From extraterrestrial life to human trafficking, Salt Lake Community College public speaking students covered a wide range of topics at the 13th Semi-Annual Student Speakers’ Showcase last Thursday at Taylorsville Redwood Campus.
The showcase featured presentations from students enrolled in Communication 1020 classes. A panel of public speaking faculty members judged and selected the top six speeches from all of the classes.
Noah Mackey, Meagan Talbot, Sydney Hathaway, Hannah Spray, Kemri Stilson and Mats Mudrow each presented their speech at the showcase and won a $100 prize at the end of the night.
“I think it was a success, and I was able to orchestrate my message and hopefully change their minds. It was unexpected,” says Mudrow, who spoke on the importance of fans.
Mudrow compared the showcase with speech debate competitions in high school, where crowds featured 20 people or less.
“Having this entire auditorium be full was a dream come true,” he says.
Mudrow enjoyed the challenge of keeping the audience engaged.
“I love it, because it’s the one opportunity where they’re [the crowd] listening to you, and if they stop, it’s your fault,” he says.
Hathaway, whose speech was on distracted driving, talked about how the night went.
“It was more than I expected. I didn’t realize how big of a deal it was until I saw the crowd,” Hathaway says.
Hathaway says confidence was one major thing she learned from the event. She explained how she originally took the public speaking class for a credit she needed and realized how much she enjoyed giving speeches.
“I started the class with little confidence. [The showcase] has just shown how much my confidence has grown,” she says.
Stilson, whose speech titled “Why Do I Love Murder?” reports about her experience in the Speakers’ Showcase, which she explained as both nerve-racking and unexpected.
“I wasn’t expecting that all the speakers had a serious tone, [because] mine was unserious,” Stilson jokes. “Other than that, everything went well.”
Stilson also says she used to give speeches in high school, and the showcase served as a reminder of why she liked doing it.
The showcase also recognized six semi-finalists. Tiersten Sharp, Allison Pickering, Pamola Kennedy, Tori Treseder, Ana Luiza Figueiredo Ramos and Babyrebecca Arbab each received an award.
