Oratorical Interpretation

Welcome to Oratorical Interpretation! Oratorical Interpretation is an event in which a student takes a speech that has been delivered to any live audience and performs it with their own unique representation of that same speech.

Ex. Martin Luther King's famous "I Have A Dream", Patrick Henry's "Give Me Liberty, Or Give Me Death" speech, Lady Gaga’s “Prime Rib of America” speech

What kind of OI's should you look for?

Well, it’s all about what kind of topics YOU are passionate about and what type of characters you can portray!  If you had a relative in an attack (ex. 9/11) or a tragedy, then you could choose to deliver an account from a victim.  If you’re a vegetarian, then an animal rights speech is great for you.  If you struggled to fight against peer pressure throughout middle or high school, then you should look for a speech that’s advocating to end bullying and pressure.  This speech is what you make of it.  The more passionate you are about a topic, the better you deliver the speech! 

Many OI’s are based on:
  • Storytelling
  • Historical events (9/11, Hiroshima, Vietnam, etc.)
  • The death/murder/tragedy of a family member or friend
  • A personal tragedy
  • A personal journey
  • Inspiration
  • Problems in society (and solutions to them)
  • Activist topics (women’s rights, animal rights, workers’ rights, etc.)

Judging Aspects of OI

Now although find the right speech is the most important part, it is not the only thing you need to worry about!   OI is called Oratorical INTERPRETATION for a reason!  You cannot just take the speaker’s speech and perform it blandly.  Your poise and your voice must embrace the characters’ message and personality.  By fine tuning the characteristics of OI speaking in the list below, you can really achieve a great performance!  

You will also be ranked by your:
  • Confidence
  • Tone
  • Introduction
  • Character
  • Pacing
  • Hand Gestures 

Common Places to Look for OIs are:

Most OI worthy speeches can be found online, and these are just a few great sites that have a massive amount to choose from.  Remember though, you MUST be able to find an online transcript of the speech.  No transcript = no good!  Although you may find a video of a great speech, it is nothing without the transcript.  You can also look beyond on these websites, since many people from our league (SCDL) also use these speeches.  Try googling certain topics or people that you are passionate about and see what comes up!  Some of the best speeches have been found with a little internet digging! 
Suzanne and I will always be here to HELP you find your speech!  

OI HELP

Picture
Suzanne (left) Justine (right) sorry we didn't have a good picture together. heh 

COME TALK TO US ANYTIME if you have any questions about OI, need helping finding a speech, cutting your speech, rehearsing your speech, or maybe you just want to chat. We're here for you!

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