Bureau County 4-H sends three to Illinois 4-H State Public Speaking Contest

Three members of the Bureau County 4-H participated in the Illinois 4-H State Public Speaking Contest on Saturday, April 30 at Parkland College in Champaign.

The Bureau County 4-H members who participated in the public speaking contest included Josie Edlefson, Haven Pierson and Elizabeth Jones.

Youth who participate in the speaking contest develop skills for communicating real-life issues to live audiences and receive professional and peer feedback.

Edlefson and Pierson participated in the Formal Speech Division of the contest, where participants shared their perspective on a topic of their choice with a speech intended to motivate, persuade or inform an audience.

Jones and Pierson participated and came in second place in the Original Works Division contest, where participants presented published works, manuscripts or transcripts.

The public speaking contest is open to youth ages 8-18 who want to learn skills on how to organize and prepare a speech, develop speech delivery skills and learn how to present themselves in front of an audience.

Public speaking is a key part of the 4-H experience as 4-H members give demonstrations and talks throughout the year at community club meetings and share information about the skills they learned in a 4-H project while receiving feedback in a supportive environment.

All 4-H members are encouraged to give at least one formal presentation during a club meeting every year.

To learn more about public speaking growth opportunities in Bureau County, contact Bureau County Program Coordinator Danielle Gapinski at 815-875-2878.