A team speaks a poem or prose piece together as one voice, with split lines, unison passages and shared pace, and is marked on diction, rhythm and ensemble.
Choral speaking is group recitation. Instead of one performer delivering a poem, a whole team speaks it together, so the text is shared out between voices: some lines in unison, some given to a single speaker or a small section, some built up in layers. There is no singing and no accompaniment; the instrument is the combined voice of the team, and the audience should hear one interpretation rather than a crowd of individual readers.
A round runs quickly. The team is called, files on and takes its formation, the leader or the first speaker gives the title if the rules ask for it, and the piece begins on a shared cue. Typical devices include a solo line answered by the full group, a whisper that swells into a shout, an echo passed across the stage and a unison finish. The adjudicator listens for whether the team breathes, pauses and lifts words together, and whether the arrangement makes the meaning of the text clearer.
On the eTalenter templates that carry it the class is always a Team entry, open to boys and girls together and spoken in English. One Sri Lankan speech and drama festival template splits it into four age bands (3-6, 7-9, 10-14 and 15 and over) at 2, 3, 4 and 5 minutes, with the time counted per head, and marks each band out of 10; that festival publishes a minimum of five participants. A Singapore festival template asks for at least eight members and uses four age brackets from 6-7 up to 13-14. An Australian eisteddfod template restricts the class to more than six performers in the first three school stages and sets a minimum choral entry of 20 pupils (10 for small schools). A Canadian speech arts template lists it as an all-ages group class, and a United States high-school fine arts template lists it for grades 9 to 12 with a limit of up to 13 minutes.
Organisers run the class because it brings in entrants who would never stand and speak alone. A team can include shy speakers, gives every member a part, and teaches listening, timing and discipline, while remaining an easy item to stage: it needs no set, no costume and no sound system, only a clear space and a good ear.
Where Choral Speaking is run
Choral Speaking appears on five eTalenter templates, each built from a real published syllabus: a Sri Lankan speech and drama festival, a Singapore performing arts festival, an Australian speech and drama eisteddfod, a Canadian speech arts festival and a United States high-school fine arts competition. The format of speaking verse or prose in groups is a standard class in the speech and drama festival tradition, and the details of group size, time and age banding differ from one syllabus to the next.
- Sri Lanka
- Singapore
- Australia
- Canada
- United States
Key facts
- Team entry, open to boys and girls together on every template that carries it, spoken in English
- Sri Lankan template: four age bands (3-6, 7-9, 10-14, 15 and over) at 2, 3, 4 and 5 minutes counted per head, marked out of 10, minimum five participants
- Singapore template: minimum eight members, four age brackets from 6-7 to 13-14 at 3, 5, 7 and 10 minutes, marked out of 10
- Australian template: more than six performers in the first three school stages, with a minimum choral entry of 20 (10 for schools under 51 pupils), marked out of 100
- United States template: one grade 9-12 class, up to 13 minutes in total, marked out of 100; Canadian template: an all-ages group class with a 10-minute limit
- Different from Choral Verse (a Kenyan schools class), Action Verse (verse spoken with set actions) and Verse Speaking Choir; none of the templates prints judging criteria for this class, so none are assumed here
On eTalenter, Choral Speaking is filed under Literary, Oral and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 5 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.
Across the templates that use it, Choral Speaking is most often entered as an Team competition, typically scored out of 10, commonly time-limited to 2–13 minutes where a limit is set.
What judges look at in Choral Speaking
What a Choral Speaking panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Unison and togetherness: words start and end together, vowels are matched and no voice rushes ahead of or trails behind the team
- Diction and clarity: consonants are crisp enough that every word reaches the back of the room, even in the quietest passages
- Rhythm and pace: the team keeps the beat of the poem, with pauses, lifts and changes of speed taken as one
- Variety of voice: the arrangement uses solo lines, small groups, whispers, echoes and the full chorus so the piece never sounds flat
- Interpretation: the mood and meaning of the text are clear, and the grouping and light movement serve the words rather than decorate them
- Control and presentation: confident entry and exit, steady posture, eyes up and a finish inside the time limit
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Choral Speaking under Scoring Setup, or start from the full recitation & poetry judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Choral Speaking
How entrants and their teachers usually get Choral Speaking right on the day:
- Choose a text with natural rhythm and clear changes of mood; poems with refrains, questions and answers or a build to a climax divide well among voices
- Mark a script for the team: who speaks which line, where the whole group joins and where a breath is taken, so everyone knows their cue
- Rehearse breathing together by speaking a line on one breath as a group, then tighten the endings of words until they stop together
- Practise at three volumes, whisper, normal and full, and decide where each is used so the dynamic range is planned rather than accidental
- Keep movement small and meaningful: a step forward, a turn of the head or a raised hand only where the text calls for it
- Cast by voice quality, not by seniority, and make sure quieter members are placed where they can be heard; then run the piece against a stopwatch to stay inside the limit
- Check the group size rules in your syllabus before entering, because minimum numbers differ between events
Frequently asked questions
Is Choral Speaking judged individually or as a team?
Across eTalenter's templates it's most often run as an Team entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.
What is choral speaking?
It is the spoken performance of a poem or prose piece by a group, with the lines shared between voices in unison, in sections and as solo lines. There is no singing or music.
How many people do I need for choral speaking?
It depends on the event. The templates here use a minimum of five participants in one festival, eight in another, more than six in a third, and a minimum choral entry of 20 in an Australian one. Check your own syllabus.
Is choral speaking the same as a choir?
No. A choir sings, usually with a conductor and a musical score. Choral speaking is spoken only, and the team is judged on diction, rhythm and ensemble rather than pitch.
Is choral speaking judged as a team or as individuals?
As a team. It is a Team entry on every template that carries it, and the panel marks the group's combined performance.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full recitation & poetry judging criteria guide, or browse every literary competition item.
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