It’s public speaking time in Union County! One of the most exciting 4-H competitions is just around the corner: the 4-H Public Speaking Contest.
This experience really boosts your confidence. Almost everyone has fears of public speaking, but it sure is an excellent way to turn your weakness into strength. Preparing a speech makes you look inward to personal thoughts or ideas that you would like your audience to hear about.
Would you like to persuade or inform your audience about a certain topic? Ralph Waldo Emerson said “Speech is power: speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel.”
My name is Kaleb Hanna, and I have been a Union County 4-H member since 2013. I have enjoyed being involved in the 4-H Speaking Contest every year. In 4th grade, after giving my speech in the county level competition at Horace Maynardville Middle School, one of the judges asked me to come give my speech at the next county commission meeting at the courthouse. I did, and received a standing ovation!
Since then, I have gone on to compete and win in The Big Nine, which is the subregional contest for 4th – 8th graders. In 2018, my first year in high school, I made it to the Regional 4-H Public Speaking Contest at the University of Tennessee.
There were butterflies in my stomach, yet through much determination, I was awarded the blue ribbon. As a result, I was headed to my next competition: Tennessee 4-H Congress, a three-day event in Nashville.
Not only would I be giving my speech at this event, but also I would experience state government, attend educational workshops at TN State University, and visit with our state senators and representatives. I won second place in the TN State Speech Contest!
Thinking this was the end of my 9th grade speech journey, I was very surprised when I received an invitation to come participate in the National Impromptu Speech Contest at the Western National Roundup in Denver, Colorado, January 8-12, 2020.
To give you a brief overview of what will happen at this contest, I will be randomly drawing three questions from a pool of questions ranging from current events to social issues. After selecting one of the questions to speak about and returning the other two, I will be given three minutes to organize my thoughts before beginning a three- to five-minute impromptu speech about the question I chose.
I will be graded on appearance, introduction, body of speech, projection, voice control, pronunciation, language effectiveness and quality, and the conclusion. In addition to the Impromptu Speech Contest, I will learn to continue to develop my leadership and citizenship skills at Western National Roundup through career workshops, hearing keynote speakers, ceremony banquets, service projects, and much more.
When I return, I look forward to sharing all I will learn at Western National Roundup with Union County. I am so excited to represent our Tennessee 4-H at this upcoming national event.
Although my registration fee is paid for by the 4-H Foundation, I will be covering the cost of my airfare to Western National Roundup, the hotel and some meals. I would very much appreciate any monetary help that you can give. If you would like to know more about this event, please go to the following website: http://westernnationalroundup.org/.
I want to thank you in advance for your support. I am honored to represent Tennessee and will do my best to make you proud. If you are interested in sponsoring a portion of my experience to the national competition to represent Union County, contact the local UT Extension and 4-H office at 865-992-8038.