stopwatch was not used for timing.
Memorization. Verbatim memorization is optional. However, departures from the manuscript may not add to the length of the speech.
Notes. No notes are permitted and no promptings are allowed.
Instructions to the Judges. In this contest, the students have chosen their own subjects, written their speeches, and committed them to memory. They are, however, permitted to deviate from the original script in order to make a better adjustment to the speaking situation. Students are expected to choose a significant subject. They may discuss a problem of social, economic, moral, or political importance, or they may praise (eulogize) a person or idea, or inveigh against an immoral practice, law, group, or person. Ordinarily, the student combines argument with emotional appeal. Speakers employ materials and language that are graphic, striking, and sometimes dramatic - but always with the desire to put the speaker's idea across, not to call attention to the speaker's techniques. The oration is a speech, not a dramatic reading.