A solo speech in which one speaker addresses the room on a topic and is judged on content, structure, language and delivery.
Public speaking is a solo class in which one competitor stands before a panel and an audience and delivers a short speech of their own. Unlike a recited poem or a read passage, the words are the speaker's own: they choose an angle, build an argument or a story, and persuade or inform the listeners within a strict time limit.
A round is simple. The speaker is called, takes their place, gives the title if the syllabus asks for it, and speaks while the adjudicator listens and marks. Some festivals set the topic in advance and some give a choice of subjects, so organisers should state clearly which applies and whether a few notes may be held.
A good entry has a shape the listener can follow: an opening that earns attention, two or three clear points or moments, and an ending that lands. Younger speakers often tell a short personal story or describe something they know well, while older speakers argue a view, explain an idea or make a case with examples.
Organisers run the class because it rewards the skill most entrants will actually use in school, work and community life: organising thoughts, speaking clearly without a script to hide behind, and holding a room's attention. It also sits naturally beside the storytelling, prose and drama classes in a speech and drama programme.
Where Public Speaking is run
On the eTalenter templates this item is carried by twelve templates across several countries: eisteddfod and festival speech and drama programmes in Australia, speech arts programmes in Canada, a Cape Town eisteddfod in South Africa, a Perth festival in Scotland and a Sri Lankan speech and drama festival. It usually appears in a Literary or Oral group, in some festivals with its own age bands, and in some as a team version as well.
- Australia
- Canada
- South Africa
- Scotland
- Sri Lanka
Key facts
- Individual entry, open to boys and girls together, in English on the Sri Lankan template
- Sri Lankan template bands: 7-9 years at 1 minute 30 seconds, 10-14 at 2 minutes and 15 and over at 3 minutes
- Marked out of 10 on that template, with time counted per speaker
- Carried by twelve templates, grouped under Literary on some and Oral on others
- A separate Team Public Speaking class exists on the Sri Lankan template; it is a different entry from this solo class
On eTalenter, Public Speaking is filed under Literary, Oral and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 12 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.
Across the templates that use it, Public Speaking is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 10, commonly time-limited to 1–8 minutes where a limit is set.
What judges look at in Public Speaking
What a Public Speaking panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Content: a clear point or story with relevant examples, not a list of unconnected remarks
- Structure: a strong opening, a logical middle and an ending that closes the speech rather than trailing off
- Language: accurate, vivid and age-appropriate wording, used naturally rather than memorised phrases
- Delivery: a clear voice, steady pace, well-placed pauses and eye contact with the room
- Presence and confidence: posture, calm control of nerves and not reading the speech word for word
- Time discipline: finishing inside the age-band limit without rushing the last points
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Public Speaking under Scoring Setup, or start from the full elocution & speech judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Public Speaking
How entrants and their teachers usually get Public Speaking right on the day:
- Choose one main message and build the speech around it, so you can say what it is in a single sentence
- Write a short outline of an opening, two or three points and a closing line rather than a full script to read
- Practise aloud many times; a speech that only exists on paper will fall apart on the day
- Time a full run at performance pace and cut points until you finish just inside your age-band limit
- Rehearse the first and last sentences until they are secure, since listeners remember starts and endings
- Practise in front of a small audience and ask what they remember, which shows what the speech really says
- Record yourself to catch filler words, fast patches and a flat tone, then correct one fault at a time
Frequently asked questions
Is Public Speaking judged individually or as a team?
Across eTalenter's templates it's most often run as an Individual entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.
Is Public Speaking the same as Elocution or Prose Speaking?
No. Public speaking is a speech in your own words on a topic, while elocution and prose speaking usually deliver words already written, such as a passage of text. Check the event syllabus, since classes are named differently between festivals.
How long can I speak for?
On the Sri Lankan template the limit is 1 minute 30 seconds for the 7-9 band, 2 minutes for 10-14 and 3 minutes for 15 and over. Other templates set their own limits.
Can I use notes?
That is set by each event's syllabus, so check before you prepare. A short outline is a safer habit than a full script, since judges reward a speech that is spoken rather than read.
Is it judged individually or as a team?
This class is judged individually. Each speaker receives their own mark. A separate Team Public Speaking class exists on some templates.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full elocution & speech judging criteria guide, or browse every literary competition item.
Try Public Speaking in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Public Speaking, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
