What is the Speech Team?

Speech Team is a competition-based activity that involves giving a public address speech or acting in front of judges and an audience. It is extremely helpful in developing public speaking skills, which are useful not only in professional settings but also in social situations! The speech season is over for this year, but you can sign up next year by attending one of our club days and being placed on the email list. There are over 10 categories that you can

participate in, so you can definitely find something that interests you! Some of the most common events include Humorous Duet Acting (you act out a funny script with a partner), Oratorical Declamation (you deliver a TED Talk), Informative Speaking (you write a speech that informs the audience about a topic that is relevant and significant to you), and Humorous Interpretation (you act out multiple roles in a humorous script). There are many more events to discover, and, overall, partaking in these events is an amazing experience! Tournaments take place every Saturday but aren’t mandatory. You can simply attend those you’re available for! As someone who has participated in speech for 5 years (both in high school and middle school), I can confidently say that Speech has greatly developed my passion for public speaking and made me less afraid to step outside my comfort zone.

Here are a few words from Sanjana Ravipati, a Senior Captain on the Speech Team:

Throughout my time on the Speech Team, I have participated in DI – Dramatic Interpretation. This event has been my “main event” since freshman year. I loved the acting aspect of it, and it’s exactly how it sounds – you play the role of going through a tragedy. Freshman year, my script was about a break-up. Sophomore year, it was about losing my husband to death. Junior year, my script was about killing my mom because she would never touch me, making me feel worthless. This year, I performed a script about being abused by my boyfriend. In addition, I participated in Prose this year. Prose is a dramatic reading similar to DI, except it is a little bit less dramatic, and you also have to learn to use creative book techniques. I participated in a Humorous Duet last year, but it wasn’t really an event I was interested in. Finally, I participated in SOS. This is a special occasion speaking. You pick a “special event,” such as your birthday, graduation, wedding, etc., and talk about an important topic. I wrote about different mental health issues over the years, such as imposter syndrome, stress, etc.

My favorite speech memory is being able to spend time with my friends every Saturday. It is hard to make such a commitment unless you really like speech because the fatigue that comes with it is crazy. Speech honestly made so much of me. I used to have tremendous social anxiety, and through the bravery that speech gave me, I made a great group of friends. I am great at interviews for college, and I know how to communicate confidently with people. Speech comes with teamwork and knowing how to work individually. I would say it truly made me a leader.