Junior Speakers League
Speech Examples
Scroll down to see speech examples for the Intermediate and Advanced speeches.
The "All About Me" speech
Use your speech worksheet to help you tell the group all about yourself. Watch the training video about this speech.
The "Focus on Gestures" speech
Gestures (pronounced with a “J” sound – “jestures”) refer to our movements when we speak. These help you show confidence and make a connection with your audience. Gestures can be made with your hands, arms, shoulder, torso, head, face, legs, feet or a combination of these, but hand, arm, and facial gestures are probably the most common.
You will speak from your “Focus on Gestures” worksheet, describing fun things you like to do.
WE’RE STILL LOOKING FOR A GOOD SAMPLE VIDEO! WILL IT BE YOURS?
WE’RE STILL LOOKING FOR A GOOD SAMPLE VIDEO! WILL IT BE YOURS?
The "Focus on Vocal Variety" speech
The focus of this speech is to work on vocal variety, that is, changes in your voice’s power, pitch, pace and pauses. Power (or Volume) refers to how loudly you speak. Pitch means the high notes and low notes in your voice. Women generally have higher pitched voices than men who have deeper pitched voices. Pace refers to how fast or slowly you are speaking. Pauses are when you briefly stop speaking during your speech. This speech should have clear examples of noticeable changes to your voice in these areas. Speak only from your worksheet.
The "Focus on Visual Aids" speech
A visual aid is something that you show the audience. For the Focus on Visual Aids speech you will speak only from your worksheet, and your visual aids will be one or more of your “prized possessions,” that is, something that you really love having, or is especially important to you.
The "How To" speech
The “How To” speech is a chance to teach the group (in 3-5 minutes) how to do or create something, step-by-step. There are lots of interesting possibilities! If it makes sense, at the beginning of the meeting, recommend that the members gather items to follow along as you describe the steps. You must speak from your worksheet, include visual aids and meet the time goal to pass this speech.
The "I Know a Lot About" speech
In the “I Know a Lot About” you will tell us something you know a lot about. Is it model trains, growing plants, drawing, unicorns? Choose something you already know, or do some research on something you want to know a lot about, and share it with the group. To pass this speech, you must show satisfactory (or better) quality in all of the skills you have developed – eye contact, gestures, vocal variety, visual aids, and organization! You must speak from your worksheet and also meet the time requirement. Satisfactory attire is also requested.
Intermediate Level
Speech Examples
The "I'm Inspired" speech
Being inspired means the feeling that you want to do more, achieve more, try more, overcome more, succeed more. When another person is inspiring to you, he or she is an example that encourages you to do, achieve, try, overcome, and succeed.
The goal of the “I’m Inspired” speech is to tell us about a single person whose achievements or approach to life you find inspiring, and why. This could be an inventor, a volunteer, a sports figure, a political leader, etc. Explain what makes them inspiring to you, and how you are currently (and will be in the future) using their qualities/methods in your own life. When selecting this individual, do not choose a teacher or family member.
The "Grown Up" speech
The goal of the “Grown Up” speech is to imagine and describe how your life will look when you are grown up. Focus on your life after your schooling. Will you get married? How many children would you have, and what sorts of things would you like to do with them? What kind of job would you have? Where would you live?
The "Book Review" speech
The goal of the “Book Review” speech is to persuade others to read a book or book series that you enjoyed. Don’t re-tell the story or give away the plot, but share enough information, and your opinion, to inspire the audience to want to read it themselves.
The "Work of Art" speech
The goal of the “Work of Art” speech is to research an artist, sculptor, or architect and provide interesting facts and visuals about his/her life and creative pieces. The goal of the speech is to have great visual aids while sharing the creator’s ideas and thoughts behind their creations.
The "Storytelling" speech
The goal of the “Storytelling” speech is to share a fictional folk tale or story with a moral in a way that is entertaining and holds the interest of the audience. No notes are used for this speech and it is presented without a lectern.
The "Changed My Life" speech
The goal of the “Changed my Life” speech is to describe, sincerely, an important moment or event in your life that changed how you think or act. It might be a new sibling, a time when you helped someone, tried something challenging, or met someone important. What happened in that moment to change you, and how did you feel about it?
Advanced Level
Speech Examples
The "News Flash" speech
The goal of the “News Flash” speech is to speak on a topic newly in the television, print, or major internet news (in the last couple of weeks), in an engaging way. It can be local news, national news, or international news. You can search for “news for kids” for ideas. Be sure to mention the news source(s) you used, and when the event happened.
The "Community Helper" speech
The goal of the Community Helper speech is to interview an interesting member of the community and relay that information back to the group.
The "Infomercial" speech
The goal of the Infomercial speech is to present a 5-7 minute ‘commercial’ for a new product that you have created. Your product is available in lots of stores, and you are the salesperson, so stay “in character” and energetically describe your product’s uses and how it will improve our lives if we buy it. Is there a special sale we should know about? Hold/demonstrate/display your product, and tell us why it is so great!
The "Balanced Discussion" speech
The goal of this speech is to take a peek into the world of debate, and present both sides of an issue, to get the audience thinking about how they feel about the issue. For example, should schools get rid of letter grades? Should kids have an allowance? Should dress codes be required in school? Is breakfast actually the most important meal of the day? Try to present several strong arguments for both sides. Members are encouraged to avoid controversial political and moral topics that might make others uncomfortable.
The "Volunteering Project" speech
The goal of this speech is to share the experience of participating in a volunteer project with other people in the community. While you are in the Advanced Level, volunteer for a community activity, or create your own, and then create a speech that describes the experience. The people you volunteer with must include people who are not in your family.
The "My Junior Speakers League Journey" speech
The goal of this speech is to describe your own development as a public speaker, while in your Junior Speakers League club.