Does Your Message SCORRE with Students?

A number of years ago, speaker and comedian, Ken Davis, developed a method for creating student-friendly messages that were both on-point and entertaining.

Ken popularized his SCORRE method through the book, How to Speak to Youth and Keep them Awake at the Same Time. The acronym SCORRE stands for:

     Subject
     Central Theme
     Objective
     Rationale
     Resources
     Evaluate

Here is a brief look at the SCORRE process (from the book):

1. Choose a subject. 

The first step in preparing a speech is to choose a subject from endless possibilities.  Be sure your subject meets the needs of your audience and interests them as well.

2. Choose a central theme.  

Narrow your subject to one aspect.  For example, if your subject is “friendship,” a theme could be “making and keeping friends.”  Be sure to consider the limitations of your knowledge.  Depending on your chosen subject and theme, you may have to research for more facts.  Double-check the needs of your audience and be sure the subject and central theme meet those needs.

3. Clarify your objective

Determining a clear objective is vital for effective communication.  An objective is a simple sentence that clarifies what you want to accomplish in your speech.  You may want to review the steps to writing your objective sentence (see pp. 51-58).

4. Develop your rationale.  
The main points of a speech are called the rationale.  Remember, these points are specific and logical, and they relate to the objective.

5. Gather and use appropriate resources.  
List all the illustrations and support material you could use with your subject.  Depending on how much time you have to work on your talk, you may want to have most of the material readily available.  This is the time to research illustrations and data for points that need more clarification.

6. Evaluate your preparation.  

Answer Ken's eleven evaluation questions.  Then move on to add finishing touches to your speech.

You can find a much more detailed template at the Center for Youth Ministry Training website.:

Better yet, you can purchase purchase Ken Davis' book and work through all of his SCORRE material on your own.