LeadershipPresentation

Researched Persuasive Writing & Speaking

Write a pre-judged two-page persuasive research paper for or against this year's question, Should Pharmaceutical Companies Advertise?, then give a five-minute speech on it to judges.

About this event

Researched Persuasive Writing and Speaking is a solo event for the Secondary and Postsecondary/Collegiate divisions. Each year HOSA assigns a debatable health topic; for 2026-27 it is Should Pharmaceutical Companies Advertise?, and you argue one side. Round One is a research paper with a title page stating your stance, a two-page double-spaced body and APA reference pages, uploaded as one PDF by May 15 and pre-judged out of 90 points, with persuasiveness alone worth 20. Everyone who uploads advances to Round Two, a speech of up to five minutes (shortened from previous years) to judges with only notecards allowed; the speech must keep the paper's main ideas but may elaborate on them. The speech is scored out of 80 points for its introduction, coverage of the topic, conclusion, persuasiveness and delivery, for a 170-point total. Ties are broken by the highest-value rubric sections, and plagiarism is a GRR ethics violation.

What judges score

Round One, A. Written Paper: Title Page (5), Opening Statement (10), Coverage of assigned event topic and quality of information (10), Originality (10), Conclusion (10), Persuasiveness (20), Transitions (5), Grammar (5), Spelling and Punctuation (5), Formatting (5), Reference Page(s) (5); subtotal 90Round Two, A. Speech Content: Introduction (15), Overall coverage of assigned event topic and quality of information (15), Conclusion (15), Persuasiveness (20)Round Two, B. Speech Delivery: Voice (5), Stage Presence (5), Diction, Pronunciation and Grammar (5); subtotal 80, total 170

What judges score

2026-27 topic: Should Pharmaceutical Companies Advertise?Paper: title page with stance, opening statement and thesis, coverage and quality of information, originality, conclusion, persuasiveness, transitions, grammar, spelling, formatting, referencesSpeech: introduction, coverage of the topic, conclusion, persuasiveness, delivery

Study resources

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