Public Speaking Merit Badge
Five requirements in the badge's own order, with the audience needed for requirement 1, the impromptu talk on a subject your counselor selects at requirement 3, and the researched eight- to 10-minute speech of requirement 4 marked as the parts that take arranging.
6 steps. · Version 1, published 8 October 2026 · About Public Speaking Merit Badge
No questions answered
This is the whole plan: everything that could apply to anybody.
The steps
Stage 1 of 6
1 step
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1. Introduce yourself to an audience Requirement
Three to five minutes, to an audience such as your troop, your class at school, or some other group.
Stage 2 of 6
1 step
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2. Prepare a talk with body language and visual aids Requirement
Three to five minutes, on a topic of your choice.
Stage 3 of 6
1 step
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3. An impromptu talk on a subject your counselor picks Requirement
At least two minutes, as part of a group discussion or before your counselor. The subject is selected by your counselor, interesting to you but not known to you in advance, with no time to prepare.
Stage 4 of 6
1 step
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4. Research, write and deliver an eight- to 10-minute speech Requirement
Select a topic of interest to your audience. Collect and organize information and prepare an outline. Write the speech, practice it, then deliver it in a conversational way.
Stage 5 of 6
1 step
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5. Show you know parliamentary procedure Requirement
Lead a discussion or meeting according to accepted rules of order, or answer questions on the rules of order.
Stage 6 of 6
1 step
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Counselor signs it off Milestone
The completion date is the date you met the requirements, not the date of the signature.
Usually comes after 1. Introduce yourself to an audience, 2. Prepare a talk with body language and visual aids and 3 others.
Merit badge requirements are republished annually. A Scout beginning work uses the requirements as they stand then; a Scout already working may finish under the ones they started with. Guide to Advancement 7.0.4.3 governs which applies. This page records the date its copy was read. Check it against the official page before relying on it.
This plan is a planning aid: the current Boy Scouts of America publication is always the authority, and the sources used here are listed in full. Each step names its own.