Below is the full speech, laid out the way it would appear on cue cards: one beat per card, each with a short heading so you can see where you are at a glance. Read it through once for the shape, then use the notes underneath to make it yours.
The speech
Raise your hand if you were properly awake during first period today. [PAUSE] I thought so. Good morning. Today I am going to argue that our school should start an hour later, and that it would make us healthier, happier and better at learning.
First, sleep. Health experts widely agree that teenagers need more sleep than adults, and that our body clocks shift later during adolescence. That means many of us are not tired at ten at night, but we are exhausted at seven in the morning. An early start fights our biology every single day.
Second, learning. When you are tired, it is harder to concentrate, harder to remember what you read and harder to stay patient with a difficult problem. If the first hour of the day is wasted because half the class is half asleep, we are not getting the education we come here for.
Third, wellbeing. Not getting enough sleep affects mood, stress and even safety for students who travel to school early. A later start is one change that could help almost every student at once, without costing the school a new building or a new programme. Some schools in other countries have already tried it.
Some people say that a later start just means a later finish, and less time for sport and part-time jobs. That is a fair concern. But a later finish of one hour still leaves the afternoon, and students who are well rested use that time better than students who are exhausted.
So here is what I am asking. Let’s run a trial: one term with a later start, and a survey before and after. If it doesn’t work, we change back. If it does, we will have found a simple way to make school better for everyone. [PAUSE] Thank you.
Open this speech as cue cards to edit it, change the text size and print it.
Make it your own
- Pick a topic you actually care about. Conviction is easier to hear than to fake.
- Back each argument with a source your teacher will accept, and name it on the card.
- Always include a rebuttal card. Answering the other side is what makes a speech persuasive.
- End with a specific, reasonable action, not just “I hope you agree”.
- Check your marking criteria for the time limit, then use the speech timer to rehearse to it.
Work through the cards in order. For each one, ask what job it is doing (introducing you, showing a trait, thanking people, asking the room to act) and write your own version that does the same job. Keep each card to one idea. If a card gets too long to glance at, split it in two.
How to deliver it
Rehearse out loud at least three times, standing up, holding the cards you will use on the day. The first run is for finding the awkward sentences, the second for timing, and the third for looking up. Try to say the first line of each card while looking at the audience, then glance down only to find the next prompt.
Slow down more than feels natural, especially after a punchline or an emotional line. Cues in square brackets, such as [PAUSE], are reminders for you, not words to say. Number your cards, hold them at chest height, and move each finished card to the back of the stack. If you are using a microphone, hold it in one hand and the cards in the other.
For more on this kind of speech, read the oral presentation guide, or go back to all speech examples.