The Public Speaking Connection to Veteran’s Day

There is no meeting today in observance of Veteran’s Day. We will resume our regular meeting schedule on Monday, November 18th.
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In the meantime, here’s some Veteran’s Day trivia with a public speaking twist:⁠
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Did you know that World War I ended 101 years ago today? This war featured a very powerful public speaking element in the United States, in the form of the “Four Minute Men”. These were a group of men authorized by Woodrow Wilson to give 4-minute speeches on specific topics and talking points to support the American war effort against Germany. Over 7.5 million speeches were given between 1917 and 1918.⁠
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The challenge was to reach out to the fragmented audience of the Unites States, which, then as now, consisted of a wide diversity of heritages and cultures. The speeches had to engage each group’s specific needs.⁠
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The timing was 4 minutes because they were often delivered in movie theaters in the four minutes that it took to change film reels. These speeches were like extended Table Topics, particularly with their emphasis on a loose series of themes and fixed timing rules.⁠
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For more Table Topics practice, visit us on Mondays @ 7:00 - 8:45pm at Beverly Hills High School, Room S104. Our mantra is “Have Fun!”.⁠