ORATE: public speaking practice that scores your argument.

Practice public speaking. Get scored on your argument.

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Ralph Waldo Emerson · Social Aims, 1875

“Speech is power: speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel.”

ORATE gives you a question. You pick a side, prepare for up to ten minutes, give a speech, and get scored on your argument.

Fig. 1: Structure of a speech
[01]Choose a stance.
[02]Speak with passion.
[03]Get ranked.
How a speech is scored4 × 25  =  100
  1. [01]Argumentation & reasoningTake a clear side and explain why it's true. One well-explained argument beats three bare claims.
  2. [02]Clarity & coherenceA listener should be able to sum up your argument in one sentence. Filler words are counted.
  3. [03]Concision & efficiencyEvery sentence should add something. Padding and repetition lose points, and so does saying too little.
  4. [04]Evidence & substantiationBack your claims with specific facts or examples, and say why each one matters.

ELO works like a chess rating. A Ranked speech that beats your level raises it; a weaker one lowers it. Practice speeches get the same score and feedback but leave your ELO alone.

Example scoreExample only

Every speech gets a score and written feedback.

Global affairs · against

“This house would ban industrial fishing in international waters.”

73/ 100 super score
In Ranked: 1,300 ELO to 1,324 (+24)6:42 prep used of 10:00 · 3:34 spoken · 512 words

Argumentation & reasoning

19 / 25

You made three points, each with a claim and a reason. Your second point, that ports would stop enforcing a ban, was stated but never explained.

Clarity & coherence

21 / 25

Easy to follow, and you clearly marked each new point. A long tangent in the middle made it harder to follow.

Concision & efficiency

16 / 25

Three sentences repeated what you had just said. Cutting them would not have lost anything.

Evidence & substantiation

17 / 25

The 1992 Grand Banks cod collapse was a strong example. Your claim about fleet size was vague: “a huge share” needs a real number.

Filler words: 9
“like” ×4“you know” ×3“basically” ×2
Your argument in one sentence

A ban would move fishing to other places instead of reducing it, because international waters are too large to police.

Every speech is saved to your Progress page, where you can track each score over time.

How a session works
  1. 01Get a topicChoose Ranked or Practice, then get a debate topic.
  2. 02PreparePick your side and take up to 10 minutes.
  3. 03SpeakRecording starts after a 10-second countdown.
  4. 04Get rankedA score out of 100, coaching, and in Ranked, ELO.

Leaderboard

Five placement speeches set your ELO. Every Ranked speech after that moves it up or down.

Progress

See every past speech with its scores and feedback, and chart each score over time.

Parties

Create a private leaderboard for your class or friends. Invite people with a six-letter code.

Step up to the podium.

Free to use. A session takes about 15 minutes.

Start a session
Fig. 2: The speaker