OO is very similar to info with two key differences: the goal is to inform and/or persuade, and no audio/visual aids are allowed. Successful OOs tend to be persuasive in nature.
Like info, OOs should have sources to back up your claims, but you must cite these sources, and direct quotations must be kept to 150 words or fewer. All OOs must be original, and they must be written and memorized before the tournament. The maximum time is ten minutes.
Tips and Tricks:
Although an OO’s purpose can be just to inform, successful OOs tend to have more of a persuasive edge to it.
There’s no direct outline for OOs, but successful OOs should have an introduction that catches your audience’s attention and explicitly states your thesis and main points, 2-4 body points, and a conclusion that restates your thesis and points. Common organizations of the body section include:
Cause (of the problem), effect, solution.
Problem, cause, solution
Just like with Infos, successful OOs are creative and original. If you inform/persuade your audience about a broad or vague topic they already know about, it will be much harder for your speech to be effective. Instead, think of a specific subset of that topic that includes problems or issues your audience may not know about (e.g. a speech about mental illnesses vs. a speech about mental illness education in middle schools).
Your goal is to make your audience care about your topic, even if it doesn’t directly affect them. The best way to do this is to draw from sources. Statistics or specific numbers are a great way to demonstrate a problem, but stories about a specific person or small group of people are the most effective way to make your audience care. For example, a statistic of middle schoolers who are diagnosed with a mental illness tells your audience there is a problem; a story about a specific middle school student who struggled with depression shows your audience why they should care.
For more detailed practicing tips, check out the KHSSL handbook (Info starts on page 31).