Opinion: The importance of speech and debate

By Michael Glenn

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I did some math, and I have seven more Sundays until I graduate high school and begin my next chapter in college. I say that because you may see me be more sentimental and talk about my school more than usual. 

Throughout my time as a journalist, I’ve rarely had a problem with being too nervous to do my job or ask difficult questions. I’ve been able to hold serious, meaningful conversations with adults about important topics that impact our local community and state. 

That’s because of debate and forensics. 

Before I did either of those activities, I was a less-than-par public speaker. I would stutter, twiddle my hands and usually end up ranting about a distantly related topic. 

Now, four years later, I’m proud of the speaking and writing skills that I have developed. 

For those who may not know, debate and forensics (speech & drama) are co-cirricular activities offered at many high schools. While there are numerous different styles of debate, Trinity participates in policy debate. We receive one topic for the entire semester (usually along the lines of The United States Federal Government should do…) and learn everything, everything, about that specific area. 

During freshman year, we debated water resources in the United States. My debate partner and I ran a case about supporting Native American water rights on tribes. We learned about the horrid acts our government did to the Native people, especially on their reservations. Years of nuclear bomb testing and radiation made almost all of some tribes’ water supplies unusable.

We made it to state that year, but our school got shut down the week of state. We had a COVID outbreak and it was in 2021 when COVID was relatively new. 

That next semester, I was introduced to forensics. The first events that I participated in were impromptu speaking, a duet act scene and extemperaneous speaking. The first two are exactly what they sound like, and exempt is an improvised speech about a drawn topic with a 30-minute time period to research and practice. 

It wasn’t until sophomore year that I found my favorite event in forensics to this day: original oration. An OO isn’t as complicated as it sounds. It’s a 10-minute, memorized, persuasive speech. In my sophomore year, I did relatively well and qualified for state, but I didn’t do too well there. My speech was about the need to accept all cultures and different types of people in our country and society.

By junior year, The Tribune was up and running, so I couldn’t make a proper time commitment to debate research.

In junior year forensics, I wrote another speech that is highly relevant to my job. “The Need for Local Journalism” earned me my first podium finish at state forensics, taking second place. I actually planned on saving the speech to use this year, but my forensics coach convinced me to take it at the last minute, and it worked. 

The speech never mentions myself or The Tribune but puts a spotlight on our hometown’s historic paper and what went wrong. On the other hand, the speech highlights how we fix the problem of the lack of local journalism, spotlighting Joey and Lindsey Young’s publication in Harvey County. 

Now, finally, senior year. I didn’t know what to talk about; journalism is my biggest passion. 

My forensics coach encouraged me to write about something else that I was passionate about or at least believed in. 

I’ve been a longtime and vocal advocate for legal cannabis in Kansas, so I wrote a speech about legalization titled “Like a Rolling Stone(r)”. The speech incorporates solid reasoning for legalization through the lens of music, specifically Bob Dylan and The Beatles. I plan on publishing the speech after state competition (it cannot be used if published due to the mandatory originality) and hope you enjoy it. So far, the speech has done very well.

I tell you this all for one reason: without speech and debate, I would not be able to do this. It’s as simple as that. Whether I’m presenting at a community organization, Talk20 or any other public interaction, debate and forensics taught me how to communicate effectively and efficiently. 

Another person who deserves to be mentioned is my debate and forensics coach, Mrs. Karin Neal. I know she reads The Tribune, so I hope she doesn’t get angry that I’m mentioning her. 

Mrs. Neal has been a key player in my high school years and has helped me with almost everything. When talking about debate and forensics, she gives up nearly all of her Saturday to take us to a tournament and spends time helping us prepare and improve for competitions. Without her, The Tribune would not exist (or, at best, would be much worse). 

Parents (I doubt many people my age are reading this daily), when you read this, I’d encourage you to encourage your children to participate in debate and forensics. I can tell you it’s helped me tremendously in my life and has made me a better person overall. 

I’ve met incredible people who share similar interests to me and those who disagree with me entirely. In fact, yesterday (March 15), I had a 15-minute debate with another competitor about who was better: Elvis Presley or The Beatles (with major respect to Elvis’s musical career, The Beatles win every day). I’ve had discussions about politics and have been able to have a civil, fair conversation with those who disagree with me. That, unfortunately, rarely happens these days.

The season is not over yet, and I will let you know how I perform at state. I’m hoping to take home the gold this year, being the second individual state champion for Trinity under Mrs. Neal. 

Thank you, debate and forensics. 

With that being said, Spring Break is upon us! Well, at least for school. I head up to Topeka today to report at the Statehouse, something I’ve done every legislative session. I look forward to talking to our local electorate and getting news back home. I hope you enjoy reading state content as much as I enjoy writing it.