Elocution Contest

The first thing you have to do is make sure that the audience can hear you. There's no point in speaking clearly with expression if no one can hear you.

If you open your mouth wider than you do in ordinary everyday speech the sound will be able to get out.

Another thing that will help the audience to hear you is if you speak slowly. Your voice will have to carry quite a long way so the sound needs time to get to the listener. Make sure you finish all of your words, say every 't' and 'd' at the the of the words, particularly in words like 'and', 'but' and 'get'. These are common everyday words so we tend not to give them any thought.

Clear articulation will also slow you down - which is good.

I cannot over emphasise the importance of pausing. This gives you a chance to take a breath and gives your listeners a chance to take in what you have said. Everyone should pause at a comma, fullstop, exclamationmark, before an important word or after an important word.

Having said that you need to slow your speech down, you also need variety. Variety of pace, power and pitch. This will make your speaking sound interesting and easy to remember.

Pick out the important words and make them stand out so that the audience can listen without having to work too hard.

Once you've picked out the important words you can make them stand out by pausing, by saying them louder, by using inflection in your voice, by using facial expression and by altering the pitch of your voice.

If you're speaking to an audience, which you will be in an elocution contest, make eye contact with the audience and judges from time to tme. If you're reading this will be on the important words, if you're speaking from memory this will be most of the time.

If you have to speak from memory make learning the words your very first priority. Until you know the words, they cannot become part of you and you will find it very hard to speak with expression if you're still struggling with the words.

Webcam Lesson

If you would like a webcam lesson before your elocution contest please click here.

How to judge an Elocution Contest

First of all you need to be able to hear the competitor. Then listen to see if you can hear the words clearly, are they being articulated well. Are the 't' and 'd' sounds being put on the end of the words. Is the competitor using his tongue correctly to get the 'th' sound or does it sound like 'd'?

How fast are they speaking? Is it too fast for you to enjoy the performance?

These technical skills are important but a person could be technically brilliant and still sound boring.

A good speaker needs to sound interesting, they need to be able to put expression into their speech.

Do they have variety in their pace and pitch?

Do they make the important words stand out?

would you like to listen to them read or perform more?

If you would like more help please look at the following links.

How to help children to speak clearly

Speaking clearly DVD

Speaking Clearly CD

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