Cypress Falls TFA Tournament
2025 — Houston, TX/US
Original Oratory
Event Description:
Original Oratory
Oratory is an activity in which the student writes, memorizes, and then delivers a persuasive speech arising from his/her personal feelings, convictions, or a source of irritation about some problem. Topics for the original oration may be selected by the student and with the aid of the coach or teacher, but the oration itself must be the product of the contestant alone and not a coach or teacher.
Although many orations deal with a current problem and propose a solution, this is not the only
acceptable form of oratory. The oration may simply alert the audience to a threatening danger,
strengthen its devotion to an accepted cause, or eulogize a person. Visual aids are not
permitted in this contest.
TFA, understanding that final judgment must remain with the individual judge concerning effect
on ranking, suggests that coaches encourage their students to avoid speeches that may be
offensive because of language or subject matter.
1. Procedures: The contestant may not use an oration which that student used in any TFA contest prior to the current school year. The same oration shall be used for the duration of the tournament. Violation of this rule shall result in disqualification from the tournament.
2. Subject Matter: Any appropriate subject may be used, but the orator must be truthful. Any nonfactual reference, especially a personal one, must be so identified. Violation shall result in ranking down in the round in which the violation occurred.
3. Direct Quotations: Not more than 150 words of the oration may be a direct quotation from any other speech or writing, and such quotations shall be identified in the written copy of the speech. Extensive paraphrasing of any source is prohibited. Violation shall result in disqualification from the tournament.
4. Written Copy: A written copy of the oration must be available to the tournament director upon request. Violation of this rule will result in disqualification.
5. Documentation Requirements: Each year, specific documentation will be required by the Executive council for entry into the State Tournament. During the online registration process, coaches will be required to provide the oratory title. The competitor’s typed oration is required to be submitted during the registration process.
a. All quoted material must be underlined and/or printed in red. Quoted material may not exceed 150 words.
b. A cover sheet with title, student’s name and signature, coach’s name and signature, and the school name must be completed. The cover sheet can be found online at www.txfa.org.
c. Oratories need to be available for the duration of the tournament.
6. Time Limit: Time limit shall be ten minutes maximum with a thirty-second grace period. There is no minimum time required. Overtime violators SHALL NOT be ranked first in the round by the judge. Any other penalty is at the discretion of the judge. Judges may consider audience reaction and its impact on official time before enforcing any overtime penalty.
7. Aids: The oration shall be memorized and presented without the use of notes, visual aids, or costume. Violation shall result in being ranked last in the round.
8. Prior Topics: No student may use the same speech at a tournament in more than one event, but may change events with the speech during a tournament season. No student can use the same speech in more than one tournament year. Violation will result in disqualification. In addition, a student may not qualify for nor compete with the same speech at the state meet. The same speech shall be defined as a speech that has a significant repetition of sources, structure, ideas, and arguments.