The upcoming Fall Quarter Speech Meet gives outstanding public speaking students competitive speaking experience and allows faculty judges to see what students have learned in the classroom, according to Lori Zakel, chair of the communications department at Sinclair Community College.
“I think it’s a nice opportunity for students to become involved in something they might not have thought of,” Zakel said.
The competition audience is very different from the classroom audience, according to Zakel. She said students often speak in front of friends, family, faculty and fellow skilled speakers. Joshua Lisec, a finalist in the spring quarter competition, said the presentation is also different.
“In the classroom setting, the emphasis of the speech was mainly on learning how to more effectively present the information, while for the contest, the goal was to illustrate to the judges that I had already learned how to effectively present the information,” Lisec said.
Another difference between the competition and the classroom is the ranking of speeches, according to Zakel. In a public speaking class, students are graded against a standard, but in a speaking competition students are graded against each other. Each judge’s rankings are then compared to determine a winner.
Zakel estimates there are 400 public speaking students per quarter and three speeches per student. Faculty and students nominate outstanding speeches for the following quarter’s competition. Out of 1,200 speeches, she said only a handful are nominated for the competition.
“They should be very honored to be nominated,” Zakel said.
Prizes are available for first, second and third place speeches. The student with the best speech is awarded the equivalent of three credit hours’ tuition to put towards class fees. The second and third place winners receive the equivalent of two and one credit hours’ tuition respectively.
Kristopher Armes won second place in the spring quarter competition, but he left for Eastern Kentucky University before he could use his prize. Armes said winning second out of many good speakers was an amazing feeling.
“Although I was very proud of this achievement, it has lit a fire that compels me to never want to lose again,” Armes said. “Each time you speak you learn so much about yourself as a speaker and what works for you, so next time I’ll get first.”
Armes recommends that competing students be prepared, look presentable and speak clearly and confidently. Lisec suggests visualizing the contest setting when practicing to prepare for nervous feelings.
The Fall Quarter Speech Meet will be held on Oct. 9 in Building 14, Room 130. Admission is free. For more information contact Lori Zakel at 512-2812.