Four-Way Test Speech Contest Winners 2007

There were 28 speakers from 27 clubs with over 150 people in attendance.

• 1st Place: Robert Foell, Rotary Club of Cleveland, Topic: The 2008 Election
• 2nd Place: Naomi Lisan, Rotary Club of Chagrin Highlands, Topic: Religious Freedom
• 3rd Place: Arthur Schmidt, Rotary Club of Parma, Topic: Major in College

Directions to the District Contest
Day of Contest Schedule
General Information
Why the 4-Way Test
District Conference Pre-registration
* NEW FORM: Judging Sheet
Letter from 4-Way Test Chairperson
Your Club's Contest: What you need to do
The Rules
Contest Pre-Registration

THE DATE FOR THIS YEAR'S DISTRICT CONTEST IS:

April 12, 2008

at BEACHWOOD HIGH SCHOOL
BEACHWOOD, OHIO  44122

Dear 4 Way Test Chairperson,
 
Last year's District Four Way Speech Contest was a tremendous success.  This year we are hoping for an even better event, with participation from even more clubs.  If your club participated last year, we hope that you will participate again this year.  If you did not participate last year we hope that you will decide to enter this year.  We will provide you with all of the help we can if you have not yet sponsored a contest in your club.  

The first thing we need to know at the district level, is which clubs plan to participate in this years contest.  We need to know your club's intentions and some information about your Four Way Test Chairperson.  This information will enable us to communicate directly with the chairperson.  

THE FOUR WAY TEST Speech Contest has become a feature Vocational Service program for District 6630.  We hope that you will participate in this year's District Contest.
 
The program is self-funded by the clubs that participate.  There is a registration fee, paid by the club, in addition to the cost of the luncheon.  The fee is modest and only covers expenses.  It should not be a burden to any club.   

This year registration will be $50.00 per club.  Sending back the letter of intent to participate in this year's contest does not obligate a club to this fee.  The registration form will be collected at the contest.  Lunches will be $15.00 each.  You will be paying for at least two lunches, as a Rotarian is required to accompany a student (This is a Rotary Function!).  You can have as many additional lunches as you need.

Every participating club should bring a check made payable to The Rotary Speech Contest, for a minimum of $80.00 on the day of the contest.  

Should you have any questions regarding anything about this year's contest please contact Dan Davis.

Best regards,
 
Dan Davis
Chairman, 4 Way Speech Contest

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YOUR CLUB CONTEST: What You Need To Do

1. Notify the District Chairperson that your club intends to participate.  Return appropriate forms promptly.  Chairpeople will be happy to help you organize your contest.

2. Have your committee review the contents of the information packet provided.  Make copies of information that you want to distribute.

3. Contact the High School Principal and explain the contest.  Also make contact with the cooperating teacher.  If possible, volunteer to go to the school and teach the lesson that explains all about the speech contest, why we have it, what the speeches should be about, how they are judged, and what the prize money will be.  Encourage students to read all information and view and discuss the videotape.

4. Have Rotarians from your club go to the schools to conduct semi-finals, (if you have more than one school competing).  If there is only one participating school in your area, the contest and judging can be held at a club meeting instead of a regular program.  If more than one school from your area is competing, have the winners from each school present their speeches as a competition at a regular meeting.

5. For the club meeting when speeches are given:  Invite the parents, principal, and cooperating teacher in addition to the speaker.  The club pays for these additional meals.  Award suitable  cash prizes.  (Plaques and pens, etc. in addition)

6. Use the enclosed judging sheet to determine winners.  This will be the scoring sheet used at the District level.  Be sure the participants have seen and used the form when developing their speeches.  Although you assign points when using the judging sheet, disregard the variance between different judges sheets.  On each judges sheet, pick the winner for that sheet.  Then compare with other sheets to determine the winners.  (Different judges allow different points for judging, so you cannot just add up all points from all sheets to determine winners.  Add up winners from each judging sheet.)  

7. Have some "filler time" available during judging.
 
8. Prepare press releases, if possible, to acknowledge your contestants and provide your club with additional Public Relations.

9. Please reply via e-mail as early as possible to register your intent to participate. No registration forms will be sent to clubs. Please Let Dan Davis know as soon as possible if your club is participating, and how may people will be in attendance at the 2008 competition. We need to have a general idea of the number of people attending in order to cater the event

10. Plan to have a Rotarian chaperone your participant at the District level competition.  Students may not participate without a club chaperone.  Plan ahead!

11. Should your contestant win at the District level, plan to accompany that student to the District Conference, where the speech will be presented to District, and prizes will be awarded.

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General Rules for the Contest

The purpose of the speech is to solve an ethical problem using the principles of the Four Way Test.  The ethical problem to be solved should be something from the speaker's personal experience or general knowledge.  There are no restrictions regarding the choice of topic as long as it is not blatantly offensive.

Each one of the four parts of the Four Way Test should be addressed during the speech.  They should be specifically stated, as the intent of the speech is to use the Four Way Test to resolve an issue.  The use of each point could be used to prove either a positive or negative point.

The speech should be four (4) to seven (7) minutes long.

Note cards may be used to recover from a mental blank out and avoid an embarrassment, but should be unobtrusive and not be obvious or relied upon during the speech. Even if a speaker chooses not to use note cards, they may have them at hand in case of emergency.

These are to be speeches and not dramatic presentations.  Although enthusiasm, good eye contact, and movement are encouraged, please don't go to extremes.  Content should be relevant and in good taste.  Topics should be interesting and relevant to the speakers interests or experiences.


A microphone will be available and is optional.

A podium or desk will be available and is optional.

Props should be limited.

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Directions to the District Contest

Traveling South on Interstate 271:
 
Exit at Cedar Brainard.
Turn left onto Brainard.
 
Turn right at Cedar Road (second traffic light)
Go West on Cedar past Beachwood Place to Richmond Road
 
Turn left onto Richmond Road (LaPlace Shopping Center is on the left)
Richmond Road South to the fourth traffic light.  You will pass city hall and the fire station, then Fairmount Blvd.
The next light is the Beachwood High School Driveway.
 
Turn right into the high school driveway.
 
If you miss the Cedar Brainard exit, go to Chagrin and follow next set of directions with the following exception:  turn right onto Chagrin and go West on Chagrin to Richmond.
 
 
 
Traveling North on Interstate 271:
 
Exit at Chagrin Blvd.
From the exit ramp turn left onto Chagrin Blvd and go West on Chagrin to Richmond.
Richmond is the third traffic light and has a BP station on the corner.
 
Turn right onto Richmond Road going North.
Richmond Road North to the Sixth traffic light.
You will pass the Cuyahoga County Library at Shaker.  The next light is the Beachwood High School Driveway. 
 
Turn left into the high school driveway.

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Day of the Contest Schedule
 
8:30 to 9:00 Registration
9:00 to 9:14 Introduction and Explanation of Morning Schedule
9:15 to 10:30 Semi-Final Speeches in Classrooms
10:30 to 10:45 Break
10:45 to 12:00 Final Speeches in the Auditorium
12:00 to 12:40 Luncheon
12:40 to 1:00 Awards
1:00 End of Contest

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THE FOUR WAY TEST SPEECH CONTEST: General Information
 
 Who:
All Rotary clubs in District 6630 are invited to participate.  This project would fall under Vocational Service and constitute a new project for many clubs.  The contest is open to all high school students in grades 9-12, including students who may have been previous winners or contestants.

Where:
Each club will have to determine the location for their contest.  (Clubs should restrict competition to the high schools located within their club boundaries, rather than infringing upon another club's area.) It is suggested that the clubs hold the final club contest at their regular club location and schedule the speakers as the program rather than have a regularly scheduled speaker.

Prior to the club competition where prizes are usually awarded, it may be advisable to have qualifying contests in the local high schools.  These qualifying contests are best held in February or March to avoid conflicts with vacations and finals.  If arrangements cannot be made for during this time, very early April may still be acceptable. 

When scheduling the club competition, it is desirable to invite the parents of speakers, the high school principal, and the cooperating teacher.  The club pays for these lunches.  Award gifts to winners.  (If possible, include a FOUR WAY TEST Speech Test Plaque, which can be ordered from the various catalogs.)

When:
February: suggested that you also conduct a presentation or final competition at a regular club meeting and it be a featured meeting by inviting parents and school officials who have been involved. The club contest winner is eligible to compete in the District competition Spring 2008. Date to be announced.

How:
The expertise* for most of the clubs who sponsor this contest will reside in the person of the high school English or Speech Departments.  It is suggested that the high school principal be contacted initially.    
Dan Davis, THE FOUR WAY TEST chairman, will be happy to help explain the contest procedures to you and help you in any way possible.  Contact Dan at 216-291-8890.  

What:
Each club must decide what it thinks is an appropriate prize, and how many prizes are to be awarded.  (You may want to have a prize winner from each school, or only a prize for 1st and 2nd place from all of the schools participating in your contest.)

The 1st place winner from the club may compete at the District level.  Prizes at the District level will be:   1st place, $500.00, 2nd place, $400.00, 3rd place, $ 300.00.

Subject: The purpose of the FOUR WAY TEST is the basis for the speech.  Additional information about the speeches, judging and sample speeches of previous winners is enclosed.  All information in this packet should be reproduced and shared with participants.  All information in this packet supersedes any previously distributed information.  

*NOTE: Expertise means the help and cooperation of the high school teacher.  It is the responsibility of the Rotarian to set up a date for club speeches, and to make all arrangements for the District level competition!  This is our project.  It is not our intent to dump responsibilities on the teachers to conduct our program.  Many clubs have found more cooperation with the teachers if a Rotarian volunteers to teach the lesson that explains the contest, the judging and Rotary.  This is also a great way to gain entry to the school and get them interested in other Rotary Programs.    


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WHY THE 4-WAY TEST?

The 4-Way Test consists of 4 short questions, 24 words, which can make a difference in our lives.  It reads:

Is it the TRUTH?

Is it FAIR to all concerned?

Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?

Will it be BENEFICIAL to ALL concerned?

The 4-Way Test encourages us to examine our patterns of choosing, evaluating and acting.  It is an objective guide which we can use in deciding how best to respond in a given situation.

There is a great difference between winning success and being a success.  Many people have the first without the second.  Just as important as winning the respect of others, is to enjoy self-respect.

The 4-Way Test helps us as we go about choosing and acquiring our desired prizes, to keep our inner eye open to what we are becoming, not just the prizes we strive to acquire.  These four questions can stimulate meaningful, growth-inspiring answers for the person who will test his or her thoughts, words and actions by them.

The test does not provide answers in itself, but encourages creative and effective solutions in problem solving situations.  "You sow a thought, you reap an act.   You sow an act, you reap a habit.  You sow a habit, you reap a character. You sow a character, you reap a destiny."  But it all starts with how we think.

The 4-Way Test carries us out beyond the self into the lives and concerns of other people.  It deals with human relationships.  We may be making remarkable progress technologically, but we still get bogged down at times in this area of human relationships.  It is a critical problem when we consider that even with all our computers, etc., nothing can be accomplished in this world, except through people--ourselves and others working, playing, communicating with each other.  The 4-Way Test recognizes that the welfare of each individual is linked with the welfare of us all.  Used, it can create an attitude and atmosphere in which people can better relate, share and implement ideas.

That the 4-Way Test does work when applied in people's lives has been proven all over the world.  Today, the 4-Way Test is translated into the language of more than a hundred countries.  It sits on the desks of more than 500,000 business and professional leaders in America alone; it is on the walls of schools, libraries, factories and business offices around the world.

This international chain reaction began in 1932 when Herbert J. Taylor, author of the Test, was President of Club  Aluminum Products Company.  The Test was adopted by the company as a succinct code of business ethics, that everyone in the company could memorize and apply in their relationships with co-workers, suppliers, customers and the public.  It became the basis of all decisions both large and small within the company.  Advertising was measured against the Test and superlatives like "best" or "finest" which could not be proven were replaced by factual descriptions of the product.  Adverse comments against competitors were removed from advertising and sales literature.  Such practices as overstocking dealers were dropped by the sales force.   The newly won confidence of dealers and customers resulted in improved business volume and a dramatic upswing in sales and profits.  The Test is credited with pulling the company out of bankruptcy in the midst of the Depression and with revolutionizing personnel, advertising and sales policies.

In the 1940's the Test was adopted by Rotary International and became a vital part of their Vocational Service Programs.  Serving as President of Rotary International from 1954 to 1955, Mr. Taylor promoted the use of the 4-Way Test around the world.

In fact, Japan has led the world in practical uses of the 4-Way Test. The town of Noji, Japan,  was the first to introduce 4-Way Test posters into high school classrooms.  The late industrialist Masakazu Kobayashi, who aided materially in his nation's economic reconstruction and helped reintroduce Rotary in Japan following World War II, found the 4-Way Test a positive influence in business negotiations in the U.S.A. shortly after the war ended.     He feared that some of the war's animosities might lurk heavily in the shadows of business negotiations.  In addition there were the language and cultural barriers to overcome.  He was head of a large hosiery manufacturing firm and when meeting with U.S. businessmen passed a printed leaflet of the 4-Way Test among them.  "This is a guide I have learned through Rotary and I find that by adhering to it I always do right.  It is in this spirit that I meet with you."  Negotiations progressed rapidly and cordially, the results proving satisfactory to all.

One of the first U.S. cities to build a major community-wide 4-Way Test campaign was Daytona Beach, Florida.  For a city whose economy relied greatly on goodwill toward tourists, its residents were sadly lacking in goodwill among themselves.  By late 1955, the President of the Daytona Beach Chamber of Commerce was faced with a difficult situation.  There were about 400 motels in the area and they were all constantly fighting among each other, refusing to cooperate.  The Chamber, with the help of several concerned community leaders, adopted a 4-Way Test area-wide campaign.

Billboards, posters, radio, TV and full-page newspaper advertisements on the 4-Way Test were used prominently to initiate the campaign.  The 4-Way Test was introduced into and adopted by schools.  Businesses were encouraged to adopt and use the Test.

Soon after the campaign was initiated, several of the motel operators who had adopted the 4-Way Test called a meeting of some 100 motel owners to discuss their problems in terms of the 4-Way Test.  They decided to form a  clearinghouse to pass on to one another those tourists whose needs they could not satisfy.  Interest in the plan created a new attitude.  Competition would now mean providing better service, not thwarting the attempts of others to make a profit.

Not all of the owners and operators were gung-ho about the plan, but as they tried it, they found it worked.  As one doubter stated, "In the past when a prospective customer decided he wanted different accommodations, I didn't care if he had to sleep on the beach.  Now I turn such people over to the clearinghouse, and when I make the call,  I'm invariably told of somebody who's looking for exactly what I've got to offer.  There's a give-and-take in applying the 4-Way Test that I never knew could exist in the business world."

Other examples of the 4-Way Test at work began to appear in Daytona Beach.  Personnel directors discovered that employee conflicts could be solved if the people concerned would discuss them in terms of the Test's 4 questions.  Invariably the conflict was solved and--most importantly, without hard feelings.  By the end of 1956, traffic accidents, often the result of thoughtless driving, were down 5 1/2%, traffic injuries were down by 20% and juvenile delinquency had decreased by 50%.

Following Daytona's lead, other cities have adopted the community-wide 4-Way Test campaign plan.  Among them are Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Dallas, Texas.

Oshkosh citizens point out several statistics as positive evidence of their program's effectiveness.  In 1968, 272 juveniles were referred to the court; by 1969 this had plunged to 166--a 39% decrease.  Fire losses fell to less that 20% of their 1968 totals--the second lowest fire loss in 32 years.

Notable in Pittsburgh was the 4-Way Test's use as the basis for steel wage negotiations.  It was written into the Teamster's labor contract.

Dallas, Texas initiated its first campaign in 1968 which ran over a three year period.  Among its many projects, it established the "Four Way Test Place," a special park in downtown Dallas.  As a result of the campaign, overall crime statistics showed a 10% drop between 1970 and 1971.  Larceny was down 21%, aggravated assault, 18% and auto thefts decreased by 12%.  One Dallas supermarket manager displayed the Test questions over his cash registers.  Talking about the results he states,  "We had a swift and dramatic drop in the number of bad checks cashed in our store."

The 4-Way Test has inspired safe driving programs, fire prevention campaigns, crime reduction activities and labor negotiations.  Other cities to have initiated 4-Way Test campaigns include Long Beach, California; Dunn, North Carolina; Columbus, Ohio; Grosse Point, Michigan; Baltimore, Maryland; and Memphis, Tennessee.

In business, civic life, and at home--the 4-Way Test dramatically speaks its practicality.  It helps us to think beyond our immediate desires, to consider the consequences of our actions and not focus on what is merely expedient.  The 4-Way Test acts as a lubricant that smoothes personal relations by basing them on truth and consideration for others.

The key to the success of the 4-Way Test is its USE.  NOW!  Try it and see for yourself.


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2008 Contest Pre-registration

Fields marked with an asterisk (*) must be filled in.

Please fill out the form above and click the Submit button to e-mail it.

View the speeches of the top four contestants from the 2005 4-Way Test Speech contest here.

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