Notre Dame Speech and Debate seeks to develop students' speaking abilities by overcoming speaking anxieties, learning to adapt to different audiences, and being more prepared to speak on their feet. Practices are Monday thru Thursday and by appointment but the Program's flexibility allow students to also be involved in other extracurricular activities. There are currently about fifty active members, but we look forward to a growing and thriving program.
Description of Events
Debate
- Parliamentary Debate (Parli)
- 2 person team
- Follows British parliamentary procedure
- Lincoln-Douglas Debate (LD)
- Individual debate
- Debate on a value topic - moral or philosophical
- Congress
- A group of students debate bills and resolutions
Speech
Spontaneous
- International Extemporaneous (Extemp) - analysis of current foreign issues
- Domestic Extemporaneous (Extemp) - analysis of current national issues
- Impromptu - coherent thoughts on a drawn topic
Oratory
- Original Oratory (OO) - a speech you've written and memorized
- Original Advocacy (OA) - a speech with a solution to a problem written and memorized
- Expository (Expos) - an explanatory speech memorized with visual aids
- Original Prose and Poetry (OPP) - a piece (story, drama, song) you have written and memorized
Interpretation
- Dramatic Interpretation (DI) - dramatic literature/play performance
- Humorous Interpretation (HI) - humorous literature/play performance
- Duo Interpretation (Duo) - performance with a partner
- Thematic Interpretation (TI) - performance around a theme
- Original Interpretation (OI) - performance of a published speech