Public Speaking Merit Badge
Five requirements, five kinds of speaking: a three- to five-minute introduction of yourself to an audience such as your troop or class; a prepared talk with body language and visual aids; an impromptu talk of at least two minutes on a subject your counselor picks; an eight- to 10-minute researched speech; and parliamentary procedure, shown by leading a meeting or answering questions on the rules of order.
Elective Merit Badges Communication Merit Badges Requirements
The plan behind this
Five kinds of speaking
| requirement | what it is | length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | an introduction of yourself, to an audience such as your troop, class at school, or some other group | three to five minutes |
| 2 | a talk on a topic of your choice, prepared to use body language and visual aids | three to five minutes |
| 3 | an impromptu talk on a subject your counselor selects, not known to you in advance | at least two minutes |
| 4 | a speech on a topic of interest to your audience, researched, outlined, written, practiced and delivered in a conversational way | eight to 10 minutes |
| 5 | parliamentary procedure: lead a discussion or meeting by accepted rules of order, or answer questions on them | none stated |
What takes arranging
Requirement 1 needs an audience. Requirement 3 is set by your counselor: the subject is chosen to interest you but is not known to you in advance, and you have no time to prepare. It is given either as part of a group discussion or before your counselor. Requirement 4 is the one with stages, so start it early: select the topic, collect and organize information, outline, write, practice, then deliver.
What this page is
The Public Speaking merit badge, drawn so the audience for requirement 1, the counselor-set impromptu talk and the stages of the long speech in requirement 4 stand out. It is not a copy of the requirements: each step is a short label with a link to the official requirements, which are what actually governs and which change from year to year. The free official pamphlet is the fuller guide.
Sources for this page
- Public Speaking Merit Badge Requirements, Merit Badge Hub, last modified 2025-09-19 · The requirements themselves, and the free official pamphlet linked from them.
- Guide to Advancement, 2025, Section 7.0.0.3 · The process every merit badge is earned through, which this page does not repeat.
- Guide to Advancement, 2025, Section 7.0.4.3 · Which version of a changed requirement applies to a Scout who has already started.
- Guide to Advancement, 2025, Section 4.0.0.1 · Why the requirements are not in the Guide to Advancement and are expected to change annually.
Last checked against its sources on .