Maryland's best young orators to participate in WJZ's Black History Month Oratory Competition

BALTIMORE -- An effective orator knows their message, but most importantly, they know their audience.

An effective orator is audience-centered and taps into the emotional needs and interests of listeners.

All of the great Black orators, past and present, have been able to connect to their audience on a deep level and effectively deliver their message.

Throughout history, there have been a number of great African-American orators, such as Martin Luther King Jr.

"What makes many of these people, especially when it comes to African-American orators, is they understand the culture of their people," Dr. Inte'a DeShields of Morgan State University said. 

DeShields is an assistant professor of English and language arts at Morgan State University.

She told WJZ that anyone can become an effective and compelling speaker. All they need is passion.

"You can't fake passion," DeShields said. "That's one thing you can't do. You cannot fake the passion, and you also cannot fake authenticity."

Authenticity allows speakers to connect with their audience, but understanding the cultural aspect of oration is what separates some of the great contemporary speakers of our time from the rest.

"Former President Obama, Gov. Wes Moore, they are tapping into something that is cultural," DeShields said. "They are able to tap into something that allows them to communicate not only in the language of the people, which, in this case, is English, but they are able to speak to something much deeper.

The winning speeches of the WJZ Black History Month Oratory Competition will be broadcast on WJZ during its Black History Oratory Competition Special on Saturday at 7 p.m.