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Strategies for Winning Speech Competitions

Speech competitions can feel like a daunting task, filled with high stakes and even higher nerves. Did you know that using personal stories in your speech is an effective way to captivate your audience? In this article, we’ll dive into proven strategies for acing these contests from choosing compelling topics to delivering powerful conclusions.

Ready to take center stage? Let’s go!

Key Takeaways

• Using personal stories in your speech can captivate your audience and make your speech more engaging.
• Speech competitions are important for developing public speaking skills, boosting confidence, and enhancing critical thinking and research abilities.
• Strategies for winning speech competitions include choosing a compelling topic, conducting thorough research from reputable sources, organizing your speech effectively with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion, and practicing and rehearsing multiple times focusing on delivery and timing.
• Effective delivery techniques for winning speech competitions include using engaging body language and gestures, maintaining strong eye contact to establish rapport with the audience, varying tone and pace to keep the audience interested and attentive, and incorporating captivating storytelling into your presentation.

Importance of Speech Competitions

Develops public speaking skills.

Engaging in speech competitions can usher in remarkable improvement to your public speaking skills. These competitive platforms offer the perfect venue for you to hone your oratory prowess, enabling you to present ideas clearly and persuasively.

Grasping this skill isn’t simply about scoring points with judges but also lays a concrete foundation for career advancement opportunities . Why? Industries value employees with excellent communication abilities, seeing it as an indication of creativity and leadership qualities.

Your participation in these competitions not only boosts your confidence but also develops critical thinking – a sought-after ability in today’s fast-paced professional landscape. This learning curve ultimately makes you a better speaker and leader, primed for success inside the competition hall and beyond!

Boosts confidence and self-esteem

Public speaking competitions offer an unmatched avenue for  boosting confidence and self-esteem . Often, participants experience positive changes in their self-assurance and self-worth as they navigate through the process of readying themselves for a public performance.

The magic lies not just in winning but rather breaking free from fear’s grip that tends to tighten around stage fright and self-doubt.

Moreover, there is no definitive correlation between speaking anxiety and achievement on the podium. In fact, mastering effective communication styles goes hand in hand with constructing captivating speeches.

This skill-building allows speakers to project realistic confidence that’s firmly grounded in their abilities – a factor significantly linked to audience persuasion success over inherent nerviness or hesitancy during delivery.

As such, honing one’s public speaking skill is truly transformative extending benefits into everyday life scenarios at professional interfaces or social gatherings.

Enhances critical thinking and research abilities

Harnessing the power of effective public speaking skills is far from being solely about stage performance. Quite contrary, it’s a comprehensive exercise that stimulates both your critical thinking and research abilities.

You’re constantly thrown into a whirlpool of analytical thinking as you devise compelling arguments and counterarguments. It urges you to channel your logical reasoning to justify your stance convincingly, making persuasive communication an integral part of these competitions.

The constant need for innovation pushes you towards cognitive flexibility while preparing speeches, helping hone problem-solving capabilities over time.

Moreover, delving deep into varied topics enhances your information literacy drastically. From social issues to scientific concepts, the broad range of subjects you explore equips you with substantial knowledge and diverse perspectives – indispensable tools in today’s world where adaptability reigns supreme.

As speech competitions spotlights effective presentation at its core – practicing such skills can significantly boost career advancement prospects since they showcase leadership abilities with demonstrated results.

Looking beyond those bright stage lights and resounding applause lines reveals how much more profound impact participating in these speech arenas has on individuals’ development; indeed igniting not just their wordsmith tendencies but also nurturing their intellectual prowess.

So dive deep into research mode, craft logically coherent points down pat before any speech competition because this intricately intertwined process nurtures those hidden gems within each participant: unparalleled critical thinking and efficient research skills!

Preparation Strategies for Speech Competitions

Choose a compelling topic, research and gather relevant information, organize your speech effectively with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion, and practice and rehearse multiple times focusing on delivery and timing.

Choose a compelling topic that aligns with the competition theme

Selecting a captivating topic that aligns with the competition theme is essential when preparing for speech competitions. The chosen subject matter should not only capture your interest but also resonate with the audience.

By selecting a topic you are passionate about, you will naturally be more engaged and enthusiastic during your presentation, which can significantly enhance your chances of winning. It’s also crucial to consider your knowledge and expertise in the chosen topic as this will enable you to deliver a speech with confidence and authority.

Additionally, take into account the interest and engagement level of the audience, ensuring that your topic appeals to their curiosity or addresses their needs. Remember, by carefully selecting an intriguing theme that aligns with the competition requirements, you can start off on the right foot towards winning over both judges and listeners alike.

Research and gather relevant information from reputable sources

For speech competitions, it’s crucial to research and gather information from reliable sources. Thorough research not only strengthens the quality of your speech but also enhances your credibility as a speaker.

Start by identifying reputable sources such as academic journals, books written by experts in the field, or articles published by well-known organizations.

By utilizing these trusted resources, you can ensure that the information you include in your speech is accurate and up-to-date. This will make your arguments stronger and more persuasive to both judges and audience members.

Remember that conducting thorough research demonstrates your commitment to delivering a well-informed and thought-provoking speech.

Additionally, incorporating statistics, examples, or case studies from reliable sources can add depth and credibility to your speech content. By using evidence-based facts, you enhance the persuasiveness of your arguments while engaging with the audience on a logical level.

So take the time to dive into reputable materials related to your topic in order to gather compelling information for an impactful presentation.

Organize your speech effectively with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion

Effective speech organization is crucial in winning speech competitions. By organizing your speech with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion, you can ensure that your message flows logically and captivates the audience.

In the introduction, set the tone and grab attention with an engaging opening statement. Then, move on to the body of your speech where you present your main points in a well-structured and organized manner.

This includes supporting arguments or evidence that back up your ideas. Finally, wrap up your speech with a memorable ending that leaves a lasting impact on the audience. By following this structure, you can enhance clarity of thought and create an engaging presentation that stands out in any competition setting.

Practice and rehearse your speech multiple times, focusing on delivery and timing

Rehearsing your speech multiple times is essential for speech competitions. It may seem obvious, but many speakers underestimate the importance of practice when it comes to delivering a winning speech.

By rehearsing your speech repeatedly, you not only become more familiar with the content and flow but also improve your delivery and timing. Practice helps you identify areas where phrases can be shortened and made more concise, ensuring that your message is clear and impactful.

Additionally, by practicing under pressure, such as in front of friends or family, you can enhance your presentation skills and build confidence in speaking before an audience. Remember, preparation is key to creating engaging speeches and presenting them using your own unique delivery style.

Delivery Techniques for Winning Speech Competitions

Use body language and gestures effectively to engage the audience.

Good body language and gestures are essential when delivering a speech to engage the audience effectively. Nonverbal cues, such as facial expressions, hand movements, and body posture , can greatly enhance your overall delivery.

Purposeful and sincere body movement instantly builds a connection with the audience or your peers. By maintaining strong eye contact, you establish rapport and establish credibility as a speaker.

Varying your tone and pace keeps the audience interested and attentive throughout your speech. Additionally, incorporating storytelling or anecdotes into your presentation makes it more relatable and memorable for the listeners.

Maintain strong eye contact to establish rapport and connection

Establishing a strong connection with your audience is crucial when delivering a speech, and maintaining strong eye contact plays a key role in building rapport . By looking directly into the eyes of your listeners, you show them that you are present and engaged in the conversation.

This not only helps to establish trust and credibility but also enhances their sense of involvement in your presentation. Making eye contact with different members of the audience creates a personal connection, making them feel valued and heard.

Remember, mastering this presentation skill takes practice, but it is well worth the effort as it can greatly impact the success of your speech. So next time you step on stage or stand before an audience, maintain strong eye contact to establish genuine rapport and forge a meaningful connection with your listeners.

Vary your tone and pace to keep the audience interested and attentive

Varying your tone and pace while delivering a speech is an important technique to keep your audience engaged and attentive. By using vocal variety, such as changing the tone of your voice or adjusting the speed at which you speak, you can add interest, emphasis, and clarity to your speech.

Speaking at different speeds can create anticipation and excitement in the audience, making them more eager to listen to what you have to say. On the other hand, maintaining a steady and calm pace prevents rushing due to nerves and ensures that every word is delivered clearly.

Remember that practicing your speech with varying intonation and tempo will help captivate the audience’s attention throughout your presentation. So go ahead, add some spice by playing with your voice – it’s one simple yet effective way to make sure your message resonates with listeners.

Incorporate storytelling or anecdotes to make your speech more relatable and memorable

Storytelling and anecdotes are powerful tools that can take your speech to the next level, making it more relatable and memorable for your audience. When you weave a compelling story into your speech, you engage the audience’s emotions and create a connection that goes beyond just delivering information.

By sharing personal experiences or anecdotes related to your topic, you bring authenticity and depth to your speech, capturing the attention of your listeners. Sensory details in stories also have a unique ability to stimulate the audience’s brains, leaving a lasting impact.

So, instead of simply presenting facts and figures, consider incorporating storytelling techniques to enhance your speech delivery and make it truly unforgettable.

Winning Strategies for Speech Competitions

Winning a speech competition requires connecting emotionally with the audience, using persuasive techniques to influence judges, incorporating humor or rhetorical devices for engagement, and ending with a strong conclusion that leaves a lasting impact.

Discover these powerful strategies now!

Connect with the audience emotionally by sharing personal experiences or stories

Sharing personal experiences or stories is an incredibly effective strategy for connecting with your audience on an emotional level during a speech competition. By weaving relatable and impactful narratives into your speech, you can capture their attention and create a sense of empathy and understanding.

When you share real-life examples or compelling personas, it allows the audience to see how the topic at hand has the power to transform lives. This emotional connection not only makes your speech more memorable but also encourages the audience to take your message to heart and potentially even act on it.

Engaging with your audience through storytelling is a powerful tool that can truly elevate your speech competition performance.

Use persuasive techniques and appeals to persuade and influence the judges

Winning a speech competition requires not only excellent delivery skills but also the ability to persuade and influence the judges. To achieve this, it is crucial to employ persuasive techniques and appeals that resonate with them.

One effective strategy is to tap into their emotions by sharing personal experiences or stories that evoke empathy or relate to their own lives. By connecting with them on an emotional level, you can create a strong bond and make your message more memorable.

Additionally, using rhetorical devices such as metaphors or vivid imagery can help captivate their attention and leave a lasting impact. Remember, understanding what influences judges’ decisions in speech competitions and utilizing persuasive techniques will greatly enhance your chances of success.

Incorporate humor or rhetorical devices to make your speech entertaining and engaging

Humor and rhetorical devices can be powerful tools to captivate an audience and make your speech entertaining and engaging. Incorporating wit, comedic timing, satire, irony, wordplay, and other rhetorical devices can add a playful touch to your speech that keeps the audience entertained throughout.

By weaving in engaging storytelling or using playful banter with the audience, you create connection and establish rapport. Using exaggeration or employing comic relief at key moments can also bring levity to your speech.

Remember, speaking humorously is a skill that can be learned and honed over time – it’s all about finding the right balance of humor that aligns with your message while keeping the audience engaged from start to finish.

End with a strong and memorable conclusion that leaves a lasting impact on the audience

A powerful conclusion is the key to winning a speech competition. It’s your chance to wrap up your speech with a bang and leave a lasting impression on the audience. To achieve this, you need to carefully plan your closing remarks word for word, ensuring that they resonate with your main points and engage the listeners on an emotional level.

A well-crafted conclusion should include a thought-provoking ending or impactful closing statement that ties all the threads of your speech together. By delivering a memorable final note, you can create a sense of closure for the audience and reinforce their takeaway from your presentation.

Remember, in speech competitions, winning isn’t just about what you say; it’s also about how you say it. So make sure to end with confidence and conviction, leaving no doubt in anyone’s mind that yours was indeed a winning conclusion.

In conclusion, mastering the art of public speaking and winning speech competitions requires careful preparation, effective delivery techniques, and strategic approaches. By selecting a compelling topic, conducting thorough research, and practicing your speech with confidence, you can captivate the audience and leave a lasting impact.

Remember to engage your audience emotionally, utilize persuasive techniques, incorporate humor or storytelling, and end with a strong conclusion. With these strategies in mind, you’ll be well-equipped to excel in any speech competition that comes your way.

So go out there and show them what you’ve got!

1. How can I prepare for a speech competition?

Preparing for a speech competition involves researching the topic, organizing your thoughts into a clear structure, practicing your delivery and seeking feedback from others to refine your presentation.

2. What are some tips for delivering an impactful speech?

To deliver an impactful speech in a competition, it’s important to start with a strong opening that grabs the audience’s attention, use body language and gestures to enhance your message, speak confidently and passionately, engage the audience through eye contact and connect emotionally with them by sharing personal stories or anecdotes.

3. How do I handle nerves before and during a speech competition?

Nerves are common before and during a speech competition. To manage them, try deep breathing exercises or visualization techniques to calm yourself before going on stage. During the presentation, focus on connecting with the audience rather than worrying about being perfect.

4. What is the role of storytelling in winning speech competitions?

Storytelling plays a crucial role in winning speech competitions as it helps captivate the audience’s attention and makes your message more relatable and memorable. Incorporating storytelling techniques such as vivid descriptions, emotional appeal, and well-crafted narratives can make your speech stand out among competitors.

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Storytelling in speeches

Tips and techniques to improve your speech with stories

By:  Susan Dugdale  | Last modified: 01-29-2024

Do you remember storytelling from your childhood?

Some stories are as clear in my mind as if I heard them yesterday. I can remember who was telling the story, what it was about, what the actual words were and most of all, how I felt listening to it.

And that's the power of good storytelling.  It lives on in memory for years and years.

No matter how old we are we can still be captivated by a story told well. That's why including stories as part of any speech you give will enhance it immeasurably.

Obviously, there are some guidelines to follow. It's not just any story you tell or of any length. And there are specific ways to improve your storytelling.

Shall we get started?

What's on this page

• how to choose what story to tell
• the benefit of using personal stories , with an example
• how to improve your story telling : 6 suggestions, with step-by-step help, to increase your presentation skills
• l inks to more useful resources , including narrative speech topics or tell-a-story speech ideas   

How to choose what story to tell

1.Begin with your audience

You need to know who they are, what their likes and dislikes are, to get an idea of what you can, and can't share with them.

The treatment or how you tell your story will vary between audiences, just as humor does. What is funny to one group may not be to another. It is safer to know rather than guess and risk silence.

2. Fit your story to your theme, topic & purpose

Telling a random story: one that doesn't appear to have a specific purpose linking it to your topic or theme will go down like the proverbial lead balloon. Before finalizing your choice, think it through. 

What do you want your audience to do, or feel as they listen to your story? 

• If you want to spur them into action to make a change, try the classic 'before and after story' format focusing on how the change can be made and the benefits to be gained.  
• If you want your audience to see you, the story teller, as one of them, someone who knows what it's like to be in a similar position, then share a personal story illustrating your vulnerability or a segment of your journey from failure to success.
• If you want your audience to connect with others, to find their similarities rather than their differences, tell stories with a universal appeal. These are the stories prompting a 'Yes, that's me as well' response, 'I've felt like that too.'. They do it regardless of age differences, the color of a person's skin, where they live or how much money they have.

To work as you want it to, a story needs to fit your audience, your purpose and you must be credible telling it. 

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Tell your own stories for audience connection

Don't be afraid of sharing personal stories: using your own experiences to poke a little fun at yourself. The audience will love you for it.

Exposing your fears, habits, or misunderstandings lets them identify with you. You stop being the remote expert and become one of them, on their side.

The power of a good story is that it humanizes. It reaches across barriers to bring us home to the heart of ourselves and, each other.  A story helps us to feel, think, know and understand. 

Here's an example of a personal story to illustrate

It is a true story from my extensive been-there-done-that-what-not-to-do department. I told it to students as part of preparing them for formal job interviews.  The story made them laugh, relax, and hopefully they learned a little from my naivety.

On being young and having convictions

I was 22 and at my first real job interview - hair clean and brushed, best clothes, shoes polished. I'd brought my CV, references and my certificates and I really wanted the job. I sat upright, as straight backed as the chair I was sitting on, listening very carefully to the questions and answering each of them thoroughly.

Suddenly towards the end, the interviewer leaned forward, fixed his eyes on mine and said quietly, "Have you any convictions?"

I blushed. I looked down. He waited.

Then, taking a deep breath, I began. "I've got lots of convictions." *

He stared but I plunged boldly on. "Yes", I said. "I believe in 'do unto others as you would have done to yourself'. I think it's really important to try to understand what it's like to be in another person's shoes. I also believe..."

I didn't finish because the interviewer was snorting with laughter.

* The word "convictions" has several meanings. One is to have been found guilty or convicted of a crime by a court of law which is the meaning the interviewer intended. Another is to hold strong beliefs which was how I interpreted the word.

The purpose behind telling the story was to help my students understand the importance of asking for clarification if they don't understand the question or if it seems out of context. I wanted them to know it was more than OK to ask the interviewer to rephrase a question in words they knew.

(And now that I am much older, I also realize how unconsciously privileged I was as a young girl. It would never have occurred to me that someone would even think to ask me that question.)

Six ways to improve your storytelling   

1. keep it short.

If your story goes on too long the impact is lost. And you will have strayed from your original purpose which was to give an effective example of a point you were making. Keep it brief!

2. Eliminate all the inconsequential detail

The rule is if it doesn't add to the story - cut it out. Too much fluff weakens the impact.

For instance, I could have added a great deal more to my story. I could have told you about the dress I made especially for the interview: the fabric I chose, the pattern I used, how I hand sewed the hem...

Or about how I was almost late because I couldn't find a park. 

Or about how I had to save to get the money to pay for the petrol to put in the car to get me there.

3. Practice

Learn the story rather than read it. Good story telling is active and direct.

Reading will not give you immediate contact with your audience because you have to keep returning to a text.

Without it, you're free to deliver one line to the man at the back, an aside to the woman at the front etc. etc. And you can move freely.

The more practice you give yourself the better you'll become.

 4. Vary your voice and body language

Try different voices for different characters.

Find out where to pause, where to stress a word, where to go faster and allow yourself to 'act out' what you're saying.

For example, if you're talking about being happy then reflect it in your body, and in your voice. Show it as well as tell it because  good storytelling is active rather than passive.

For more specific information click:  characterization techniques . 

5. Introduce your story well

Did you know there are more effective ways than others to introduce or lead into your story?

Read about the best  storytelling setups  here.

6. Rehearse in front of a few trusted friends 

Find out if your story works before trying it out in a more public arena.

Do you know the expression: I wish the ground had opened up and swallowed me? 

It refers to the embarrassment of getting something publicly wrong, and wanting to be out the situation, out of people's sight, as fast as possible. It's not a pleasant place to be - a lesson I've learned the hard way! Do try your story out. I've got helpful information here on  how to rehearse your speech .

I got that job!

PPS. For more about delivering a story well

Click the link for easy-to-follow help with  vocal delivery : how to vary your speech rate, use pauses effectively, change pitch and tone, voice projection, good breathing, and more.

I've also got two pages of speech topic suggestions that are perfect for honing story telling skills. (If you're looking for suitable topics for the Toastmasters Level 3 Storytelling project, do check these out.)

• 125 narrative speech topics -This page includes a free printable narrative speech outline.
• 60 vocal variety and body language topics .

Is your speech writing "blah, blah, bland"?

Discover how action verbs make your writing vocally vibrant, succinct and precise.

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• Raising A Confident Child

Short Moral Stories For Kids In English For Storytelling Competition

Telling stories with morals is one of the best ways of instilling values in a child. Here's a collection of timeless stories your child can listen to and learn moral values

The extent to which we are influenced by moral stories can't be quantified. People have been telling these stories for a long time. These short stories in English can be fun, teach us important things, make us feel motivated and inspired, and tell us what is right and wrong. In this article, we will look at a few short moral stories in English for kids, which are both motivational and inspirational.

The moral stories first told many generations ago, have the power to change our lives. For, they impart wisdom, teach us life lessons, and inspire us to follow the right path in life. But with every generation, the world's changed, and people's lives became busier than ever before. And, while we grew up listening to moral stories and learning from them, sometimes, we don't have the time to tell them to our children. In fact, most of us don't even remember them. Because of our busy schedules, we expect our children to learn more from the Internet than from us. But is it the right thing to do?

To help you change the trend, and bond with your child, here are a few moral stories in English that both you and your child can read together. Or, you can read and narrate to your child at your convenience.

Also, for any storytelling competitions at school, you can choose one of these beautiful stories.

Moral Stories in English for Kids

1. the boy who cried wolf.

The protagonist of this story is a young shepherd boy living in a village. Every day, the boy would take his flock of sheep to graze on a nearby hill. One day, while the sheep were grazing, the boy felt bored and decided to play a prank on the people of his village. "Wolf...Wolf!" he cried out as loud as he could.

Listening to his cries for help, the villagers rushed to help. And, when they came close, he began laughing. When the villagers understood that the boy had fooled them, they were very angry. Warning him not to play the prank again, they returned.

However, the boy indulged in the mischief again a few days later. This time too, the villagers warned the boy before returning to the village.

A few days later, the villagers heard the boy's cries for help once again. And, this time, it was for real. However, the villagers were tired of being laughed at and didn't think that the boy was really in trouble. So, they ignored his cries for help. And, the wolf killed and ate all his sheep.

Moral of the story for kids:  People do not believe liars even when they tell the truth. Do not laugh at the kindness and helpfulness of people, they might not always offer it.

2. The Midas Touch

Being greedy about gold, Midas said, "Everything I touch should turn to gold." God granted his wish and told him that, from the next day, everything he touched would turn to gold.

Midas was very happy. He woke up early the next morning and went around touching everything and turning them to gold.

After a while, Midas felt hungry. He picked up a piece of bread to eat, but it turned to gold. When he picked up a glass of water to quench his thirst, it turned to gold as well. As Midas was thinking about what to do, his daughter rushed to him. And, when Midas touched her, she turned into a golden statue.

Miserable and teary-eyed, Midas no longer wanted the boon. He prayed to God and atoned for his greed. Pleased by Midas' prayer, God asked him to wash his hands in the nearby river to get rid of the golden touch.

Midas returned after washing his hands and found that everything he had changed to gold had turned back to normal.

Moral of the story for kids:  Greed can be destructive. Also, there are many things in life more important and precious than gold or riches.

3. The Camel and the Baby

One day, a baby camel was chatting with her mother. She asked, "Mother, why do we have humps, round feet, and long eyelashes?"

Drawing a deep breath, the mother explained, "Our humps store water. This helps us survive long journeys in a desert where water is scarce. Our round feet allow us to walk comfortably on sand. And, our long eyelashes protect our eyes from dust and sand, especially during sandstorms."

The baby camel remained silent for some time and then asked, "Mother, why do we stay in a zoo even when we are blessed with so many qualities?"

Moral of the story for kids: Your skills and strengths are of no use if you are not in the right place.

4. The Elephant and Friends

There was once a lonely elephant. One day, he set out to find friends for himself in the jungle. He found a monkey and asked him if he would be a friend. The monkey refused saying, "You can't swing from trees like me." The elephant next met a rabbit and asked him to be his friend. The rabbit refused as well saying, "You are too big to enter my burrow." The elephant then met a frog, who also refused, saying, "You can't leap like me." The elephant ventured deeper into the jungle where he met a fox. The fox also refused the elephant's friendship saying, "You are too big."

Disheartened, the elephant returned. However, the next day he decided to go to the jungle again. As he entered the jungle, the elephant found all the animals running to save their lives. He stopped the bear to enquire what had happened.

The bear said, "The tiger wants to eat us and so we are all running to save ourselves."

As the elephant was thinking about what he could do to help the animals, the tiger walked up to him.

"Mr Tiger, please spare these animals. Do not kill and eat them," the elephant implored.

"Run or I'll kill and eat you as well," growled the tiger.

This angered the elephant and he kicked the tiger. The frightened tiger ran away.

All the animals now wanted to be friends with the elephant.

Moral of the story for kids:  You can even be friends with those who are different from you.

5. The Lion and the Mouse

Once, a mouse accidentally wakes up a lion. This angers the lion and the mouse begs for his life and promises to pay him back in kind. The lion laughs at this but lets the mouse go. A few days later, the mouse finds the lion trapped in a net and sets the lion free by gnawing on the ropes.

Moral of the story for kids: No one is too small to help you; everyone has something to offer. And mercy is not a wasted act.

6. The Wolf and the Shepherd

A hungry wolf was looking for some food when he came across a flock of sheep. He was about to attack the flock when angry shepherds chased him away with sticks and stones. The hurt wolf returned after some time to see one of the sheep being roasted by the same shepherds that had earlier tried to protect the sheep.

Moral of the story for kids:  Do unto others as you would expect others to treat you.

7. The Empty Pot

This Chinese folklore is about an emperor trying to find a successor. So, he holds a contest in which whoever produces the most beautiful flower from the provided seeds wins. A young gardener is among the contestants, and though he tries his best, he can't get the seed to grow. In the end, he takes his empty pot and displays it among other beautiful flowers. It turns out that the seeds had been cooked so that they would not sprout. He is chosen to be the successor, as he is the only honest contestant.

Moral of the story for kids:  Honesty is important, even when the results are disappointing.

8. The Wet Pants

A boy wets his pants in a classroom and is terrified at the prospect of others finding out and ridiculing him. At the same time, a girl and a teacher are walking toward him with a bowl of water. The girl trips and pours the water on his lap. He pretends to be angry with her and the teacher helps them clean the mess. Later the boy asks the girl if she did that on purpose and she replies that she's wet her pants too.

Moral of the story for kids:  Try to put yourself in the shoes of others and think about the kind of help you'd want if you were in that situation. Then provide such help, if possible.

Storytelling for classes 1 to 5 with props

English storytelling competition for class 1 with props.

English storytelling competition for class 2 with props

English storytelling competition for class 3 with props

English storytelling competition for class 4 with props

English storytelling competition for class 5 with props

Given this amazing mix of classic and modern moral stories, you can teach your child some great life lessons. So, gear up for some storytime this weekend.

Harishchandra subray Gouda Sep 14, 2023

Tq send me more I want to need more

R.Kalaivani Apr 24, 2023

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The National Speakers Association Presents...

NATIONAL STORYTELLING CHAMPION

The Last Story Standing™ Regional Champions, Jeff Rogers, Trent Theroux, and Michelle McCullough, CSP, competed live on the Influence 2024 mainstage on Tuesday, Aug. 6.

Congratulations to Jeff Rogers for winning the National Championship and First Ever LSS Title!

REGIONAL STORYTELLING CHAMPIONS

Witness the three regional champion storytellers below as they take the influence mainstage for the live competition on aug. 6, 2024 . be part of the excitement as our final three contestants battle it out for the prestigious title of the first-ever last story standing™ storytelling champion..

Are you a Storytelling Champion?

DO YOU WANT TO IMPROVE YOUR storytelling skills ?

DO YOU WANT TO  COLLABORATE WITH THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS?

ARE YOU READY TO TAKE YOUR STORYTELLING TO THE NEXT LEVEL ?

DO YOU WANT TO BE KNOWN FOR YOUR STORY ?

KEEP SCROLLING TO LEARN HOW!

 NSA's Storytelling Competition is created by Professional speakers for Professional speakers.

Competitions occur on three levels: chapter, regional, & national., competitors are scored on three tracks:, marketability.

The story’s ability to drive demand for the speaker.*

• Audience Identified: Would an identified audience in the speaking industry relate to the story?
• Relevant Topic: Is the story memorable, repeatable, and related to an identified topic in the speaking industry?
• Would it make someone say, “this speaker told an amazing story (repeating part of the story) we should really have them at our next event”?
• Clear Messaging: Does the story provide a path to action? Is it inspiring in someway for the listener?

*Stories must adhere to NSA’s Professional Conduct Policy as required by all NSA main stage presenters and representatives. Please do not permit stories that do not align with this Policy.

The story’s ability to drive a message and motivate the audience.

• Passion: Did the teller deliver the story with the appropriate emotion and passion?
• Engagement: Did the teller engage the audience and effectively captivate them?
• Call to Action: Is there a specific call-to-action or identifiable lesson taught?

Presentation

The teller’s ability to CONNECT with the audience.

• Blocking: Did the teller use the stage, body language, gestures, and expressions to engage the audience?
• Cadence (vocals): Was the teller able to deliver the story using a rhythm that was impactful?
• Connection (Eye Contact, etc.): Was the teller able to connect with the audience as a whole and individually?

Chapter Competitions

Chapter Competitions occur in January , February & March.

Membership in an NSA Chapter is required to compete.

Members & Non-Members - CLICK HERE - to find a competition near you!

Note: The Chapter Calendar is not managed by NSA HQ. The information listed in this calendar is curated by Chapter Administrators.

The WILD CARD is a Chapter-level virtual/video competition available to those whose Chapters are not participating in the competition.

If you want to compete, you are a member of an NSA Chapter and your Chapter is not participating in the competition, click the link below!

CHAPTER STORYTELLING CHAMPIONS

Regional Competitions

Each Chapter Champion is eligible to compete at the Regional level. In order to compete, the Champion's entry video submission and the Regional Finalist Fee must be submitted prior to the deadline. For more information, please confer with your Chapter Administrator.

Regional competitors will be assigned a Mentor to review and enhance their Chapter Champion story.  Competitors will then be required to submit their final Regional entry video by the pre-determined deadline.

All Regional competitors will be scored on three tracks: Marketability , Impact, & Presentation.

The Regional Finalists will advance to the National Competition at Influence!

NSA Northwest; NSA Mountain West; NSA Northern California; NSA Los Angeles; NSA San Diego; NSA Oregon; NSA Las Vegas; NSA Colorado; NSA Arizona; NSA New Mexico, NSA Hawaii, BNSA

NSA Minnesota; NSA Kansas City; NSA Illinois; NSA Michigan; NSA Wisconsin; NSA St. Louis; NSA North Texas; NSA Houston; NSA Austin; NSA Kentucky; NSA New Orleans

NSA New England; NSA Connecticut; NSA New York; NSA Philadelphia; NSA Pittsburgh; NSA Carolinas; NSA Virginia; NSA DC; NSA Ohio; NSA Georgia; NSA FSA; NSA Central Florida

National Competition

The National Competition will be LIVE on the mainstage at Influence - Aug. 3-6, 2024 !

Panelists will provide constructive & positive feedback from the stage. Note: The National Panelists are not judges and do not vote.

The AUDIENCE will vote for their National Champion!

All National Finalists will receive:

NSA Website Mentions

Elite-Level Mentor Sessions

Mainstage Recording and Photos

NSA Email and Social Media Recognition and...

A Trophy for the National Champion!

Resource Center

Contestant's corner.

• Rules, Regulations, & FAQs
• Chapter Directory
• Chapter Calendar of Events
• Rakonto Video Submissions

In order to have a successful competition experience, please ensure that you have read and agree to the following NSA policies:

• NSA Code of Conduct
• NSA Civility Code

Chapter Resources

• Download the Logo
• Judge's Guide
• Scoring Sheet
• Advanced Format Planning Calendar

Rules, Regulations, & FAQs

• NSA Chapter membership is required to participate.
• NSA Speaker Hall of Fame/CPAE Recipients are considered “Elite Speakers” and do not qualify to compete. This event is for mainstream and aspiring/professional speakers only. Elite-level speakers will be called upon to act as Judges and Mentors at various stages of the competition. Chapter-Level judge selection is at the discretion of the chapter leadership team but encouraged to include elite-level speakers on their panel of judges.
• The National Champion is not eligible to compete in the competition in subsequent years - You can only WIN the competition once.
• All Due Dates and Deadlines, Chapter, Regional and National, are non-negotiable and firm. No exceptions. Failure to comply could result in disqualification.
• A participant can only compete once per year (one Chapter event only – not multiple Chapter competitions). This rule is applicable for anyone who is a member of multiple Chapters.
• A participant cannot change their primary storyline. The story that is used at ChapterEntry Level must be the story used at Regional and National Level. The general story can be enhanced based on feedback/coaching received during Mentor Sessions, but the story at large must remain the same.
• Final scores and Champion selections made by the selected Judging Panel at all levels are conclusive and indisputable.

For a copy of the full Rules, Regulations, & FAQs, click here .

Contestant Agreement: Each contestant grants and releases to NSA, its successors, assigns, and licensees the right to photograph and record my entire presentation, including likeness, voice, and verbal statements, on film, videotape, and audiotape (collectively, the “Recording.” Each contestant also grants NSA the right to edit, distribute and/or showcase the Recording in the NSA Digital Vault, alone or as part of a compilation, at its discretion without additional approval. This Agreement does not constitute an affirmative obligation on the part of NSA to distribute the Recording. NSA and its agents are permitted the right to use the Recording, name, likeness, voice, and biographical information and any other information about the contestant in connection with the advertising, promotion and public relation efforts relating to the specific presentation dated herein, in all media, now known or hereafter created without any compensation.

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Behind the rhetoric, a presidential campaign is a competition about how to tell the American story

Political conventions are exercises in storytelling

NEW YORK -- Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic nomination “on behalf of everyone whose story could only be written in the greatest nation on Earth.” America, Barack Obama thundered, “is ready for a better story.” JD Vance insisted that the Biden administration “is not the end of our story,” and Donald Trump called on fellow Republicans to “write our own thrilling chapter of the American story.”

“This week,” comedian and former Obama administration speechwriter Jon Lovett said Thursday on NBC, “has been about a story.”

In the discourse of American politics, this kind of talk from both sides is unsurprising — fitting, even. Because in the campaign season of 2024, just as in the fabric of American culture at large, the notion of “story” is everywhere.

This year's political conventions were, like so many of their kind, curated collections of elaborate stories carefully spun to accomplish one goal — getting elected. But lurking behind them was a pitched, high-stakes battle over how to frame the biggest story of all — the one about America that, as Harris put it, should be “the next great chapter in the most extraordinary story ever told.”

The American story — an unlikely one, filled with twists that sometimes feel, as so many enjoy saying, “just like a movie” — sits at the nucleus of American culture for a unique reason.

Americans live in one of the only societies that was built not upon hundreds of years of common culture but upon stories themselves — “the shining city upon the hill,” “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” “all men are created equal." Even memorable ad campaigns — ”Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet" — are part of this. In some ways, the United States — not coincidentally, the place where the frontier myth, Hollywood and Madison Avenue were all born — willed itself into existence and significance by iterating and reiterating its story as it went.

The campaigns understand that. So they are putting forward to voters two varying — starkly opposite, some might say — versions of the American story.

From the Republicans comes one flavor of story: an insistence that to “make America great again” in the future we must fight to reinvigorate traditional values and reclaim the moral fiber and stoutheartedness of generations past. In his convention speech last month, Trump invoked three separate conflicts — the Revolutionary War, the Civil War and World War II — in summoning American history's glories.

To reinforce its vision, the GOP deployed the likes of musician Kid Rock, celebrity wrestler Hulk Hogan and Lee Greenwood singing “God Bless the USA." Trump genuflected to the firefighting gear of Corey Comperatore , who had been killed in an assassination attempt on the candidate days earlier. Vance spoke of “villains” and offered up the Appalachian coming-of-age story he told in “Hillbilly Elegy."

The Republicans, as they often do, leaned into military storylines, bringing forth families of slain servicemen to critique President Joe Biden's “weak” leadership. And they made all efforts to manage their constituencies. Vance's wife, Usha, who is of Indian descent, lauded him as "a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy” — a classic American trope — while underscoring that he respected her vegetarian diet and had learned how to cook Indian food for her mother.

“What could I say that hasn't already been said before?” she said, introducing Vance. “After all, the man was already the subject of a Ron Howard movie."

And the Democrats? Their convention last week focused on a new and different future full of “joy” and free of what Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called “Trump's politics of darkness.” It was an implied “Star Wars” metaphor if there ever was one.

It was hard to miss that the Democrats were not only coalescing around the multiracial, multicultural nation that Harris personifies but at the same time methodically trying to reclaim the plainspoken slivers of the American story that have rested in Republican hands in recent years.

The flag was everywhere, as was the notion of freedom. Tim Walz entered to the tune of John Mellencamp's “Small Town,” an ode to the vision of America that Republicans usually trumpet. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota expounded upon the regular-guy traits that Walz embodies — someone who can change a car light, a hunter, a “dad in plaid.”

The former geography teacher's football-coach history was mined as well, with beefy guys in Mankato West Scarlets jerseys fanning out across the stage to the marching-band strains of “The Halls of Montezuma.” They even enlisted a former GOP member of Congress to reinforce all the imagery by saying the quiet part loud.

“I want to let my fellow Republicans in on the secret: The Democrats are as patriotic as us," said Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican critical of Trump.

Watching the videos and testimonials at both conventions, one storytelling technique stood tall: what journalists call “character-driven” tales. Whether it's advocating for abortion rights or warning about mass illegal immigration or channeling anger about inflation, “regular” Americans became the narrative building blocks for national concerns.

Historian Heather Cox Richardson put it this way about the DNC in her Substack, “Letters from an American,” this past week: “The many stories in which ordinary Americans rise from adversity through hard work, decency, and service to others implicitly conflates those individual struggles with the struggles of the United States itself.”

In the past generation, the tools of storytelling have become more democratic. We are all publishers now — on X, on TikTok, on Instagram, on Truth Social. And we are all storytellers, telling mini versions of the American story in whatever ways we wish. Perspectives that have been long silenced and suppressed are making their way into the light.

Putting aside questions of truth and misinformation for a moment, how can a unifying American story be summoned when hundreds of millions of people are now able to tell it differently and from their own vantage points? Democratization is beneficial, but it can also be chaotic and hard to understand.

“A people who cannot stand together cannot stand at all," poet Amanda Gorman said in her remarks at the DNC. But with so many stories to sort through, is unity more difficult than ever? Is there even a single, unifying “American story” at all? Should there be?

In the end, that's why this election is about storytelling more than ever. Because the loudest, most persuasive tale — told slickly with the industrial-strength communications tools of the 21st century — will likely win the day.

In the meantime, the attempts to commandeer and amplify versions of that story will continue to Election Day and beyond. As long as there is an American nation, there will be millions of people trying to tell us what it means — desperately, angrily, optimistically, compellingly. Stories are a powerful weapon, and a potent metaphor as well. As Walz said about leaving Trump and Vance behind: “I'm ready to turn the page.”

Ted Anthony, director of new storytelling and newsroom innovation at The Associated Press, has been writing about American culture and politics for 35 years. Follow him at https://x.com/anthonyted

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• INTRODUCTION

GASCA International Storytelling Competition

This offer will end in:, participate in two story telling contests at the same time, and the second story telling contest is half price, please pay the entry fee first, registration form will be sent to the registered email after payment is completed:.

Competition category:  Group by age, Toddler/Child/Child/Middle/Junior/Youth    (Click here for details of the grouping) Repertoire requirement: A piece of the participant’s own choice Competition option: Individual Language category: Cantonese, Mandarin, English Recitation time limit: The total length should not exceed 5 minutes. Registration procedure: pay the entry fee on this website → receive the confirmation registration via email → upload the work to the designated website 

This event is an online competition through video recordings, contestants only need to upload the video file. The entry fee does not include the fees for medals/trophies. All groups and schools are welcome to sign up.

DEVELOP COMPETITIVENESS & CHALLENGE YOURSELF

Enrich life with culture and arts; improve perseverance skills

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The e-certificate is given to all participants on the award announcement day

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Winners of other previous competitions:

Competition rules: 

• Contestants are welcome to use their videos and works from other competitions, but the videos must be recorded after 2024 January 1.
• Before the performance, contestant may read aloud his/her name and the title of the repertoire (if any).
• No editing, special effects, or computer editing production are allowed for the recording.
• Contestants must clearly record their appearance and the performance. If the judge cannot confirm whether the performance is performed by the contestants in person, the organizer reserves the right to request the contestants to resubmit the recording or disqualify them from the competition.
• Entries must not contain obscene, violent, pornographic, slanderous, unhealthy, insulting elements, or any content that is controversial and inappropriate. The organizer reserves the right to reject entries that are inappropriate, irrelevant to the theme of the competition, or submitted in the incorrect format.
• Contestants are strictly prohibited from falsely reporting their age. If the contestant's registration qualifications are found to be inconsistent with the true age, the contestants will be disqualified and no refund for the entry fee will be offered.

Video and format requirements:

• Try to keep the camera device fixed, avoid shaking or moving.
• It is recommended that the contestants follow an appropriate dress code.

Scoring criteria:

• Champion, First runner-up and Second runner-up (one each): Winners will receive an e-certificate and eligible to apply for a trophy.
• Distinction Award (85 points or above): Awarded to contestants with distinction performance, winners will receive an e-certificate and eligible to apply for a medal. .
• Outstanding Award (70 points or above): Contestants who have achieved outstanding performance will receive a certificate and eligible to apply for a medal.
• Asia Instructor Award for Active Participation (Silver Award): Instructors who invite five students to participate in each group of competitions will receive an e-certificate, eligible to apply for a trophy and USD30/HKD250/JPY3800 cash reward.
• Asia Instructor Award for Active Participation (Gold Award): Instructors who invite ten students to participate in each group of competitions will receive an e-certificate, eligible to apply for a trophy and USD65/HKD500/JPY7600 cash reward.
• Asia Outstanding Instructor Award: Awarded to the instructors whose student won the championship, first runner-up and second runner-up, the instructor will receive an e-certificate and eligible to apply for a trophy.
• Asia Outstanding Education Award: The school/education center invites ten or more students to participate in each group of competitions and will receive a certificate and a trophy (the school/education center needs to submit the award application form).
• Participation Award: All contestants will be issued an e-participation certificate.
• If the judges believe that the contestants in this group have not reached the award-winning level, no award ranking and prizes for that ranking will be awarded.
• All contestants will receive e-certificates by email. Champion, First runner up and second runner up winners can apply for the tailor-made trophy with their name printed on it with a fee of USD40/HKD300/JPY4600. Distinction and Outstanding Award winners are eligible to apply for the tailor-made medal with their name printed on it with a fee of USD40/HKD300/JPY4600. The rest of the winners may upgrade their e-certificate to hard copy (paper) certificate at USD15/HKD120/JPY1800. Shipping fee would be charged separately according to the local postal fee or international postal fee. It is highly advised that contestants shall consider the production time required before applying for any of the above extra services.

Other conditions :

• Entries must not contain obscene, violent, pornographic, slanderous, unhealthy, insulting elements, or any content that is controversial and inappropriate.
• The organizer reserves the right to reject entries that are inappropriate, irrelevant to the theme of the competition, or submitted in the incorrect format.
• Entries cannot contain commercial or political promotion elements.
• If a contestant is disqualified, the entry fee will not be refunded.
• All entry fees are non-refundable and non-transferable.
• Application of minor contestants must obtain the consent of their parents or legal guardians to register for the competition and submit entries through their parents or guardians.
• Contestants (including parents and teachers of minor contestants) must understand and agree to the rules and regulations of this competition. If a contestant violates any competition rules, the organizer and the judging committee have the right to disqualify their enrollment.
• Once registered to participate in this competition, it means that the participants have agreed and authorized the Association to retain and use the photos and videos of the participants in the competition for educational and promotional purposes, including all publications of the Association, the Association’s website and social networking sites; and In our publications, including our website and social networking sites, publish and announce the names and relevant information of the winners.
• The organizer reserves the right of final interpretation of the general rules and regulations of the competition. If there is any dispute about this event, the organizer's ruling shall be the final ruling, and no one may object. In case of any discrepancy between the meanings of any translated versions, the Chinese language version shall prevail.

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12 misleading or lacking-in-context claims from Harris’ DNC speech

Domenico Montanaro

Vice President Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, made 12 misleading or lacking-in-context statements during her speech at the Democratic National Convention last week. Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

There were about a dozen statements that Vice President Kamala Harris made during her roughly 40-minute acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago that were either misleading or lacking in context.

They range from characterizations of former President Trump’s stances on abortion rights and Social Security to her plans to address housing and grocery prices.

It’s the role of the press to try and hold politicians to account for the accuracy of their statements in a good-faith way. The dozen Harris statements lacking in context are far less in comparison to 162 misstatements, exaggerations and outright lies that NPR found from Trump’s hour-long news conference Aug. 8.

Nonetheless, here’s what we found from Harris’ convention speech:

1. “His explicit intent to jail journalists, political opponents, and anyone he sees as the enemy.” 

Trump has promised retribution against his political enemies, has called reporters “the enemy of the people,” and has made vague threats of jail time for reporters.

“They’ll never find out, & it’s important that they do,” Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform after the leak of a draft of the Dobbs decision was published. “So, go to the reporter & ask him/her who it was. If not given the answer, put whoever in jail until the answer is given. You might add the editor and publisher to the list.”

He’s made other such comments, but there’s no explicit and specific policy from Trump on this because, as with many things involving Trump, he has been vague about his specific intentions.

2. “[W]e know and we know what a second Trump term would look like. It's all laid out in Project 2025, written by his closest advisers. And its sum total is to pull our country back to the past.” 

Project 2025 is the work of people with close ties to Trump through the Heritage Foundation. Trump has disavowed parts of Project 2025, and a campaign official called it a “ pain in the ass .” There’s good political reason for that. Many of the detailed proposals are highly controversial and unpopular. The website for Project 2025 lays out some of the connections to the Trump administration in black and white, as well as the group’s belief that a Trump administration will use it as a blueprint:“The 2025 Presidential Transition Project is being organized by the Heritage Foundation and builds off Heritage’s longstanding ‘Mandate for Leadership,’ which has been highly influential for presidential administrations since the Reagan era. Most recently, the Trump administration relied heavily on Heritage’s “Mandate” for policy guidance, embracing nearly two-thirds of Heritage’s proposals within just one year in office.

“ Paul Dans , former chief of staff at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) during the Trump administration, serves as the director of the 2025 Presidential Transition Project. Spencer Chretien , former special assistant to the president and associate director of Presidential Personnel, serves as associate director of the project.”

In fact, CNN reported that “at least 140 people who worked in the Trump administration had a hand in Project 2025,” including his former chief of staff Mark Meadows and adviser Stephen Miller.

What’s more, CBS News found at least 270 policy proposals that intersect with the about 700 laid out in Project 2025.

3. “We're not going back to when Donald Trump tried to cut Social Security and Medicare.” 

Former President Trump has pledged not to cut Social Security, the popular retirement program. While he was in office, Trump did try, unsuccessfully, to cut benefits for people who receive disability payments from Social Security.

Social Security benefits could be cut within a decade anyway, unless Congress takes steps to shore up the program. With tens of millions of baby boomers retiring and starting to draw benefits, and fewer people in the workforce paying taxes for each retiree, Social Security is expected to run short of cash in 2033. If that happens, almost 60 million retirees and their families would automatically see their benefits cut by 21%.

The problem could be solved by raising taxes, reducing benefits or some combination of the two. – Scott Horsley, NPR chief economics correspondent

4. “We are not going to let him end programs like Head Start that provide preschool and childcare for our children in America.”

This is again tied to Project 2025, but not something Trump has specifically talked about. Trump has talked about shutting down the Department of Education, but Head Start is funded through the Department of Health and Human Services.

5. “[A]s president, I will bring together labor and workers and small-business owners and entrepreneurs and American companies to create jobs to grow our economy and to lower the cost of everyday needs like healthcare and housing and groceries.”

High supermarket prices are a common complaint. Although grocery prices have largely leveled off, rising just 1.1% in the 12 months ending in July, they jumped 3.6% the previous year and a whopping 13.1% the year before that. Vice President Harris has proposed combating high grocery prices with a federal ban on “price gouging,” but her campaign has offered no specifics on how that would work or what would constitute excessive prices. The Biden-Harris administration has previously blamed some highly concentrated parts of the food chain – such as meat-packers – for driving up prices. The administration has tried to promote more competition in the industry by bankrolling new players. – Scott Horsley

6. “And we will end America's housing shortage.”

The U.S. faces a serious shortage of housing, which has led to high costs. The average home sold last month for $422,600. Last week, Harris proposed several steps to encourage construction of additional housing, including tax breaks intended to promote 3 million new units in four years. (For context, the U.S. is currently building about 1.5 million homes per year, including just over a million single family homes.) Harris has also proposed $25,000 in downpayment assistance for first-time homebuyers and a $40 billion fund to help communities develop affordable housing. She has not said where the money for these programs would come from. – Scott Horsley

7. “He doesn't actually fight for the middle class. Instead, he fights for himself and his billionaire friends. And he will give them another round of tax breaks that will add up to $5 trillion to the national debt.”

While the 2017 tax cuts were skewed to the wealthy , it did cut taxes across the board.

Large parts of that tax cut are due to expire next year. Trump has proposed extending all of them, and while also calling for additional, unspecified tax cuts. Harris has proposed extending the tax cuts for everyone making less than $400,000 a year (97% of the population) while raising taxes on corporations and the wealthy.

Under the Biden-Harris administration, the IRS has also beefed up tax enforcement to ensure that wealthier people and businesses pay what they owe. GOP lawmakers have criticized that effort, and it would likely be reversed in a second Trump administration. Both Harris and Trump have proposed exempting tips from taxation. While popular with workers in the swing state of Nevada, where many people work in tip-heavy industries like casinos, the idea has serious problems. Unless the lost tax revenue were replaced somehow, it would create an even bigger budget deficit. It would treat one class of workers (tipped employees) differently from all other workers. And it would invite gamesmanship as other workers tried to have part of their own income reclassified as tax-free tips. Depending on how the exemptions were structured, it could also result in lower retirement benefits for tipped workers. – Scott Horsley

8. “And all the while he intends to enact what, in effect, is a national sales tax? Call it a Trump tax that would raise prices on middle class families by almost $4,000 a year.”

This appears to be a reference to tariffs. Donald Trump raised tariffs sharply while he was in office, and he’s pledged to go further if he returns to the White House. During his first term, Trump imposed tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, washing machines, solar panels and numerous products from China. Many trading partners retaliated, slapping tariffs of their own on U.S. exports. Farmers and manufacturers suffered.

Despite the fallout, the Biden/Harris administration has left most of the Trump tariffs in place, while adding its own, additional levies on targeted goods from China such as electric vehicles. In a second term, Trump has proposed adding a 10% tariff on all imports, with a much higher levy on all Chinese goods. Researchers at the Peterson Institute for International Economics estimate such import taxes would cost the average family $1,700 a year. – Scott Horsley

9. “This is what's happening in our country because of Donald Trump. And understand he is not done as a part of his agenda. He and his allies would limit access to birth control, ban medication abortion, and enact a nationwide abortion ban with or without Congress. And get this, get this – he plans to create a national anti-abortion coordinator and force states to report on women's miscarriages and abortions.”

It is accurate to point out that the lack of abortion access across the country for millions of women particularly in the South is directly because of Trump and his decision to appoint three conservative justices to the Supreme Court who voted to overturn Roe . As president, he sided with employers , who for religious or moral reasons, didn’t want to pay for contraception, as he tried to change the mandate that contraception be paid for under the Affordable Care Act.

But it’s unclear what Trump will do again as president. He has made conflicting comments about access to contraception. Harris’s charges about an “agenda” again seem to be based on the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 . It would be accurate to warn that it’s possible, if not likely, Trump would take up the recommendations given that people close to Trump were instrumental in writing it and given that in his first term as president, he adopted many of the Heritage Foundation’s recommendations. But it’s not entirely accurate to say “he plans to create” these things when Trump himself and his campaign have not advocated for this. Trump himself has said that abortion should be left up to the states – and insisted that he doesn’t support a national ban.

10. “With this election, we finally have the opportunity to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act.”

This is another one of those traps politicians fall into – overpromising when it’s not something they can control. Harris needs Congress to do this, and her winning the presidency does not guarantee that any of what she wants done legislatively will get done, even if Democrats take control of both chambers.

11. “Last year, Joe and I brought together Democrats and conservative Republicans to write the strongest border bill in decades.”

While Donald Trump stood in the way of this bill passing, and it had been written with conservative Republicans, it’s not accurate to say this was the “strongest border bill in decades” unless you count 11 years as decades. The 2013 comprehensive immigration overhaul that got 68 votes in the Senate and was killed by the GOP House, did far more than this bill did.

12. “He encouraged Putin to invade our allies, said Russia could quote, do whatever the hell they want.”

While an alarming thing for an American president to say about a NATO ally, this is lacking in some context. Trump said he would say Russia could “do whatever the hell it wanted” – and Trump would not defend an ally – if that country didn’t “pay.” Trump continues to get wrong, however, that no countries in the alliance “pay” anything to anyone except themselves. What Trump is talking about is NATO countries’ goals of funding their own defense to 2% of their gross domestic product. But not defending a country from a hostile invasion would violate Article 5 of the 1949 treaty that binds the countries in battle and was created as a way to thwart any potential efforts by the former Soviet Union to expand beyond its borders.

It reads : “[I]f a NATO Ally is the victim of an armed attack, each and every other member of the Alliance will consider this act of violence as an armed attack against all members and will take the actions it deems necessary to assist the Ally attacked.”

It has been invoked once: After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the U.S.

• Vice President Kamala Harris

Tell Your Story with Evalogue.Life

Do it now, and it will be enough.

Don’t practice in the mirror – 8 tips to prepare for a Story Slam

First, what is a story slam? “The StorySLAM is a live storytelling competition in the vein of poetry slams organized by The Moth, a non-profit literary society from New York City, since 2001. Storytellers (slammers) have 5 minutes each to tell a story, based on a theme chosen for the event. No notes are allowed: stories must be told and not read . The events, held in cities around the Unites States, now also include a competition; participants are judged by teams of audience members. The organization also holds a biannual Grand Slam competition. ”  (Source: Wikipedia)

How will this help family storytelling?

Now, why is this relevant to writing personal stories, memoirs or family history? In classes, we are often asked how to tell a more engaging story. Last year I gained some amazing insights after I was coaxed into entering Weber State University’s Story Slam. You know what? It was a game changer in catapulting my storytelling skills forward.

Workshop presenter Bill Wight gave participants a roadmap to prepare for a story slam. In a matter of 24 hours I was on stage. Yikes! It was waaaay outside my comfort zone, but I placed 3rd! And the story I told became the basis for a video I have used throughout the year in my presentations. (See the video at the bottom of this article.) The insights stuck with me for good.

Insights to Prepare for a Story Slam

Wight’s workshop was part of the annual Weber State University Storytelling Festiva l.  Here are some of the best insights from Wight’s workshop and my conversations with him.

• Don’t practice in front of the mirror: Wight said, “When you practice by yourself, you practice ignoring your audience.” Instead,  he urges people to prepare for a story slam with real people.
• Rehearse at least 7 times:  By then, “you will be ready.” This is because a big part of storytelling is engaging with the audience and reacting to their reactions.
• Use humor and music: This opens different and more creative channels in your own brain and in the listener.
• Place the scene in the physical world around you: Master storyteller Leeny Del Seamonds suggests creating better imagery by placing the scene in the physical world. Envision yourself physically immersed in the scene on all sides. 
• Great story slam stories have T.E.M.P.O. : Theme, Entertainment Value, Main Point, Pace, and Ownership. (Keep reading below for explanation).   
• Trim your introductions: Don’t waste time setting up the scene. Draw your audience right into the heart of your story.
• Stick within the 5-minute time limit : Story slams have a strict 5-minute time limit. You will be penalized for going over, but if you go under you leave time on the table. Practice is key here.
• Do no harm :  Never embarrass or hurt someone in telling the story. If the story is emotionally turbulent, always bring your audience safely home.  

Giving Creativity a Boost

In a candid chat with Wight, he told me how he recently made a 180-degree career shift, from being a left-brain IT guy to a right-brain storyteller. When he talked about unleashing those creative forces, he really lit up. He shared with me how this transformation helped him also become an inventor and entrepreneur too. One creativity-boosting tip he shared in our conversation was humor, which opens up different channels in the brain. Music works in a similar way.

Related story: Music and Memory 

Wight uses humor, music and other creativity techniques to boost more productive brainstorming sessions and have better business meetings.    There is power in shifting from the the purely cerebral to a feeling of being comfortably relaxed, and engaging all parts of the brain.  

Learning from a Legend

Wight also told me how he had a personal breakthrough when he was informally talking with storytelling master, Leeny Del Seamonds. He was struggling to paint a rich enough picture for listeners, and asked her advice on how to visualize a story’s scene better.

Leeny Del Seamonds suggested that Wight take the scene from out of his head, and place it in the physical world all around him, envisioning himself physically immersed in the scene on all sides. This was a game-changing revelation that made his stories come alive.  

Wight does not suggest spelling out every detail, however. Although it might be necessary to tell an audience a story that takes place on a “sailing ship,” to avoid them thinking of a spaceship, storytelling is most effective when details are left to the hearer’s imagination.  

Wight also says that storytelling is a wonderful way to deliver insights.

“One of the most amazing privileges of storytelling is the ability to have your characters say things that you – the storyteller – might not be able to say yourself. Words that might sound awkward or too direct coming from you might easily be delivered by one of your story’s characters.” 

Related: Storyteller Kim Weitkamp: To teach, tell a story

Stories Need T.E.M.P.O.

Wight guided participants attendees through the important elements of a story, which he refers to as T.E.M.P.O.    In other words, a great slam story should have a:  

• Theme:  The theme for this year’s Story Slam is “Civility.”  Wight noted that themes are intentionally vague.  “What a lot of people do is they have a favorite story, and then they figure out a way to tie it into that theme,” Wight said.   
• Entertainment value : Stories should engage the audience.
• Most Important Thing:  Focus on the M.I.T. and and cut out what is superfluous. Wight says this is a, “touch point against which all story revisions should be measured.” He also urges storytellers to ask, “What is redeeming about your M.I.T.?” In other words, what valuable bit of insight or wisdom are you hoping to convey to your listeners?
• Pace:  Great storytellers know how to hit an emotional note about every minute.
• Ownership: It has to be your story. This means that you don’t ever tell someone else’s story, and also you need to own it, rather than it owning you. By that, Wight said that when you tell it enough you can maintain control over your emotions in the telling.  

Wight said another rule is to “do no harm.” Never embarrass or hurt someone in telling the story, and never take an audience to an emotionally turbulent place without bringing them safely home.  

Stick to the time limit

Story slam entrants must also be mindful of the five-minute time limit. He said in initial practice sessions, “you don’t want to be too focused on the time, just set your smartphone timer.” Then, “if it’s not long enough, add a little.” If it’s too long, then focus on the main point. 

Related: What is the theme in writing your story?

About that year’s Story Slam theme

When asked about this year’s theme of Civility, Wight said, “Although the lack of civility in online exchanges is often cited, I believe that most of us would prefer to be civil in our exchanges – even online. But we don’t know how to adapt our language to respond to toxic posts. I’m hoping that some of this year’s stories will highlight interchanges in which a courageous participant found a way to ‘civilize’ the conversation in the face of offensive tactics.”

Long Story Short

Finally, I want to share one of my favorite storytelling resources of all time. That is the wonderful book Long Story Short by Margot Leitman . She’s a comedian and winner of multiple Moth storytelling competitions. She also founded the Upright Citizens Brigade storytelling program. I have listened to the audio version multiple times. Her take on storytelling to be practical and funny. She really is a master of the craft, delivering the nuts and bolts of telling a crowd-pleasing story. As a writer of family stories, her tips were wonderfully useful. I can’t recommend her book highly enough.

A delightful way to try live storytelling

The Story Slam workshop itself was a delightfully interactive way for a beginner to prepare. If someone had told me I’d be asked to come up with a story on the spot to share, I might have said, “No thanks, not me.” I can get a little deer-in-the-headlights when asked to think on my feet. However, by the end I was having enough fun to actually consider putting together a story in time for the Slam the very next day.  That might sound crazy, but Wight motivated me to try it. 

Related: Oral History – The easiest, most rewarding way to finish a story

Through his practical exercises, I learned to focus on the main point, trim my introduction and get right to the heart of it.  Over the next 24 hours I rehearsed as many times and in front of as many people as I could. The next day I put on some lipstick and entered the competition.

If you are curious, here is the video based on my tale from Weber State University’s 2017 Story Slam: 

Bill Wight is a storyteller and coach at TalkWorx in Kingsport, Tennessee or you can check him out at Facebook @talkworx 

Rhonda Lauritzen is the founder and an author at Evalogue.Life – Tell Your Stor y . Rhonda lives to hear and write about people’s lives. She believes that when you tell your story, it changes the ending., She and her husband Milan restored an 1890 Victorian in Ogden. She especially enjoys unplugging in nature. Check out her books: How to Storyboard , and Every Essential Element . Most recently she was the writing coach of bestselling author, Rob A. Gentile, who wrote Quarks of Light, A Near-Death Experience: What I Saw That Opened My Heart .

Disclaimer: This page contains affiliate links which means if you purchase some of the products we mention by using our links, we make a commission. Be assured that I’m only sharing the methods I actually use, but I do appreciate when you buy with my links because it helps fund articles like this one.

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8 Classic storytelling techniques for engaging presentations

Emily Bartlett Feb 1, 2022 1:57:05 PM

A good public speaker takes their audience on a journey, leaving them feeling inspired and motivated. But structuring your speech to get your ideas across and keep your audience engaged all the way through is tricky. Try these eight storytelling techniques for a presentation that wows. 

You’re doing a presentation, so you start with the facts you want to get across. Wrong! Humans are hardwired for stories. They love heroes, journeys, surprises, layers and happy endings.

Deliver a presentation that captures the hearts and heads of your audience by stealing one of these classic storytelling techniques. Start with the story – the rest will be history.

1. Monomyth

The monomyth (also called the hero's journey), is a story structure that's found in many folk tales, myths and religious writings from around the world.

In a monomyth, the hero is called to leave their home and sets out on a difficult journey. They move from somewhere they know into a threatening unknown place.

After overcoming a great trial, they return home with a reward or newfound wisdom – something which will help their community. Lots of modern stories still follow this structure, from the Lion King to Star Wars. 

Using the monomyth to shape your presentation can help you explain what has brought you to the wisdom you want to share. It can bring your message alive for your audience.

• Taking the audience on a journey
• Showing the benefit of taking risks
• Demonstrating how you learned some new found wisdom

See also: The Hero's Journey by Joseph Campbell

Japanese yo-yo-er BLACK tells the inspiring story of finding his life's passion, and the difficult path he took to become world champion. He closes by sharing his new found skills with the audience, bringing his journey full circle.

2. The mountain

The mountain structure is a way of mapping the tension and drama in a story. It's similar to the monomyth because it helps us to plot when certain events occur in a story.

It's different because it doesn't necessarily have a happy ending. The first part of the story is given to setting the scene, and is followed by just a series of small challenges and rising action before a climactic conclusion.

It's a bit like a TV series – each episode has its ups and downs, all building up to a big finale at the end of the season.

• Showing how you overcame a series of challenges
• Slowly building tension
• Delivering a satisfying conclusion

Aimee Mullins uses a mountain-structure speech to tell a personal story – from being born without fibula bones in her lower legs to becoming a famous athlete, actress and model.

3. Nested loops

Nested loops is a storytelling technique where you layer three or more narratives within each other.

You place your most important story – the core of your message – in the centre, and use the stories around it to elaborate or explain that central principle. The first story you begin is the last story you finish, the second story you start is second to last, etc.

Nested loops works a bit like a friend telling you about a wise person in their life, someone who taught them an important lesson. The first loops are your friend's story, the second loops are the wise person's story. At the centre is the important lesson.

• Explaining the process of how you were inspired/ came to a conclusion
• Using analogies to explain a central concept
• Showing how a piece of wisdom was passed along to you

See also:  Simon Sinek's TED talk shows how successful organizations place the 'why?' of what they do at the centre, surrounded by the 'what?' and 'how?' of their business. Nested loops are an ideal way of framing this message, giving your audience a real insight into your identity. 

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie uses the framework of her experiences in university and the way that Africa is perceived in the Western world to drive home her argument about stories.

4. Sparklines

Sparklines are a way of mapping presentation structures. Graphic designer Nancy Duarte uses sparklines to analyse famous speeches graphically in her book Resonate .

She argues that the very best speeches succeed because they contrast our ordinary world with an ideal, improved world. They compare  what is  with  what could be . 

By doing this the presenter draws attention to the problems we have in our society, our personal lives, our businesses. The presenter creates and fuels a desire for change in the audience.

It's a highly emotional technique that is sure to motivate your audience to support you.

• Inspiring the audience to action
• Creating hope and excitement
• Creating a following

See also: Resonate by Nancy Duarte

Martin Luther King's speech is famous the world over because it contrasts the racist, intolerant society of the day with an ideal future society where all races are treated equally.

5. In media res

In medias res storytelling is when you begin your narrative in the heat of the action, before starting over at the beginning to explain how you got there.

By dropping your audience right into the most exciting part of your story they'll be gripped from the beginning and will stay engaged to find out what happens.

But be careful – you don't want to give away too much of the action straight away. Try hinting at something bizarre or unexpected – something that needs more explanation. Give your audience just enough information to keep them hooked, as you go back and set the scene of your story.

This only works for shorter presentations though – if you string it out too long your audience will get frustrated and lose interest.

• Grabbing attention from the start
• Keep an audience craving resolution
• Focusing attention on a pivotal moment in your story

Zak Ebrahim begins his talk with the revelation that his father helped plan the 1993 World Trade Centre bombing. His audience is gripped from the beginning, as he begins to recount the events of his childhood and the path he took after his father's conviction. 

6. Converging ideas

Converging ideas is a speech structure that shows the audience how different strands of thinking came together to form one product or idea.

It can be used to show the birth of a movement. Or explain how a single idea was the culmination of several great minds working towards one goal.

Converging ideas is similar to the nested loops structure, but rather than framing one story with complementary stories, it can show how several equally important stories came to a single strong conclusion.

This technique could be used to tell the stories of some of the world's greatest partnerships – for example, web developers Larry Page and Sergey Brin. 

Larry and Sergey met at Stanford's PhD program in 1995, but they didn't like each other at first. They both had great ideas, but found working together hard. Eventually they found themselves working on a research project together. A research project that became Google.

• Showing how great minds came together
• Demonstrating how a development occurred at a certain point in history
• Showing how symbiotic relationships have formed

See also: Steven Johnson's TED talk , where he explains how collaboration has fuelled some of history's best ideas.

John Bohannon and the Black Label Movement explain (verbally and through dance) how scientists and dancers came together to form an exciting, dynamic alternative to boring presentations.

7. False start

A 'false start' story is when you begin to tell a seemingly predictable story, before unexpectedly disrupting it and beginning it over again. You lure your audience into a false sense of security, and then shock them by turning the tables.

This format is great for talking about a time that you failed in something and were forced to 'go back to the start' and reassess. It's ideal for talking about the things that you learnt from that experience. Or the innovative way that you solved your problem.

But best of all, it's a quick attention hack which will disrupt your audience's expectations and surprise them into paying closer attention to your message. 

• Disrupting audience expectations
• Showing the benefits of a flexible approach
• Keeping the audience engaged

J K Rowling begins her speech at Harvard in a typical fashion. She talks about her time at university and the expectations of her parents. The audience expects her to talk about the growing success of her writing career – instead she focuses on a time in her twenties where she felt she had 'failed' in life. What comes next is inspirational.

8. Petal structure

The petal structure is a way of organising multiple speakers or stories around one central concept. It's useful if you have several unconnected stories you want to tell or things you want to reveal – that all relate back to a single message.

You tell your stories one by one before returning back to the centre. The petals can overlap as one story introduces the next but each should be a complete narrative in itself.

In doing so, you can weave a rich tapestry of evidence around your central theory. Or strong emotional impressions around your idea. 

By showing your audience how all these key stories are related to one another, you leave them feeling the true importance and weight of your message.

• Demonstrating how strands of a story or process are interconnected
• Showing how several scenarios relate back to one idea
• Letting multiple speakers talk around a central theme

See also:  Carnegie Mellon University's guide to story nodes

Simon Sinek again! His theory might lend itself perfectly to nested loops, but he himself chose to deliver his talk in a petal structure. He tells his audience a series a stories to help illustrate his ideas, each one strengthening his message further.  

Start with a story

So there you have it – 8 classic storytelling shapes to brighten up your talk and really engage your audience.  

Of course there are many other storytelling techniques out there that you can use. What I hope this post has done is show you that stories are powerful. They are the language of your audience.

Your talk – however dry the subject – can be brought alive if you find the story at the heart of it all. If you'd like any help developing your story and turning it into a winning animated video, contact our friendly Sparkol Creative Services team here.  

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Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Delivers Remarks on the Justice Department’s Lawsuit Against RealPage for Algorithmic Pricing Scheme that Harms Millions of Americans

Washington , DC United States

Remarks as Delivered

Good morning.

Over a century ago, Congress passed the Sherman Antitrust Act to protect competition in the marketplace. As the Supreme Court has explained, the “central evil” addressed by Section 1 of that Act is “the elimination of competition that would otherwise exist,” including competition on prices.

When the Sherman Act was passed, an anticompetitive scheme might have looked like robber barons shaking hands at a secret meeting.

Today, it looks like landlords using mathematical algorithms to align their rents.

But antitrust law does not become obsolete simply because competitors find new ways to unlawfully act in concert.

And Americans should not have to pay more in rent simply because a company has found a new way to scheme with landlords to break the law.

So today, after a nearly-two-year investigation, the Justice Department, joined by eight states, has sued RealPage, a commercial real estate software company, for violating the Sherman Antitrust Act.

RealPage sells landlords what it calls “revenue management” software. We allege that this software is developed, marketed, and sold to enable landlords to sidestep vigorous competition in the rental market. Competing landlords agree to submit to RealPage, on a daily basis, their most sensitive, non-public information, including rental rates, lease terms, and projected vacancies.  

RealPage then combines this data from competing landlords and feeds it into an algorithm that provides real-time pricing recommendations back to the competing landlords. 

But as we allege, these are more than just recommendations. RealPage actively polices landlords’ compliance with those recommendations. It also monitors landlords’ other policies by, for example, trying to stop concessions that landlords use to attract or retain renters. 

A large number of landlords effectively agree to outsource their pricing decisions to RealPage by using an “auto accept” setting, which effectively permits RealPage to determine the price a renter will pay.

Landlords understand what their arrangement with RealPage gets them. As one said, “I always liked this product because your algorithm uses proprietary data from other subscribers to suggest rents and terms. That’s classic price fixing.”

And RealPage understands what it’s doing, too. In advertising its service to landlords, RealPage frequently says that a “rising tide raises all ships.” As a RealPage vice president explained, this phrase means that “there is greater good in everybody succeeding versus essentially trying to compete against one another.”

But “essentially trying to compete against one another” is what our free-market economy is all about. And ensuring such competition what our antitrust laws are all about.

Americans spend more money on housing than any other expense. Tens of millions of Americans are renters, and almost half of those households spend close to a third of their hard-earned income on rent.

Under the antitrust laws, landlords — like any competitors — may not share with each other their confidential, sensitive data in a way that permits them to align how they price their products —in this case apartments — and thus cause renters to pay more than they would in a competitive market. Using software as the sharing mechanism — or calling it “Artificial Intelligence Revenue Management” as RealPage does — does not immunize the scheme from Sherman Act liability.

The Justice Department takes seriously its responsibility to protect Americans from illegal conduct that undermines competition and drives up prices.

We will continue to aggressively enforce the antitrust laws and protect the American people from those who would violate them.

I applaud the attorneys and staff of the Department’s Antitrust Division for their outstanding work on this case on behalf of the American people.

Thank you all.

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Short Stories

best stories for storytelling competition for kids

I like storytelling, and I used to get excited whenever storytelling competition happened at my school. At school, I learn all the short stories and then at home, in one go, tell all my stories to my mom. Some of them were the best stories for storytelling competition . Everyone enjoys those stories and furthermore, they leave a message, a moral lesson. 

Today, I heard my kid telling a story to his mom and was very excited just like I used to be. And also, I remember my friends preparing and researching the best stories for storytelling competition. It was really hard to find the best one. So, I decided to collect some best stories for storytelling competition and make them public for all the students and kids who are getting ready for the storytelling competition.

Best stories for storytelling competition

• Money can’t buy everything,
• Thank God for what you have.

Money can’t buy everything.

There is a kid, named Jack. He is the single son of a businessman. Jack loves his father very much. Jack is 10-years-old now, and he misses the time when he and his father used to play outdoors for hours.

Jack’s father is a busy businessman, he generally comes home when Jack is already asleep and is off for the office before Jack wakes up. 

Jack yearned for his father’s attention. He becomes sad, every time he sees his friends playing with their father. 

However, one day, Jack’s father surprises him, he is home early today. Jack run to his father and hugged him tightly.

Love you, Dad, It’s a pleasant surprise, you are home. 

His father looked at him and said:

Yes, my son. My meeting was canceled but after a couple of hours, I have a flight

the news upsets him.

Then, When will you be back

he asks his father in a low tone. His father replied:

Tomorrow evening.

Jack was very sad and he set on the bed while his father was packing the suitcase with files. Suddenly, he asks his father. 

Dad, How much do you earn in a year?

His father, busy in shuffling his files, said

Why? that’s a big amount you won’t understand.

Jack waits for a minute and asks again:

How much you earn in an hour?

Father confused by his son’s question looked at him and replied:

Maybe, $25 per hour, why are you asking this?

Jack ran to his room and comes back with a piggy bank and hand over the Piggybank to his father. 

I have $50, Can you spare me 2 hours? I want to book an appointment to go to the beach and have dinner with you tomorrow at evening. Can you please mark this on your schedule?

Moral of the Story:

Time is what every kid wants. Please, instead of buying some expensive gifts. Give them your time. Give them some memories with you. 

If you are looking for the best stories for storytelling competition for kids. Then we have a few other posts just for kids. 

35 inspiring short stories with moral lessons , that you must have heard when you were a kid. 

15 short stories with moral for students to read out in a class and give a moral lesson.

Do Good and have Good.

This is the story of a mango tree. One day, a queen of honey bees came to reside in the jungle. There was a peepal tree and a mango tree. The queen first went to the peepal tree and asks for permission to make their hive.

Hey peepal tree, we are new in this jungle. Can you please give us some space under your shed to make our hive.

The peepal refused to the queen saying:

I can’t give you permission. You are going to disturb me, the whole day.

The queen with a disappointment went to the Mango tree and ask him for help. 

Please, mango tree. Can I make my hive under your shed? 

The Mango tree was kind and sweet just like his fruits. He agreed to give permission to the queen.

They all lived happily in the jungle until a carpenter came for the woods. He, firstly, liked the mango tree and wants to cut it but then noticed the beehive and decided not to cut it. 

He, then, decided to cut the peepal tree. As the carpenter was trying to cut the peepal tree, he began to cry for help. The mango tree listened to his voice and asks the queen of honey bees to help the peepal tree. 

The queen refused to help and said:

The peepal tree didn’t allow me to make my hive. He was very rude. I’m not going to help him. 

The Mango tree listened to the Queen and then said:

We should not do bad things to people who do bad things to you. We should always do good to have good. 

The queen understands and immediately commanded his soldier-bees to help the Peepal tree. 

We should always be like the mango tree. we should always do good to have good and also do good to those who did bad to us.

Hope you like the story. These are the best stories for storytelling competition, I myself like these very much and many have won first prizes in storytelling competitions reciting these. But I have many more short stories with moral lessons for students. If you need some more then follow the link below. 

20 very short stories with moral for kids that you will surely enjoy reading. 

Thank God for what you have

This is a story of a peacock and a Nightingale, who lived in a jungle. The peacock was very happy to have his beautiful colorful body but one day, he saw a Nightingale singing in the trees. He heard her for the first time. He was mesmerized by the voice of the nightingale. 

The peacock sat down under the tree and listened to the nightingale. but then, some tears start to roll down her face. He gets upset and looked up at the sky and said:

Why god, why you didn’t give me the sweet voice. 

Just that moment, the nightingale came down from the tree and asks the Peacock. 

What happened brother, why are you crying?

The peacock, wiping the tears from his cheeks, looked up to the nightingale and said:

You have the most beautiful voice in the world and I’m a useless bird. I don’t have a sweet voice. I wish I had the voice like you. 

The nightingale said to the peacock:

Oh, brother, you think I am lucky. But when people listen to my voice and find me a tiny little bird who is not beautiful they get disappointed. Now think, brother, although, I have a sweet voice but not a beautiful body like you. But still, daily, I sing happily. and thank God for giving me a sweet voice. 

The peacock now thinks that: 

Yes, sister, I think you are right. I should not complain about my bad voice but thank God for giving me a beautiful body. 

From that day, the peacock never complains about his voice and lived happily.

We should not complain about what we don’t have but Thank God for what we have. 

• ← A collection of Love stories that shocked the world
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15 Powerful Speech Opening Lines (And How to Create Your Own)

Hrideep barot.

• Public Speaking , Speech Writing

Powerful speech opening lines set the tone and mood of your speech. It’s what grips the audience to want to know more about the rest of your talk.

The first few seconds are critical. It’s when you have maximum attention of the audience. And you must capitalize on that!

Instead of starting off with something plain and obvious such as a ‘Thank you’ or ‘Good Morning’, there’s so much more you can do for a powerful speech opening (here’s a great article we wrote a while ago on how you should NOT start your speech ).

To help you with this, I’ve compiled some of my favourite openings from various speakers. These speakers have gone on to deliver TED talks , win international Toastmaster competitions or are just noteworthy people who have mastered the art of communication.

After each speaker’s opening line, I have added how you can include their style of opening into your own speech. Understanding how these great speakers do it will certainly give you an idea to create your own speech opening line which will grip the audience from the outset!

Alright! Let’s dive into the 15 powerful speech openings…

Note: Want to take your communications skills to the next level? Book a complimentary consultation with one of our expert communication coaches. We’ll look under the hood of your hurdles and pick two to three growth opportunities so you can speak with impact!

1. Ric Elias

Opening: “Imagine a big explosion as you climb through 3,000 ft. Imagine a plane full of smoke. Imagine an engine going clack, clack, clack. It sounds scary. Well I had a unique seat that day. I was sitting in 1D.”

How to use the power of imagination to open your speech?

Putting your audience in a state of imagination can work extremely well to captivate them for the remainder of your talk.

It really helps to bring your audience in a certain mood that preps them for what’s about to come next. Speakers have used this with high effectiveness by transporting their audience into an imaginary land to help prove their point.

When Ric Elias opened his speech, the detail he used (3000 ft, sound of the engine going clack-clack-clack) made me feel that I too was in the plane. He was trying to make the audience experience what he was feeling – and, at least in my opinion, he did.

When using the imagination opening for speeches, the key is – detail. While we want the audience to wander into imagination, we want them to wander off to the image that we want to create for them. So, detail out your scenario if you’re going to use this technique.

Make your audience feel like they too are in the same circumstance as you were when you were in that particular situation.

2. Barack Obama

Opening: “You can’t say it, but you know it’s true.”

3. Seth MacFarlane

Opening: “There’s nowhere I would rather be on a day like this than around all this electoral equipment.” (It was raining)

How to use humour to open your speech?

When you use humour in a manner that suits your personality, it can set you up for a great speech. Why? Because getting a laugh in the first 30 seconds or so is a great way to quickly get the audience to like you.

And when they like you, they are much more likely to listen to and believe in your ideas.

Obama effortlessly uses his opening line to entice laughter among the audience. He brilliantly used the setting (the context of Trump becoming President) and said a line that completely matched his style of speaking.

Saying a joke without really saying a joke and getting people to laugh requires you to be completely comfortable in your own skin. And that’s not easy for many people (me being one of them).

If the joke doesn’t land as expected, it could lead to a rocky start.

Keep in mind the following when attempting to deliver a funny introduction:

• Know your audience: Make sure your audience gets the context of the joke (if it’s an inside joke among the members you’re speaking to, that’s even better!). You can read this article we wrote where we give you tips on how you can actually get to know your audience better to ensure maximum impact with your speech openings
• The joke should suit your natural personality. Don’t make it look forced or it won’t elicit the desired response
• Test the opening out on a few people who match your real audience. Analyze their response and tweak the joke accordingly if necessary
• Starting your speech with humour means your setting the tone of your speech. It would make sense to have a few more jokes sprinkled around the rest of the speech as well as the audience might be expecting the same from you

4. Mohammed Qahtani

Opening: Puts a cigarette on his lips, lights a lighter, stops just before lighting the cigarette. Looks at audience, “What?”

5. Darren Tay

Opening: Puts a white pair of briefs over his pants.

How to use props to begin your speech?

The reason props work so well in a talk is because in most cases the audience is not expecting anything more than just talking. So when a speaker pulls out an object that is unusual, everyone’s attention goes right to it.

It makes you wonder why that prop is being used in this particular speech.

The key word here is unusual . To grip the audience’s attention at the beginning of the speech, the prop being used should be something that the audience would never expect. Otherwise, it just becomes something that is common. And common = boring!

What Mohammed Qahtani and Darren Tay did superbly well in their talks was that they used props that nobody expected them to.

By pulling out a cigarette and lighter or a white pair of underwear, the audience can’t help but be gripped by what the speaker is about to do next. And that makes for a powerful speech opening.

6. Simon Sinek

Opening: “How do you explain when things don’t go as we assume? Or better, how do you explain when others are able to achieve things that seem to defy all of the assumptions?”

7. Julian Treasure

Opening: “The human voice. It’s the instrument we all play. It’s the most powerful sound in the world. Probably the only one that can start a war or say “I love you.” And yet many people have the experience that when they speak people don’t listen to them. Why is that? How can we speak powerfully to make change in the world?”

How to use questions to open a speech?

I use this method often. Starting off with a question is the simplest way to start your speech in a manner that immediately engages the audience.

But we should keep our questions compelling as opposed to something that is fairly obvious.

I’ve heard many speakers start their speeches with questions like “How many of us want to be successful?”

No one is going to say ‘no’ to that and frankly, I just feel silly raising my hand at such questions.

Simon Sinek and Jullian Treasure used questions in a manner that really made the audience think and make them curious to find out what the answer to that question is.

What Jullian Treasure did even better was the use of a few statements which built up to his question. This made the question even more compelling and set the theme for what the rest of his talk would be about.

So think of what question you can ask in your speech that will:

• Set the theme for the remainder of your speech
• Not be something that is fairly obvious
• Be compelling enough so that the audience will actually want to know what the answer to that question will be

8. Aaron Beverley

Opening: Long pause (after an absurdly long introduction of a 57-word speech title). “Be honest. You enjoyed that, didn’t you?”

How to use silence for speech openings?

The reason this speech opening stands out is because of the fact that the title itself is 57 words long. The audience was already hilariously intrigued by what was going to come next.

But what’s so gripping here is the way Aaron holds the crowd’s suspense by…doing nothing. For about 10 to 12 seconds he did nothing but stand and look at the audience. Everyone quietened down. He then broke this silence by a humorous remark that brought the audience laughing down again.

When going on to open your speech, besides focusing on building a killer opening sentence, how about just being silent?

It’s important to keep in mind that the point of having a strong opening is so that the audience’s attention is all on you and are intrigued enough to want to listen to the rest of your speech.

Silence is a great way to do that. When you get on the stage, just pause for a few seconds (about 3 to 5 seconds) and just look at the crowd. Let the audience and yourself settle in to the fact that the spotlight is now on you.

I can’t put my finger on it, but there is something about starting the speech off with a pure pause that just makes the beginning so much more powerful. It adds credibility to you as a speaker as well, making you look more comfortable and confident on stage. 

If you want to know more about the power of pausing in public speaking , check out this post we wrote. It will give you a deeper insight into the importance of pausing and how you can harness it for your own speeches. You can also check out this video to know more about Pausing for Public Speaking:

9. Dan Pink

Opening: “I need to make a confession at the outset here. Little over 20 years ago, I did something that I regret. Something that I’m not particularly proud of. Something that in many ways I wish no one would ever know but that here I feel kind of obliged to reveal.”

10. Kelly McGonigal

Opening: “I have a confession to make. But first I want you to make a little confession to me.”

How to use a build-up to open your speech?

When there are so many amazing ways to start a speech and grip an audience from the outset, why would you ever choose to begin your speech with a ‘Good morning?’.

That’s what I love about build-ups. They set the mood for something awesome that’s about to come in that the audience will feel like they just have to know about.

Instead of starting a speech as it is, see if you can add some build-up to your beginning itself. For instance, in Kelly McGonigal’s speech, she could have started off with the question of stress itself (which she eventually moves on to in her speech). It’s not a bad way to start the speech.

But by adding the statement of “I have a confession to make” and then not revealing the confession for a little bit, the audience is gripped to know what she’s about to do next and find out what indeed is her confession.

11. Tim Urban

Opening: “So in college, I was a government major. Which means that I had to write a lot of papers. Now when a normal student writes a paper, they might spread the work out a little like this.”

12. Scott Dinsmore

Opening: “8 years ago, I got the worst career advice of my life.”

How to use storytelling as a speech opening?

“The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller.” Steve Jobs

Storytelling is the foundation of good speeches. Starting your speech with a story is a great way to grip the audience’s attention. It makes them yearn to want to know how the rest of the story is going to pan out.

Tim Urban starts off his speech with a story dating back to his college days. His use of slides is masterful and something we all can learn from. But while his story sounds simple, it does the job of intriguing the audience to want to know more.

As soon as I heard the opening lines, I thought to myself “If normal students write their paper in a certain manner, how does Tim write his papers?”

Combine such a simple yet intriguing opening with comedic slides, and you’ve got yourself a pretty gripping speech.

Scott Dismore’s statement has a similar impact. However, just a side note, Scott Dismore actually started his speech with “Wow, what an honour.”

I would advise to not start your talk with something such as that. It’s way too common and does not do the job an opening must, which is to grip your audience and set the tone for what’s coming.

13. Larry Smith

Opening: “I want to discuss with you this afternoon why you’re going to fail to have a great career.”

14. Jane McGonigal

Opening: “You will live 7.5 minutes longer than you would have otherwise, just because you watched this talk.”

How to use provocative statements to start your speech?

Making a provocative statement creates a keen desire among the audience to want to know more about what you have to say. It immediately brings everyone into attention.

Larry Smith did just that by making his opening statement surprising, lightly humorous, and above all – fearful. These elements lead to an opening statement which creates so much curiosity among the audience that they need to know how your speech pans out.

This one time, I remember seeing a speaker start a speech with, “Last week, my best friend committed suicide.” The entire crowd was gripped. Everyone could feel the tension in the room.

They were just waiting for the speaker to continue to know where this speech will go.

That’s what a hard-hitting statement does, it intrigues your audience so much that they can’t wait to hear more! Just a tip, if you do start off with a provocative, hard-hitting statement, make sure you pause for a moment after saying it.

Silence after an impactful statement will allow your message to really sink in with the audience.

Related article: 5 Ways to Grab Your Audience’s Attention When You’re Losing it!

15. Ramona J Smith

Opening: In a boxing stance, “Life would sometimes feel like a fight. The punches, jabs and hooks will come in the form of challenges, obstacles and failures. Yet if you stay in the ring and learn from those past fights, at the end of each round, you’ll be still standing.”

How to use your full body to grip the audience at the beginning of your speech?

In a talk, the audience is expecting you to do just that – talk. But when you enter the stage and start putting your full body into use in a way that the audience does not expect, it grabs their attention.

Body language is critical when it comes to public speaking. Hand gestures, stage movement, facial expressions are all things that need to be paid attention to while you’re speaking on stage. But that’s not I’m talking about here.

Here, I’m referring to a unique use of the body that grips the audience, like how Ramona did. By using her body to get into a boxing stance, imitating punches, jabs and hooks with her arms while talking – that’s what got the audience’s attention.

The reason I say this is so powerful is because if you take Ramona’s speech and remove the body usage from her opening, the entire magic of the opening falls flat.

While the content is definitely strong, without those movements, she would not have captured the audience’s attention as beautifully as she did with the use of her body.

So if you have a speech opening that seems slightly dull, see if you can add some body movement to it.

If your speech starts with a story of someone running, actually act out the running. If your speech starts with a story of someone reading, actually act out the reading.

It will make your speech opening that much more impactful.

Related article: 5 Body Language Tips to Command the Stage

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Final Words

So there it is! 15 speech openings from some of my favourite speeches. Hopefully, these will act as a guide for you to create your own opening which is super impactful and sets you off on the path to becoming a powerful public speaker!

But remember, while a speech opening is super important, it’s just part of an overall structure.

If you’re serious about not just creating a great speech opening but to improve your public speaking at an overall level, I would highly recommend you to check out this course: Acumen Presents: Chris Anderson on Public Speaking on Udemy. Not only does it have specific lectures on starting and ending a speech, but it also offers an in-depth guide into all the nuances of public speaking. 

Being the founder of TED Talks, Chris Anderson provides numerous examples of the best TED speakers to give us a very practical way of overcoming stage fear and delivering a speech that people will remember. His course has helped me personally and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking to learn public speaking. 

No one is ever “done” learning public speaking. It’s a continuous process and you can always get better. Keep learning, keep conquering and keep being awesome!

Lastly, if you want to know how you should NOT open your speech, we’ve got a video for you:

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Watch CBS News

Watch: Kamala Harris' full speech at the 2024 DNC

By Melissa Quinn , Caitlin Yilek

Updated on: August 23, 2024 / 11:19 AM EDT / CBS News

Vice President Kamala Harris made history as the first woman of color to accept the presidential nomination of a major party on Thursday when she delivered a speech closing out the 2024 Democratic National Convention . 

Harris, who replaced President Biden at the top of the ticket just a few weeks ago, delivered a forceful address to delegates in Chicago laying out her argument for the White House. She began by reintroducing herself to the country and reciting her biography before tying her story into her vision for the country and warning about the dangers of returning former President Donald Trump to the presidency.

"With this election, our nation has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism and divisive battles of the past. A chance to chart a new way forward," she said. "Not as members of any one party or faction. But as Americans."

Read the full transcript of Harris' speech as delivered, and watch the speech  in the player above:

Good evening. Good evening, everyone. Good evening. Thank you all. We've got to get to some business. Thank you, thank you, thank you. OK, let's get to business. Let me start by thanking my most incredible husband, Doug, for being an incredible partner to me and being an incredible father to Cole and Ella. And happy anniversary, Dougie. I love you so very much. To our president, Joe Biden — when I think about the path that we have traveled together, Joe, I am filled with gratitude. Your record is extraordinary, as history will show, and your character is inspiring. And Doug and I love you and Jill and are forever thankful to you both.  And to Coach Tim Walz, you are going to be an incredible vice president. And to the delegates and everyone who has put your faith in our campaign, your support is humbling. So, America, the path that led me here in recent weeks was no doubt unexpected. But I'm no stranger to unlikely journeys.  My mother, our mother, Shyamala Harris, had one of her own, and I miss her every day, and especially right now. And I know she's looking down smiling. I know that. So my mother was 19 when she crossed the world alone, traveling from India to California with an unshakeable dream to be the scientist who would cure breast cancer. When she finished school, she was supposed to return home to a traditional arranged marriage. But, as fate would have it, she met my father, Donald Harris, a student from Jamaica. They fell in love. And got married. And that act of self-determination made my sister Maya and me. Growing up, we moved a lot. I will always remember that big Mayflower truck, packed with all our belongings, ready to go. To Illinois. To Wisconsin. And wherever our parents' jobs took us. My early memories of my parents together are joyful ones. A home filled with laughter and music. Aretha. Coltrane. And Miles. At the park, my mother would say, "Stay close." But my father would say, as he smiled, "Run, Kamala. Run. Don't be afraid. Don't let anything stop you." From my earliest years, he taught me to be fearless. But the harmony between my parents did not last. When I was in elementary school, they split up. And it was mostly my mother who raised us. Before she could finally afford to buy a home, she rented a small apartment in the East Bay. In the Bay, you either live in the hills or the flatlands. We lived in the flats. A beautiful working-class neighborhood of firefighters, nurses and construction workers. All who tended their lawns with pride. My mother, she worked long hours. And, like many working parents, she leaned on a trusted circle to help raise us. Mrs. Shelton, who ran the daycare below us and became a second mother. Uncle Sherman. Aunt Mary. Uncle Freddy. Auntie Chris. None of them family by blood. And all of them family by love. Family who taught us how to make gumbo. How to play chess. And sometimes even let us win. Family who loved us. Believed in us. And told us we could be anything and do anything. They instilled in us the values they personified. Community. Faith. And the importance of treating others as you would want to be treated. With kindness, respect and compassion. My mother, was a brilliant, five-foot-tall brown woman with an accent. And, as the eldest child, I saw how the world would sometimes treat her. But my mother never lost her cool. She was tough. Courageous. A trailblazer in the fight for women's health. And she taught Maya and me a lesson that Michelle mentioned the other night. She taught us to never complain about injustice. But do something about it. Do something about it. That was my mother. She also taught us, "And never do anything half-assed." And that is a direct quote. A direct quote. I grew up immersed in the ideals of the Civil Rights Movement. My parents had met at a civil rights gathering. And they made sure that we learned about civil rights leaders, including the lawyers like Thurgood Marshall and Constance Baker Motley. Those who battled in the courtroom to make real the promise of America. So, at a young age, I decided I wanted to do that work. I wanted to be a lawyer. And when it came time to choose the type of law I would pursue, I reflected on a pivotal moment in my life. You see, when I was in high school, I started to notice something about my best friend Wanda. She was sad at school. And there were times she didn't want to go home. So, one day, I asked if everything was alright. And she confided in me that she was being sexually abused by her step-father. And I immediately told her she had to come stay with us. And she did. That is one of the reasons I became a prosecutor. To protect people like Wanda. Because I believe everyone has a right to safety, to dignity and to justice. As a prosecutor, when I had a case, I charged it not in the name of the victim. But in the name of "the people." For a simple reason. In our system of justice, a harm against any one of us is a harm against all of us. I would often explain this to console survivors of crime. To remind them: No one should be made to fight alone. We are all in this together. And every day in the courtroom, I stood proudly before a judge and I said five words: "Kamala Harris, for the people." And to be clear: My entire career, I have only had one client. The people. And so, on behalf of the people, on behalf of every American, regardless of party, race, gender, or the language your grandmother speaks. On behalf of my mother and everyone who has ever set out on their own unlikely journey. On behalf of Americans like the people I grew up with. People who work hard, chase their dreams and look out for one another. On behalf of everyone whose story could only be written in the greatest nation on Earth. I accept your nomination to be president of the United States of America. And with this election, our nation has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism and divisive battles of the past. A chance to chart a new way forward. Not as members of any one party or faction. But as Americans. And let me say, I know there are people of various political views watching tonight. And I want you to know: I promise to be a president for all Americans. You can always trust me to put country above party and self. To hold sacred America's fundamental principles. From the rule of law, to free and fair elections, to the peaceful transfer of power. I will be a president who unites us around our highest aspirations. A president who leads. And listens. Who is realistic, practical and has common sense. And always fights for the American people. From the courthouse to the White House, that has been my life's work. As a young courtroom prosecutor in Oakland, California, I stood up for women and children against predators who abused them. As attorney general of California, I took on the big banks. Delivered $20 billion for middle-class families who faced foreclosure. And helped pass a homeowner Bill of Rights, one of the first of its kind. I stood up for veterans and students being scammed by big for-profit colleges. For workers who were being cheated out of their wages, the wages they were due. For seniors facing elder abuse. I fought against cartels who traffic in guns, drugs and human beings. Who threaten the security of our border and the safety of our communities. And I will tell you, these fights were not easy. And neither were the elections that put me in those offices. We were underestimated at practically every turn. But we never gave up. Because the future is always worth fighting for. And that's the fight we are in right now. A fight for America's future. Fellow Americans, this election is not only the most important of our lives. It is one of the most important in the life of our nation. In many ways, Donald Trump is an unserious man. But the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious. Consider not only the chaos and calamity when he was in office, but also the gravity of what has happened since he lost the last election. Donald Trump tried to throw away your votes. When he failed, he sent an armed mob to the United States Capitol, where they assaulted law enforcement officers. When politicians in his own party begged him to call off the mob and send help, he did the opposite. He fanned the flames. And now, for an entirely different set of crimes, he was found guilty of fraud by a jury of everyday Americans. And separately, found liable for committing sexual abuse. And consider what he intends to do if we give him power again. Consider his explicit intent to set free violent extremists who assaulted those law enforcement officers at the Capitol. His explicit intent to jail journalists, political opponents and anyone he sees as the enemy. His explicit intent to deploy our active-duty military against our own citizens. Consider the power he will have, especially after the United States Supreme Court just ruled that he would be immune from criminal prosecution. Just imagine Donald Trump with no guardrails. And how he would use the immense powers of the presidency of the United States. Not to improve your life. Not to strengthen our national security. But to serve the only client he has ever had: Himself. And we know what a second Trump term would look like. It's all laid out in Project 2025. Written by his closest advisers. And its sum total is to pull our country back into the past. But America, we are not going back. We are not going back. We are not going back. We are not going back to when Donald Trump tried to cut Social Security and Medicare. We are not going back to when he tried to get rid of the Affordable Care Act. When insurance companies could deny people with pre-existing conditions. We are not going to let him eliminate the Department of Education that funds our public schools. We are not going to let him end programs like Head Start that provide preschool and child care for our children. America, we are not going back. We are charting a new way forward.  Forward to a future with a strong and growing middle class. Because we know a strong middle class has always been critical to America's success. And building that middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency. And I'll tell you, this is personal for me. The middle class is where I come from. My mother kept a strict budget. We lived within our means. Yet, we wanted for little. And she expected us to make the most of the opportunities that were available to us. And to be grateful for them. Because opportunity is not available to everyone. That's why we will create what I call an opportunity economy. An opportunity economy where everyone has a chance to compete and a chance to succeed. Whether you live in a rural area, small town or big city. And as president, I will bring together labor and workers, and small business owners, and entrepreneurs, and American companies. To create jobs. To grow our economy. And lower the cost of everyday needs. Like health care. Housing. And groceries. We will provide access to capital for small business owners, entrepreneurs, and founders. And we will end America's housing shortage, and protect Social Security and Medicare. Now compare that to Donald Trump. Because I think everyone here knows, He doesn't actually fight for the middle class. Instead, he fights for himself and his billionaire friends. And he will give them another round of tax breaks that will add up to $5 trillion to the national debt. And all the while he intends to enact what, in effect, is a national sales tax — call it a Trump tax — that would raise prices on middle-class families by almost $4,000 a year. Well, instead of a Trump tax hike, we will pass a middle class tax cut that will benefit more than 100 million Americans. Friends, I believe America cannot truly be prosperous unless Americans are fully able to make their own decisions about their own lives. Especially on matters of heart and home. But tonight, too many women in America are not able to make those decisions.  And let's be clear about how we got here. Donald Trump hand-picked members of the United States Supreme Court to take away reproductive freedom. And now he brags about it. His words: "I did it, and I'm proud to have done it." Well, I'll tell you, over the past two years, I have traveled across our country, and women have told me their stories. Husbands and fathers have shared theirs. Stories of women miscarrying in a parking lot. Developing sepsis. Losing the ability to ever again have children, all because doctors are afraid they may go to jail for caring for their patients. Couples just trying to grow their family, cut off in the middle of IVF treatments. Children who have survived sexual assault, potentially forced to carry a pregnancy to term. This is what is happening in our country. Because of Donald Trump. And understand he is not done. As a part of his agenda, he and his allies would limit access to birth control, ban medication abortion and enact a nationwide abortion ban with or without Congress. And get this, he plans to create a national anti-abortion coordinator, and force states to report on women's miscarriages and abortions. Simply put, they are out of their minds. And one must ask: Why exactly is it that they don't trust women? Well, we trust women. We trust women. And when Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom, as president of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law. In this election, many other fundamental freedoms are at stake. The freedom to live safe from gun violence in our schools, communities and places of worship. The freedom to love who you love openly and with pride. The freedom to breathe clean air, and drink clean water and live free from the pollution that fuels the climate crisis. And the freedom that unlocks all the others: the freedom to vote. With this election, we finally have the opportunity to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. And let me be clear. And let me be clear. After decades in law enforcement, I know the importance of safety and security, especially at our border. Last year, Joe and I brought together Democrats and conservative Republicans to write the strongest border bill in decades. The Border Patrol endorsed it. But Donald Trump believes a border deal would hurt his campaign. So he ordered his allies in Congress to kill the deal. Well, I refuse to play politics with our security. And here is my pledge to you: As president, I will bring back the bipartisan border security bill that he killed, and I will sign it into law. I know we can live up to our proud heritage as a nation of immigrants and reform our broken immigration system. We can create an earned pathway to citizenship and secure our border. And America, we must also be steadfast in advancing our security and values abroad. As vice president, I have confronted threats to our security, negotiated with foreign leaders, strengthened our alliances and engaged with our brave troops overseas. As commander in chief, I will ensure America always has the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world. And I will fulfill our sacred obligation to care for our troops and their families. And I will always honor, and never disparage, their service and their sacrifice. I will make sure that we lead the world into the future on space and artificial intelligence. That America — not China — wins the competition for the 21st century. And that we strengthen — not abdicate — our global leadership. Trump, on the other hand, threatened to abandon NATO. He encouraged Putin to invade our allies. Said Russia could "do whatever the hell they want." Five days before Russia attacked Ukraine, I met with President Zelenskyy to warn him about Russia's plan to invade. I helped mobilize a global response — over 50 countries — to defend against Putin's aggression. And as president, I will stand strong with Ukraine and our NATO allies. With respect to the war in Gaza, President Biden and I are working around the clock, because now is the time to get a hostage deal and a cease-fire done. And let me be clear: I will always stand up for Israel's right to defend itself and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself. Because the people of Israel must never again face the horror that the terrorist organization called Hamas caused on Oct. 7. Including unspeakable sexual violence and the massacre of young people at a music festival. At the same time, what has happened in Gaza over the past 10 months is devastating. So many innocent lives lost. Desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, over and over again. The scale of suffering is heartbreaking. President Biden and I are working to end this war such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination. And know this: I will never hesitate to take whatever action is necessary to defend our forces and our interests against Iran and Iran-backed terrorists. I will not cozy up to tyrants and dictators like Kim Jong Un, who are rooting for Trump. Who are rooting for Trump Because they know he is easy to manipulate with flattery and favors. They know Trump won't hold autocrats accountable because he wants to be an autocrat himself. And as president, I will never waver in defense of America's security and ideals, because in the enduring struggle between democracy and tyranny, I know where I stand, and I know where the United States of America belongs. So fellow Americans, I love our country with all my heart. Everywhere I go — in everyone I meet — I see a nation that is ready to move forward. Ready for the next step, in the incredible journey that is America. I see an America where we hold fast to the fearless belief that built our nation and inspired the world. That here, in this country, anything is possible. That nothing is out of reach. An America where we care for one another, look out for one another, and recognize that we have so much more in common than what separates us. That none of us has to fail for all of us to succeed. And that, in unity, there is strength.  Our opponents in this race are out there, every day, denigrating America. Talking about how terrible everything is. Well, my mother had another lesson she used to teach. Never let anyone tell you who you are. You show them who you are. America, let us show each other — and the world — who we are. And what we stand for. Freedom. Opportunity. Compassion. Dignity. Fairness. And endless possibilities. We are the heirs to the greatest democracy in the history of the world. And on behalf of our children and our grandchildren, and all those who sacrificed so dearly for our freedom and liberty, we must be worthy of this moment. It is now our turn to do what generations before us have done. Guided by optimism and faith, to fight for this country we love. To fight for the ideals we cherish. And to uphold the awesome responsibility that comes with the greatest privilege on Earth: the privilege and pride of being an American. So, let's get out there. Let's fight for it. Let's get out there. Let's vote for it. And together, let us write the next great chapter in the most extraordinary story ever told. Thank you. God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.

• Kamala Harris
• Democratic Party
• Democratic National Convention
• 2024 Elections

Melissa Quinn is a politics reporter for CBSNews.com. She has written for outlets including the Washington Examiner, Daily Signal and Alexandria Times. Melissa covers U.S. politics, with a focus on the Supreme Court and federal courts.

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Former Student's Success at the 23rd Chinese Bridge Speech Competition

Luka Yelash, who graduated from Waitākere College in 2022 with NCEA Chinese Scholarship and Excellence Endorsement, has gone on to achieve wonderful things in the 23rd Chinese Bridge Speech Competition. The Chinese Bridge Competition is a large-scale international contest sponsored by Hanban and is well-known in cultural and educational exchanges worldwide. This prestigious competition began in Beijing on 15 August with 147 first-place winners from 130 countries across five continents.

After winning the national competition in New Zealand, he was invited to attend the international stage along with hundreds of others from around the world. Luka, also known as 王小帅 wang xiao shuai, made it into the World’s Top 30 in the Chinese Bridge Competition, which is often called the Olympic Games of Chinese language and culture. Each year, over 100,000 Chinese language learners worldwide participate in the Chinese Bridge. We are incredibly honoured and proud to see Luka achieve this milestone, which is a perfect testament to the teaching excellence at the University of Auckland and from his humble beginnings at Waitākere College.