Declamation (DEC)

VIDEO: Sample Declamation

From the National Speech and Debate Association:

Declamation requires students to select a speech that was delivered in public and perform an excerpt of that speech to an audience. Speeches are up to 10 minutes in length. As a result, students typically shorten the text of the speech to meet time requirements. The event is not designed for students to mimic the original author of the speech. Instead, speakers are to develop an oration that delivers the message of the author in an original and engaging manner.

Sample Pieces:

  • “Commencement Address to University of Virginia” by Stephen Colbert
  • “Commencement Address to Tulane University” by Ellen DeGeneres
  • “I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King Jr.

Interested in Dec? For more information, visit  http://www.speechanddebate.org/declamation.