2015 Optimist Oratorical Contest

The Sioux Falls branch of the Optimist Oratorical contest needs our help! The deadline for students to apply is next Monday, March 2nd, and the numbers are lacking. If you know of any student(s) who would consider giving a 4-5 minute speech in the hopes of earning scholarship money, please share the below contest flyer with them. (Currently, odds of winning are in their favor due to low numbers!)

2015 contest flyer and application information

TED's "Before Pubic Speaking" Playlist

TED is fond of posting thematic playlists, and I recently found this one entitled "Before public speaking..." This playlist currently includes the eight TED talks listed below. Perhaps one (or a few) could fit into your speech classroom?

• "How to speak so that people want to listen" by Julian Treasure (~10 min)
• "Your body language shapes who you are" by Amy Cuddy (~21 min)
• "How I beat stage fright" by Joe Kowan (~8 min)
• "Talk nerdy to me" by Melissa Marshall (~5 min)
• "How great leaders inspire action" by Simon Sinek (~18 min)
• "Lies, damn lies, and statistics" by Sebastian Wernicke (~6 min)
• "Why I live in mortal dread of public speaking" by Megan Washington (~13 min)
• "The danger of silence" by Clint Smith (~4 min)