is there an advantage/disadvantage to going first/last when giving speeches for leadership positions?
i am a high school sophomore and am kind of shy.
i want to go first to get it over with, but i’m often scared of going first. i’ve read that people go easier on the first person bc they become the benchmark. however, i’ve also read that people who first are less memorable than those who last.
i want to go last so that i’m the last person on people’s minds, and that they’ll remember me more in comparison to my opponents. however, this could really hurt me if i do not end up speaking well.
ahhhh i’m really worried so any advice would be greatly appreciated 
If there isn’t a massive number of candidates (i.e. more than 6 or so), it really doesn’t matter what order you get put in, and you probably won’t have control over the order anyway - the speeches for every position I’ve tried out for have been organized alphabetically by last name, by prior officer position rank, by order of submission of intent, or some other arbitrary designation made up by the current officers.
Club elections are usually a popularity/seniority thing. People are probably going to vote for their friends over their not-friends and upperclassmen over underclassmen regardless of order or content, and that’s just kind of a fact of life. If by some stroke of luck all your co-candidates are in your grade and know the same amount of people that you do, then people will actually listen to what you say, and even if you aren’t the loudest or most genial person in the room, you’ll have a decent shot as long as you make good points and outline plans that people agree with you on. (Last month in one of my clubs I ran against this chick who mumbled and didn’t look up from her paper once, yet she still won against me because she’s two years my elder and had thought up some really good plans for the position. Also she’s super nice to everyone - I’m honestly glad she got it lmao. But I digress.)
Looking at your post history, this is your fourth thread about this speech and you seem HELLA stressed. There’s really no need! It’s a short speech, and speeches are usually one of the least important factors in people deciding who they vote for - if you’ve already proved yourself to be a good club member and have made friends with the other members then people are going to vote for you regardless of what comes out of your mouth.
Some general speechgiving advice b/c you asked for it in 2 other threads: write it well in advance, practice a few times per day in front of the mirror (this helps me IMMENSELY tbh given that i kind of suck at inflection and body language otherwise), give it in front of a few of your friends once you’re semiconfident and ask for critique, and just go in thinking everyone is as worried as you. We believe in you & know that if you practice you’ll do alright regardless of whether you go first, last, or somewhere in the middle let us know what happens!
@chryasalism I just saw your response! Thank you so much for your advice! I gave my speech last week and will get my results on Thursday. I’ll let you know how I do!
Oh also, I ran against two other sophomores and one junior, so it’ll be pretty difficult to get this position.