Left: Last year’s first place winner, Tim Bourn. | Samantha Battersby/The Minaret
Do you think you have something interesting to say?
Can you capture the attention of everyone in the room with your oration skills? Would you use those skills for a chance to win $150?
On Friday, April 13, The University of Tampa will hold its annual speech competition.
Contestants give a six to eight minute speech on a topic of their choice. The best speech wins the grand prize of $150.
“We’re trying to promote public speaking,” said Professor Ann Coats, a member of the Department of Speech, Theater and Dance who teaches Oral Communication, Speech for Business and Professions and Interpersonal Communication.
“We want to give [students] a venue to compete.” The first speech competition was on March 28, 2006 and was headed by Professor Chris Gurrie, a member of the Department of Speech, Theater and Dance.
“We usually have 15 competitors,” said Coats. The competitors are split into two groups. After everyone has given their speech, the judges decide the top three speeches from each group. The six finalists give one more speech.
From there, the judges pick a first, second and third place orator. First place wins $150, second wins $50 and third wins $25. With 15 competitors, that gives you a one in five chance of winning money. “I think it helps them [students] have a positive experience with professors and judges,” said Coats. “It gives them a platform different from the classroom.”
Competitors are usually students encouraged by their professors or have seen the fliers on campus.
“When you have students excited to compete, you get the cream of the crop,” said Coats. She usually invites her students to watch.
“It gives them examples of effective speakers,” said Coats. Her students get to hear many skilled speakers, including last semester’s winner, Tim Bourn.
“When I was a freshman here at UT, during my first semester, I saw a poster for the contest in Plant Hall,” said Bourn, a second-semester sophomore majoring in theater with a minor in communications.
He won the competition last semester with a speech about coffee: what it is, its history and the different types.
“Informative speaking is when you take a topic that everyone knows exists, but they don’t know that much about, and you inform them on it,” he said.
How important is it for someone to be able to speak well, communicate information and persuade others? “Being able to communicate with others is vital,” said Bourn.
“As we move into the technological age, we are communicating less directly with people than we used to.
So these important skills are harder to come by these days.”
“It’s the number one skill competitors look for, after technical skills of course,” said Coats. “You can be the best scientist or entrepreneur, but if you can’t communicate your ideas, you won’t be able to get very far.”
So what is the secret to Bourn’s success?
“If you’re going to talk to people, then talk to them, don’t talk at them,” he said. “You have to be engaging and relate to your audience on a common level.” Bourn also gave a warning about being too robotic, “It makes it look like you are talking down to your audience.” “People tend to worry much more about looking professional than they do about their actual speech.”
According to how much time he has before the speech, Bourn prepares anywhere from months in advance to the day of a competition.
“A good speech should be prepared, practiced and coached in advance,” he said.
“The more time you can practice your speech, the more effective it will be.”
The competition will take place on Friday, April 13 at 6 p.m. in Riverside 107. If you have a friend in the competition, go cheer them on.
If you want to enter, but are too late to do so, don’t worry. UT holds the speech competition each semester. It will give you time to work on your speech.
“It’s competitive, it’s fun, it’s a great way for students to practice their oratory skills,” said Coats. “If you have fun while giving your speech, then the audience will have fun with you, and that’s where the magic happens,” said Bourn.
“Your head has to be in it. Otherwise, what’s the point?”
Jake Koniszewski can be reached at jake.koniszewski@spartans.ut.edu.
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