Public speaking is a valuable life skill for career success and civic engagement. Those who have aspirations of leadership will likely find themselves in the position of leading meetings and speaking to audiences of various sizes. Unfortunately, most people include public speaking at the top of their list of fears! Thankfully, there are methods to overcome that fear, and 4-H has been doing that very well for decades. The 4-H/Tropicana Public Speaking Program is a school enrichment curriculum designed for the classroom teacher to deliver a quality program that motivates students to get excited about public speaking!
4-H Tropicana Public Speaking![](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==)
Since 1969, Tropicana has supported the 4-H/Tropicana Public Speaking Program. Today hundreds of thousands of elementary and middle school students participate all over the state of Florida. The program is designed to take students through 5 lessons in order to prepare and deliver a quality speech. Under the guidance of teachers, students choose their own topics, conduct research, draft the speeches, practice delivery and finally compete in classroom contests. Classroom winners compete at the school-level and these winners advance to the county-level contest held at the Extension office each spring. The program targets 4th, 5th and 6th grade students and supports several ELA NGSSS relating to research, composition, and presentation skills.
What does 4-H Provide?
Through the generous support of Tropicana, 4-H provides all materials and awards at no cost to the schools. Materials include a suggested lesson plan, parent letter, student certificates, student speaking tips, score sheets, classroom ribbons and school medallions. The county contest includes Tropicana refreshments and high-quality wooden plaques for the top 4 speakers in each age division.
Getting started with 4-H/Tropicana
The first step is to call our office at 407-254-9200 or email Orange4H@ifas.ufl.edu. We will gladly send a sample packet with everything you need in order to decide if Tropicana is a good fit for your school. If you wish, our staff will come to your school and speak directly to the teachers and/or students about the program and answer any questions they may have. We believe that helping students become competent public speakers is a worthy endeavor and are confident that you will agree that 4-H/Tropicana Public Speaking is a great choice for your school.