Public Speaking Tips for the Farm Bureau Speech Contest

“How have supply chain issues impacted Florida agriculture?”

This is the question youth competing in the Florida Farm Bureau Speech Contest will be answering. Every year, the Florida Farm Bureau Federation’s Women’s Leadership Program sponsors a statewide Youth Speech Contest, with county, district, and state level contests.

So, how do you go about putting together your speech?

Public speaking is all about telling a story.

Most speeches start with a creative idea. Think about the topic: “How have supply chain issues impacted Florida Agriculture?”

It may be helpful to brainstorm and write down your ideas. Ideas might include personal experiences, something that others would like to know, or something worthwhile about the topic. Have a purpose for your speech. Do your research on your speech topic and that you know the subject well.

After you have thought about your topic, consider how you might connect with your audience. How does your subject appeal to our audience’s mind, emotions, and senses?

After researching your topic, you will want to create the introduction of your speech.

The introduction includes an opening phrase or phrases to get your audience’s attention.
Open with a question, a startling statement, a little-known fact, or a story.
Make effort to arouse your audience’s interest.
Tell your audience the purpose of your speech.
Why should your audience be interested in your speech topic? Make sure that the audience know why they should be concerned.
Tell your audience what you are going to tell them!

Next, create the body of your speech.

The body of the speech contains support for your purpose.
The body also contains the main points of your topic.
Three to five main points are a good number to use.
Keep your ideas well-defined so that the audience will remember them.
Stories, personal experiences, examples, facts, and statistics contribute to a strong speech body.
It is helpful to write the body of the speech first, then to develop your introduction and conclusion to support the body.
Tell them!

The conclusion is the part of your speech that the audience will remember the most.

The conclusion summarizes your main points in the body.
Make sure that you do not expand on your points in this section. All details for your speech are given in the body.
Finish confidently.
Tell them what you told them!

Final thoughts

Review the score sheet as you are preparing your speech.

So, let’s sign-up for the Farm Bureau Speech Contest!

Contest details:

Monday, April 10, 2023, 6:30 PM

University of Florida IFAS Extension Seminole County auditorium

250 W. County Home Rd.

Sanford, FL 32773

Who:

Youth who is at least 14 years of age and not over 18 years of age on or before September 8, 2023.
Youth in Seminole County- competitors must be a resident of the county they are representing.

What:

Speeches 5 minutes in length (+/- 30 seconds) on the topic: “How have supply chain issues impacted Florida agriculture?”.
Speeches over or under this time will face point deductions.
Speeches must be personally prepared and presented by the competitor.
No visual aids are permitted, including PowerPoint presentations and posters.

Registration:

Deadline to register: April 7, 2023, 11:59 PM
Register at: https://forms.gle/AMfEhD5xYaAejDHN7

More information on Farm Bureau students contests may be found here.