The second annual Public Speaking Showcase, co-hosted by State Fair Community College’s Communications Studies and Speech and Debate Team will feature speeches on a variety of topics including the cost of post-secondary education, the psychology of procrastination and women in skilled trades.
The event, which is free and open to the public, will be at 6 p.m. Monday, May 8, in the Stauffacher Theatre on the Sedalia campus.
“We were able to increase the number of students who have the opportunity to compete in the showcase by including all sections of public speaking from the academic year,” said SFCC Communication Instructor Sarah Nail, lead instructor of public speaking. “The showcase is an excellent opportunity to display the fine work our students are doing in the classroom.”
Students in all sections of public speaking offered during the academic year of fall 2022 and spring 2023 were invited to nominate the best speaker from their class as a semi-finalist. These courses were offered on all campuses, online and dual credit sites. The first showcase only included students from spring 2022.
The semi-finalists submitted a video of an informative or persuasive speech. These speeches were evaluated in two rounds by judges from the University of Central Missouri (UCM) and former collegiate competitors from Southern Baptist University and Cameron University. The judges selected five finalists to compete in the live showcase on May 8.
The finalists are: Kristin Estes, a second-year student in Industrial Electrical Maintenance and Engineering, who lives in Tipton; Tyson Page, a first-year education student from Camdenton; Saraih Navarro, a first-year nursing student from La Monte; Maddison Marksmeier, a first-year general education student from Warrensburg, and Emmanuel Williams, a dual-credit student from Sedalia.
Winners will receive prizes of $125, first place; $75, second place; $50, third place.
