All over the nation American Legion state organizations face the same dilemma. That the American Legion Oratorical program is beneficial to student participants is beyond question. Yet, year after year local Posts have no one to represent them, area contests may have only one participant, sectional events are lucky to have a couple of contestants, and even at the Department or state level some sections are not represented. How do Posts get more students to participate? While this is going on, speech teachers and coaches recognize many students in their programs who might compete well in the Oratorical contest, but either the teacher can't get the information about the contest or they find it difficult or impossible to get those students to compete.
By working together, local Posts and area teachers can use several techniques to encourage students to take advantage of the great opportunities offered through the Legion Oratorical program. By making the right contacts, making the local contests student friendly, making resources available to teachers and students, and by creating good judging panels, Posts and coaches or teachers can increase the chances for full student involvement at the local level.
Too often Oratorical information is dropped off with a principal or counselor and that is the end of it. A note in a school's bulletin may be the only contact with teachers and students. To encourage contest activity, a Post would be well advised to seek a brief meeting with the teacher of public speaking classes or with an English teacher (probably junior or senior English) who has students write persuasive essays. Since some local Legion representatives are reluctant to tackle school bureaucracies, the teachers could facilitate the process with a call to the local Legion office. Through direct contact with these teachers, ways may be found to adjust assignments to give students credit for participating in the Oratorical contest. One local speech teacher made participation a requirement for an "A" grade in an Advanced Speech class. The first step to increased participation is to get information to the correct people. A Post can also make the contest more student friendly. Often students look at the task of researching, writing, and memorizing a ten-minute oratory and four five-minute speeches as too much work to fit into a school year filled with academics, club activities, sports, and their all-important social life. Local contests can encourage participation by adopting a rule which says scripts or notes are allowed at the first level. Many more students will write and deliver the speeches if they know that only the winner needs to memorization is not required in early contests.. Teachers or coaches can encourage the local Post to make these accommodations.
Local Posts can also help overburdened teachers and students by assisting with resource management. Copies of the Constitution and Bill of Rights could be given to all those signing up to participate. School and public librarians will usually be glad to set up special shelves of resource materials such as the Encyclopedia of the Constitution and The Founder's Constitution. The more groundwork done by a Post, the easier it is to encourage entry to the contest.
Finally, good judging encourages increased participation. A contest judged by good people who have no knowledge of how to evaluate speaking skills or who have limited knowledge of Constitutional issues is a contest dying on the vine. If teachers or students see poor judging, they become dis-encouraged from continuing their involvement. Even at the Post level (and certainly beyond) lawyers, history teachers or professors, news staff (both print and broadcast), business leaders, members of local Toastmasters clubs, as well as Legion members should make up the judging panels. Teachers, because of their contacts, can help the Post in recruiting a good judging panel. One Oregon Post has throughout the years used many of these strategies to improve their program - and it has paid off handsomely. In the past twenty years this Post in a small rural community has encouraged over 150 students to compete at the Post level. The community has been rewarded with thirteen Department finalists, including eight winners who went on to win four semifinalist spots and a national second place and third place. According to Betty Ramey, past Oregon Post 122 Oratorical Chair and Vice-Chair for the Department of Oregon Oratorical Commission, "Making the Post Oratorical contest available to more speakers has increased student involvement and we're very proud of the students who have represented us beyond the Post contest."
It would only take a small extra effort on the part of local Posts and speech instructors or coaches to make the right contacts, make contests more student friendly, make information available, and provide quality judging. By taking these steps now, student participation in future Oratorical programs would increase and the benefits of this fine activity would spread to more and more students.
