4-H Public Speaking

Learning to be a good public speaker is something that will be useful throughout a 4-H member’s lifetime. Good public speakers are made, not born. The necessary skills associated with being a good public speaker have always been an important part of the 4-H experience and 4-H clubs are encouraged to foster a positive, learning-oriented environment for youth regarding this subject. Check out this writing guide​. 4-H’ers who participate in Public Speaking can expect to:

  • Develop skills for communicating about real issues to real audiences.
  • Learn how to organize and prepare a speech.
  • Develop speech delivery skills.
  • Learn how to present themselves to others.
  • Develop self confidence
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Local/Club 4-H Speech Contest to be held in November!

Get ready to write and give a 4-H Speech for the Local Speaking Congest that will be held in November!   To have a great speech, you need an Introduction, a Body and a Conclusion.

Entire rule/scorecard for all grades can be viewed online on the Eastern Region website.  – look under “Eastern Region Public Speaking” The topics are OPEN this year! You may speak about anything you wish to! High school members must speak about a 4-H experience. Time guidelines.

  • 4th Grade – 1-3 Minutes
  • 5th Grade – 3-5 Minutes
  • 6th – 8th Grade – 3-7 Minutes
  • 9th – 12th Grade – 5-7 Minutes

County 4-H Public Speaking Contest

All winners of local contests are invited.  You will receive a “golden ticket” when you win your local contest with instructions on how to pre-register.

EACH CONTESTANT NEEDS TO BE PREREGISTERED NO LATER THAN DECEMBER 5th!

The County Contest will be held December 15th at Broadway United Methodist Church located at 309 East Broadway Avenue, Maryville 37804.

Please arrive between 5-5:15 for check-in which will take place in the sanctuary. You will need to check-in prior to the contest.  Contest begins promptly at 6pm after a short Opening Ceremony.

Regional 4-H Public Speaking Contest

1st Place speakers at the county (9th-12th Grade) will be invited to the Regional 4-H Public Speaking Contest in Knoxville. The region will include contestants from your grade from 33 East Tennessee counties.

The competition will take place on:

Saturday, February 4, 2023 Registration is at 12:30 PM Opening Ceremony at 1:00 PM in the Brehm Animal Science Building UT Agriculture Campus Knoxville, TN 37916

The Opening Ceremony will begin at 1:00 p.m. with contests starting shortly afterwards. The prepared speech (approximately 3-7 minutes in length) will count 75 percent of your total score and  the extemporaneous speech will count 25 percent.  Stay within time limits as points will be deducted for under and over speaking.

Remember, two participants per grade level will earn a trip to Tennessee 4-H Congress to participate in the State Contest!  

Sub-Regional 4-H Contest

1st Place County Winners (4th-8th grades) will be invited to the Sub-Regional 4-H Public Speaking Contest hosted by Union County! The sub-region will include contestants from your grade from Blount, Claiborne, Cocke, Grainger, Hamblen, Jefferson, Knox, Sevier and Union Counties.

The 2023 competition will take place:

Tuesday, February 28, 2023 Hosted by Union County at the

(Location will be announced at a later date)

Registration/Check-in @ 12:30 P.M. Speeches To Begin @ 1:00 P.M.

Parking Instructions: Have not been released at this time.