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Communication and rhetorical studies (CRS) students rose from their chairs and spoke with emotion about their personal interests while competing in the spring preliminary round of the White-Denison Presentational Speaking Competition.

“(My favorite thing is) being able to hear our wonderful students give evocative, creative and thoughtful speeches, often on issues that matter deeply to them,” said CRS Professor Rachel E. Dubrofsky. “The speeches are sometimes funny, sometimes sobering, sometimes silly and if we are lucky, a little bit of all of the above.”

The White-Denison Presentational Speaking Competition: Spring Preliminary Round took place Tuesday in Syracuse University’s Lyman Hall. Former and current students of the College of Visual and Performing Arts’s CRS department competed with four- to seven-minute speeches about a topic of their choice.

The White-Denison Presentational Speaking Competition consists of three rounds: a fall preliminary round, a spring preliminary round and a spring final round. The final round on April 4 determines the winner of the competition and awards the top three speakers with cash prizes.

Kira Marshall-McKelvey, an assistant teaching professor and basic course director in the CRS department, is the director of this year’s competition. Marshall-McKelvey “recruits student speakers and facilitates each round,” she said.

The history and origins of both the competition and department began with the study of public speaking, which Marshall-McKelvey appreciates. The department “comes from a storied history of the study of public speaking,” she said.

Marshall-McKelvey said she also enjoys the community that the competition creates for the students. The competition is an opportunity for students to showcase the skills learned in their CRS courses, Dubrofsky said.

“(They focus on) how to speak in ways that engage an audience, how to be persuasive, how to build a compelling argument, how to be an engaged citizen by caring about the surrounding community and the issues faced by the community and how to think critically about the world in which we live,” she said.

Nick Trivelpiece is a sophomore who took part in the White-Denison Presentational Speaking Competition. Trivelpiece chose to participate in the competition as a way to improve his public speaking skills and get out of his comfort zone, he said.

“I think before anything you really care about, there’s always butterflies in your stomach, so I definitely experienced that a little bit,” Trivelpiece said. “But once I was up there the nerves faded away after I started speaking and as I got to the end of it, I was just kind of so into my speech I kind of forgot about it.”

Anne Jakowenko, professor of CRS, has been judging the competition for the last five years. As a judge, Jakowenko watches the speaker’s presentation and evaluates them based on the competition’s evaluation guidelines, she said.

Participants are graded according to the White-Denison Rubric. The rubric is divided into two categories: speech development as well as delivery and style. Speech development covers introductions, conclusions and main points. Delivery and style focus on preparedness and time management.

Jakowenko is thankful for the opportunity to give the students feedback and accolades for their speeches. She doesn’t view the White-Denison as a competition, Jakowenko said.

“I view it as an opportunity for students to enhance and enjoy the presentational speaking process,” Jakowenko said. “They work diligently on these speeches, and I learn from them as they discuss their chosen topics.”

Marshall-McKelvey feels similarly about the event. The fall preliminary round was her first time attending the White-Denison Presentational Speaking Competition and she was in awe of the electric energy.

“The atmosphere in the audience was one of pride,” Marshall-McKelvey said. “Technically this is a competition, but everyone really seemed to be rooting for each other.

Published on March 6, 2024 at 12:16 am