Heart pounding. Palms sweating. Timer beeping. Pause. “Judges Ready?” Although the long, grueling days of speech and debate tournaments are behind me, these words manage to strike a peculiar chord of nostalgia and trepidation. From the first few tournaments when I competed via parental encouragement to the last tournaments when I remember thinking I’d miss these days. My speech and debate career ranged from sheer terror to apprehensive excitement. And even though I received a fair share of awards and plaques, I don’t think there was ever a speech I gave in my entire speech and debate career in which I didn’t tremble uncontrollably. Now, as a seasoned college student, I have noticed my speech and debate training come flying in at the most opportune times. And I’m wildly thankful for it…
If you’ve heard or feared that Speech and Debate is not worth the effort or makes you nerdy or socially awkward, let’s consider the veritable benefits for your heaps of time. Here is some encouragement in the form of my three favorite college moments when my speech and debate training came in quite handy.
First, in college, there will inevitably be some project or assignment that requires you to speak in front of a class. Because of the years I did speech and debate, I do not fear it like many of my classmates do. Yes, my heart beats a tad quicker, but it’s hard to be deathly afraid of something you’ve done over and over and over. On the first day of class in Principles of Marketing, we were split into groups and tasked with drawing a picture that connected our purpose on earth with our vocation. When it came time for my group to present our picture, no one wanted to speak. There was the most uncomfortable moment of silence, but my speech and debate practice slipped right in. As I explained the fantastically abstract picture (none of us were unusually gifted in art), our professor praised us as being one of the most creative and articulate groups in the class.
On another occasion, I remember sharing the gospel with a new friend who was unsure of what she believed. As we sat around the beat-up cafeteria table, she asked a question that made my heart jump. It was a question I had come across in an Impromptu Apologetics round during Sophomore year of high school. However, instead of intimidating me or throwing me off like it did all those years ago, I just smiled because I knew how to answer it. I had practiced and researched, and it was a moment when I felt the beautiful Biblical phrase ring true, “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14 English Standard Version).
My last moment (or third piece of evidence) about the wonderful effects of speech and debate seen in college actually involves being off campus. My friend group had the brilliant idea to walk the one and a half miles to Meijer and buy little pints of ice cream. We were broke college kids, and this was cheaper than “fancy ice cream.” As we victoriously trudged home with our loot, someone had the realization that we forgot to buy plastic spoons. Faced with the reality that our ice cream would become melted cream before we could eat it, we stared solemnly at each other in the parking lot of the local Wendy’s we were walking past. It was about 11pm and only the drive through was open. Without a second thought, I marched up to the Wendy’s window and waved. This was fueled by a certain confidence that comes from years of speech and debate and the perspective of “what is truly the worst that could happen?” Even if you’re an excellent speaker, there might be an even better one, and when this happens, you simply lose the round or don’t rank first on your ballot and move on. With this confidence in place, I smiled at the man in the window. He opened it with a puzzled expression. I told him our situation, pointed to my friends who waved their Meijer bags at him, and asked if I could buy several plastic spoons. A grin flashed across his face. “How many do you need?” Seconds later, I was running back to my friends with a handful of plastic spoons. The best part was that the kind Wendy’s employee refused to let me pay for them. As our little band walked the rest of the way home, we enjoyed the blessing of ice cream, free spoons, and the simple confidence of “you have not because you ask not.”
Thus, whether it’s in class assignments, normal conversations, or weird Wendy’s drive through moments, my speech and debate experience has served me well. I hope these tales have acted as an encouragement to the exhausted high school student or the weary parent that speech and debate is truly a foundational and critical part of one’s growth and development. Because of it, I have been able to practice operating with a grace, confidence, and knowledge that continue to help me in everyday college life. So, thanks, Mom and Dad, for making me do this. I owe you.
Keziah Alatis is a junior at Cornerstone University and is double majoring in Strategic Communications and Creativity and Innovation. She is also pursuing a minor in Creative Writing. She competed in the speech and debate world for 6 years, and now finds herself at some of her siblings’ tournaments AS A judge. With an affinity for inside jokes, spontaneous adventures, iced chai and ukuleles, Keziah enjoys laughing and making people smile. She is passionate about worship and “making heaven crowded.”