A spoken category in which each entrant is given a topic, prepares alone for half an hour, then speaks to the audience from memory and cue cards, recorded on the template as a four-minute entry scored out of 100 and offered in all seven classes.
Speech – Public Speaking is the sixty-third entry on the Jamaican national performing arts festival template and the eighth category of its Speech discipline. It follows dub poetry and leads into story telling. The handbook files it as category 10 of the speech syllabus, with the abbreviation PS on entry forms. Unlike the poem and prose classes before it, nothing here is chosen in advance: the speaker is handed a topic on the day and has to build a short speech from it with no help.
The handbook sets the format out step by step for Classes 3 and 4. Each competitor is given half an hour to prepare to speak on a given topic for three minutes only. During that time the competitor must research the topic and prepare on their own, and must not receive any level of coaching from the adjudicator, teacher, trainer or other contestants. The competitor is also under the supervision of the specialist or the specialist’s nominee while preparing. In Classes 5 and 6 every rule of Classes 3 and 4 applies, except that the speech runs for five minutes instead of three.
There is a second task before the speech. All public speaking entrants are given reading material to present immediately before the prepared speech, and the handbook says the length of this sight-reading lies with the judges. So an entrant is first judged reading a passage they have not seen, then speaking on a topic they were given thirty minutes earlier. The handbook adds that public speaking requires mastery of both Standard English and Jamaican, although the majority of the presentation ought to be in Standard English, with exceptions possible.
Entrants are required to speak directly to the audience and not read to them. The handbook allows a glance at prepared cue cards from time to time and no more. A speaker who has written out the whole speech and reads it will lose the connection that the class is built to reward. The handbook also says that public speakers must register and be ready to deliver at the Parish Finals but not at the audition level, so the first time a speaker is judged in this class is at parish level.
The template records the item as a team entry, both genders together, with English as the language, a four-minute window with the warning bell at three minutes and a score out of 100, in all seven classes. The handbook describes a different class: individual speakers in Classes 3 to 6 only, with three minutes for Classes 3 and 4 and five minutes for Classes 5 and 6. The handbook’s awards scheme lists the class as Best Public Speaking for Classes 3 to 6. An organiser who wants to follow the handbook should set the entry type to individual, remove Classes 1, 2 and 7, and use three or five minutes by class. Organisers run a public speaking class because it tests quick thinking and plain, confident speech in a way that a memorised recitation cannot.
Where Speech – Public Speaking is run
On eTalenter this item is used in one template, the Jamaican national performing arts festival template, where it is assigned to all seven classes (six age bands from the youngest children to adults aged 20 and over, plus a combined class) in the Speech discipline, after dub poetry and ahead of story telling. Impromptu and prepared public speaking classes are a common part of school, youth and community speech festivals in many countries, but each event sets its own rules on preparation time, topics and time limits, so the rules on this page apply to the festival the template is built from.
- Jamaica (the national performing arts festival the template is built from)
Key facts
- Abbreviation PS on entry forms; the handbook lists it as category 10 of the speech syllabus, for Classes 3 to 6 only, and its awards scheme names it Best Public Speaking (Classes 3-6)
- Classes 3 and 4: half an hour to prepare on a given topic, then a three-minute speech. Classes 5 and 6: the same, with a five-minute speech
- Preparation is the entrant’s own work: research the topic and prepare alone, with no coaching from the adjudicator, teacher, trainer or other contestants, under the supervision of the specialist or their nominee
- Before the speech every entrant is given reading material to present, and the judges decide how long the sight-reading lasts
- Speak directly to the audience rather than reading; only an occasional glance at prepared cue cards is allowed. Most of the speech should be in Standard English, with Jamaican also expected to be mastered
- The template gives a team entry, both genders together, English as the language, a four-minute limit with the warning bell at three minutes and a score out of 100, in all seven classes; the handbook describes an individual class for Classes 3 to 6. Marked on the shared four-part speech table (voice, speech, presentation, interpretation), 100 at parish level and 50 at the national finals
- Ideas, not rules, for practice topics: a rule you would change at school, a person who deserves a thank-you, a problem in your community and one thing that would fix it, or a place everyone should visit. Practise on topics like these so that any topic on the day feels familiar
On eTalenter, Speech – Public Speaking is filed under On Stage and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 1 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.
Across the templates that use it, Speech – Public Speaking is most often entered as an Team competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to around 4 minutes where a limit is set.
What judges look at in Speech – Public Speaking
What a Speech – Public Speaking panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- The handbook prints one marking table for the whole Speech discipline, so public speaking is scored on the same four headings as every other speech class. Public speakers do not take part in the audition round, so the weights that matter are parish level (100 marks) and the national finals (50). The points below follow that table and are a summary, not a quotation of the rule
- Voice production: audibility, projection, tone, resonance, colouring, texture and pace, worth 10 at parish level and 4 of 50 at the national finals. Marks go to a speaker who can be heard at the back, varies pace to underline a point and stays steady under pressure; they are lost to one who rushes or drops their voice when they lose their place
- Speech: articulation, enunciation and pronunciation, worth 35 at parish level and 20 of 50 at the national finals. This is the biggest single block after interpretation. The handbook says only Oxford Dictionary pronunciations are accepted for Standard English speaking, and the majority of a public speech should be in Standard English, so careful, clear Standard English earns most here
- Presentation: costume, stage presence, performance energy, style and visual impact, worth 15 at parish level and 4 of 50. In this class presentation means speaking to the audience: eye contact, posture, purposeful gesture and only a glance at cue cards. A speaker who reads from a page, or turns to the page after every sentence, loses the direct contact the handbook asks for
- Interpretation: comprehension, expression, mood and feeling and believability, worth 40 at parish level and 22 of 50. Here it means showing that you understood the topic and have something real to say about it. An argument with a clear opening, a few points with an example each and a finish that returns to the opening usually reads as believable; a string of general statements does not
- Sight-reading: the reading passage is presented before the speech and the judges decide how long it lasts. The handbook does not print a separate mark for it, so treat it as part of voice, speech and interpretation. Read ahead with your eyes, keep the pace even and make the meaning clear
- Time: the speech must finish inside three minutes in Classes 3 and 4 and five minutes in Classes 5 and 6. A speech that stops in the middle of a point, or one that ends well short without a conclusion, shows weak planning
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Speech – Public Speaking under Scoring Setup, or start from the full speech competition judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Speech – Public Speaking
How entrants and their teachers usually get Speech – Public Speaking right on the day:
- Learn the format first: a topic, thirty minutes to prepare alone, a sight-reading passage, then a speech of three minutes (Classes 3 and 4) or five minutes (Classes 5 and 6). Ask the organiser how the sight-reading and the cue cards will be handled before the day, so that no rule is a surprise
- Build a simple structure you can fill in for any topic: an opening line that grabs attention, three points, one example for each point and a closing line that returns to the opening. Write it on a cue card as five or six keywords, not sentences
- Practise the thirty minutes. Give yourself a surprise topic, spend five minutes thinking, ten writing keywords, ten rehearsing aloud and five breathing and checking the card, then speak for exactly three minutes. Do this once a week until the routine is automatic
- Practise with a wide range of topics: school and community life, the environment, health, technology, sport and Jamaican culture. The more topics you have spoken on, the less any single one will frighten you on the day
- Work on Standard English until it is the natural way you speak in front of an audience. Record yourself, listen for words you pronounce differently from the Oxford Dictionary and fix them one by one. Keep Jamaican for a quotation, a proverb or a deliberate touch
- Train eye contact. Pick three points in the room and move between them every few sentences, glancing down at the card only to find the next keyword. Teachers and parents can help by sitting at the back and holding up a hand whenever they cannot hear you or you look at the card for too long
- Rehearse the sight-reading separately: read newspaper columns and short stories aloud at first sight, with the eyes a few words ahead of the voice, and pause at a full stop or comma to breathe
- After a result, ask for the adjudicator’s comments and note which of the four headings lost marks. If it was speech and presentation, spend the next season on clear Standard English and eye contact; if it was interpretation, practise building a point with an example and a conclusion
Ready-made event templates that include Speech – Public Speaking
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| Template | Category | Score label | Competitions |
|---|---|---|---|
| JCDC National Performing Arts Festival (Jamaica) | On Stage | Marks | 7 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Speech – Public 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 public speaking in this festival?
In the festival handbook, public speaking is a class in which each competitor is given a topic, prepares alone for half an hour and then gives a speech of three minutes (Classes 3 and 4) or five minutes (Classes 5 and 6). A sight-reading passage is presented first.
Can a teacher or coach help me prepare on the day?
No. The handbook says that during the preparation time competitors must research the topic and prepare on their own and must not receive any level of coaching from the adjudicator, teacher, trainer or other contestants. They are supervised by the specialist or their nominee. Coaching before the day, on practice topics, is a different matter and is how most entrants get ready.
Can I read my speech or use notes?
You may glance occasionally at prepared cue cards, but the handbook says all entrants must speak directly to the audience and not read to them. Write keywords rather than full sentences.
Does it have to be in Standard English or Jamaican?
The handbook says public speaking requires mastery of both Standard English and Jamaican, but the majority of the presentation ought to be in Standard English, with possible exceptions. Pronunciation of Standard English is marked against the Oxford Dictionary.
Is it for every age group?
The handbook lists public speaking for Classes 3 to 6 only, which are ages 10 to 12, 13 to 15, 16 to 19 and adults aged 20 and over. The template assigns it to all seven classes with a four-minute window, so an organiser following the handbook should remove Classes 1, 2 and 7 and set the time limit by class.
Is it judged individually or as a team?
The handbook describes it as an individual class. The template records the item as a team entry, so an organiser who wants to follow the handbook should set it to individual.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full speech competition judging criteria guide, or browse every on stage competition item.
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