2019 Rotary 4 Way Speech Contest

The 4 Way Speech Contest will be held on Thursday, March 28, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. at the Boys and Girls Club of Nashua.  We would love to have as many Rotarians as possible participate in this program as an official or simply to eat snacks and support the students who participate.   If you have a young person in your life who may want to some day participate we would encourage you to bring them along to the contest. 

If you would like to be a volunteer, please email Helen.  Also, if you know any high school students in Nashua who you think might be interested in participating, please have them complete the registration form listed on the left.

The Four Way Test speech contest is a competition for 9-12 graders. It requires each participating student to create and present a speech on a subject of their choice, applying the 4-Way Test to guide their thinking and their actions.

History of the 4-Way Test

From the earliest days of Rotary, Rotarians have been concerned with promoting high ethical standards in their professional lives. One of the world's most widely printed and quoted statements of business ethics is The 4-Way Test, which was created in 1932 by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor (who later served as Rotary International's president)  when he was asked to take charge of a company that was facing bankruptcy. This 24-word test for employees to use in making decisions in their business and professional lives became the guide for sales, production, advertising, and all relations with suppliers and customers. The survival of the company is credited to this simple philosophy. Adopted by Rotary in 1943, The 4-Way Test has been translated into more than a hundred languages and published in thousands of ways.

It asks the following four questions:

Of the things we think, say or do:
1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?