Well, the speech team is wrapping up their activities for the year. The teams finale was worked up into Nationals, and now, they are working on speech pieces for next year.
However, some members of the team had one last time to present their pieces from this year. The Forensics showcase is where Forensic students get to show their work off to their peers. Usually there are around four or five individuals that present during the showcase, and Professor Fokken makes sure there is a variety of speech genres.
The showcase is also a time where the seniors are recognized and publicly said "good-bye" too. This year, Betsy Stoltz will be graduating. She has contributed greatly to the Forensics team and she will be missed.
The Spring Forensics showcase was on Tuesday, April 28th. Betsy, Veronica, Brian, Andrew, and Austin were a few of the students that presented their pieces to an audience. Good job guys!
As this season of Forensics comes to an end, each team member that isn't graduating is looking forward to next. They are all wondering who they will do, what they will perform, and who will be beside them.
Good luck to the team in the future!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Outstanding Speech Participant
The SMSU Forensics team has had the privilege of having Veronica Fischer on their team. She has given the team a lot to be proud of. She competed in over six categories this semester and took four to Nationals. While she did not place in Nationals, she was still able to represent her team.
Since Veronica has been such an outstanding competitor this semester, an SMSU reporter, Christine Streff, conducted an interviewing with Veronica so that the school could know a little more about her and her accomplishments.
Here is what Veronica had to say:
How long have you been involved with the Forensics team at SMSU?
This is my second year, I started second semester last year.
What is your favorite category to compete in? Why?
I really enjoy poetry mainly because I like how the focus is not only on the literature and theme, but the way the words are used.
How do you celebrate your victories and deal with defeat?
Every round/tournament is a clean slate. Every performance has to rely on itself rather than what has happened in the past.
What is judging like in a competition?
One thing I like about the judging is the ability to respond to the comments that the judges make by applying their suggestions to my speech. A huge aspect of forensics is growth and development and by responding to what others hear and see is a great way to do so.
What is your major?
Speech Communication and Philosophy
Since Veronica has been such an outstanding competitor this semester, an SMSU reporter, Christine Streff, conducted an interviewing with Veronica so that the school could know a little more about her and her accomplishments.
Here is what Veronica had to say:
How long have you been involved with the Forensics team at SMSU?
This is my second year, I started second semester last year.
What is your favorite category to compete in? Why?
I really enjoy poetry mainly because I like how the focus is not only on the literature and theme, but the way the words are used.
How do you celebrate your victories and deal with defeat?
Every round/tournament is a clean slate. Every performance has to rely on itself rather than what has happened in the past.
What is judging like in a competition?
One thing I like about the judging is the ability to respond to the comments that the judges make by applying their suggestions to my speech. A huge aspect of forensics is growth and development and by responding to what others hear and see is a great way to do so.
What is your major?
Speech Communication and Philosophy
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Nationals
Hey there!
Well, the few SMSU Forensics team members that qualified for the national tournament came home on Monday, April 6th. To my surprise, there were actually two other individuals that made it nationals, so there were four SMSU students attending the tournament--Veronica, Betsy, Andrew, and Brian.
Unfortunately, none of our team broke finals, but they did get to experience a lot of good competition! They also got to see parts of Ohio that they never had before.
Congrats for making it to Nationals all of you!
Well, the few SMSU Forensics team members that qualified for the national tournament came home on Monday, April 6th. To my surprise, there were actually two other individuals that made it nationals, so there were four SMSU students attending the tournament--Veronica, Betsy, Andrew, and Brian.
Unfortunately, none of our team broke finals, but they did get to experience a lot of good competition! They also got to see parts of Ohio that they never had before.
Congrats for making it to Nationals all of you!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Few Happenings
Well, the SMSU Forensics team has been fairly quiet ever since the hosting of the high school tournament on Saturday, the 21st of March.
Currently, two privileged students and their fearless leader are getting ready to leave for Ohio for the regional speech competition. Betsy Stoltz is competing with her Informative piece and Veronica Fischer is competing in her Informative, Poetry, and Program Oral Interpretation. Mark Fokken, the Forensics director, is accompanying them. The three individuals will be flying out of Minnesota on Wednesday, April 1st and they are returning next week.
Good Luck Betsy and Veronica!
For those individuals who are staying home, there is another high school tournament that the team will be able to help out with. However, at this tournament, the SMSU team is only serving concessions. This tournament will take place on Saturday, April 4th and will probably not be as stressful as the first tournament that SMSU hosted.
Well, that's what the team is doing now. I will let you know how Veronica and Betsy turned out next week!
Currently, two privileged students and their fearless leader are getting ready to leave for Ohio for the regional speech competition. Betsy Stoltz is competing with her Informative piece and Veronica Fischer is competing in her Informative, Poetry, and Program Oral Interpretation. Mark Fokken, the Forensics director, is accompanying them. The three individuals will be flying out of Minnesota on Wednesday, April 1st and they are returning next week.
Good Luck Betsy and Veronica!
For those individuals who are staying home, there is another high school tournament that the team will be able to help out with. However, at this tournament, the SMSU team is only serving concessions. This tournament will take place on Saturday, April 4th and will probably not be as stressful as the first tournament that SMSU hosted.
Well, that's what the team is doing now. I will let you know how Veronica and Betsy turned out next week!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
High School Tournament
Hey Everyone!
It has been awhile, but that is only because the SMSU Forensics team is staying very busy!
Our most recent endeavour was the High School Speech Tournament that SMSU hosts every Spring semester. This year, the tournament was on Saturday, March 21st. It started at 8am and lasted until about 5pm. Nine hours of judging, giving directions, taking ballots, and entering scores was just a few of the tasks that the team had in store for themselves. Of course, one person cannot do all of those tasks; therefore, each student is assigned a different area to be in charge of.
First, students are allowed to fill out an application to be the Assistant Student Director of the tournament under the direction of Mark Fokken. This year, Veronica Fischer was honored with the title and she worked many long hours with Mark to make the tournament possible.
After that, each member of the team is given an important task to make the tournament move along smoothly. One of the more important jobs for an individual, is working in the tabulation room. This room usually has about eight people working in it. Anymore than that and it would get too loud and too hard to concentrate. These individuals are in charge of deciding which competitors move on to the final round based on their scores, and which competitors receive first, second, and third place based on their scores.
Being in charge of "Draws" is also an area that a team member could be in charge of. In high school Forensics, there are three categories were the competitor draws slips of paper from an envelope. They draw three strips of paper first and each strip has a topic or selection of a story that the competitor will need to perform. They pick one topic and are given 30 minutes to prepare their speech. The students in charge of "Draws" makes sure each competitor does not have the same topic they had in the last round, does not have the same topic as another competitor in their round, and draws at the correct time. There are normally about nine SMSU team members in charge of the draws.
The information table is also an important job for SMSU team members. There are four students at this table and there tasks are:
It has been awhile, but that is only because the SMSU Forensics team is staying very busy!
Our most recent endeavour was the High School Speech Tournament that SMSU hosts every Spring semester. This year, the tournament was on Saturday, March 21st. It started at 8am and lasted until about 5pm. Nine hours of judging, giving directions, taking ballots, and entering scores was just a few of the tasks that the team had in store for themselves. Of course, one person cannot do all of those tasks; therefore, each student is assigned a different area to be in charge of.
First, students are allowed to fill out an application to be the Assistant Student Director of the tournament under the direction of Mark Fokken. This year, Veronica Fischer was honored with the title and she worked many long hours with Mark to make the tournament possible.
After that, each member of the team is given an important task to make the tournament move along smoothly. One of the more important jobs for an individual, is working in the tabulation room. This room usually has about eight people working in it. Anymore than that and it would get too loud and too hard to concentrate. These individuals are in charge of deciding which competitors move on to the final round based on their scores, and which competitors receive first, second, and third place based on their scores.
Being in charge of "Draws" is also an area that a team member could be in charge of. In high school Forensics, there are three categories were the competitor draws slips of paper from an envelope. They draw three strips of paper first and each strip has a topic or selection of a story that the competitor will need to perform. They pick one topic and are given 30 minutes to prepare their speech. The students in charge of "Draws" makes sure each competitor does not have the same topic they had in the last round, does not have the same topic as another competitor in their round, and draws at the correct time. There are normally about nine SMSU team members in charge of the draws.
The information table is also an important job for SMSU team members. There are four students at this table and there tasks are:
- Giving Directions
- Taking the judges ballots and then taking them to the tabulation room
- Making sure the judges have filled the ballots out correctly
- Making sure all of the ballots have come in from all of the rounds
Judges are also an important and vital role for the tournament. Some team members that would like a change of pace during the day can take on the responsibility of judging a round.
After the day was done, I felt as if I had walked five miles in high-heels. However, it is a rewarding day and a very fun experience.
Friday, February 13, 2009
A little Up-Date
Hey Everyone!
Well, I just thought that I would let you know how everyone is doing in Forensics so far this semester before I go into the rest of the events that you can compete in.
The first tournament took place on Tuesday, January 27th. The team traveled to the Twin Cities for the first TCFL (Twin Cities Forensics League) tournament of the 2009 year. This tournament is a favorite of many involved in Forensics because it is only one day, whereas other tournaments can be two days long. At this tournament, Veronica Fischer placed 3rd in Persuasion and 5th in Program Oral Interpretation. Betsy placed 2nd in After Dinner Speaking.
The fourth tournament of the year took place on February 17th. This tournament was the second TCFL tournament of 2009. Thirteen students attended this tournament and SMSU came home with quite a few trophies! Brando Sheffield placed 6th in Dramatic Interpretation. Scotty Anderson and Katlyn Richter placed 2nd in Dramatic Duo and Anna Hilbert and Candace Conway placed 4th in Dramatic Duo. Veronica Fischer placed 2nd in Persuasive speaking and 4th in Program Oral Interpretation. Good job team!
Well, that is the up-date for now. Up next, more descriptions of events!
Well, I just thought that I would let you know how everyone is doing in Forensics so far this semester before I go into the rest of the events that you can compete in.
The first tournament took place on Tuesday, January 27th. The team traveled to the Twin Cities for the first TCFL (Twin Cities Forensics League) tournament of the 2009 year. This tournament is a favorite of many involved in Forensics because it is only one day, whereas other tournaments can be two days long. At this tournament, Veronica Fischer placed 3rd in Persuasion and 5th in Program Oral Interpretation. Betsy placed 2nd in After Dinner Speaking.
The team's second tournament was in St. Cloud on February 6th and 7th. This was a two day tournament with a lot of tough competition. Veronica Fishcer placed 1st in Children's Literature. Now, if you look back at the list of events you could be entered in, this event is not listed. At a few tournaments, schools will introduce a new category so that students can try something new and expand their speaking skills. This category involved selecting children's stories and then presenting them as an Oral Interpretation.
The fourth tournament of the year took place on February 17th. This tournament was the second TCFL tournament of 2009. Thirteen students attended this tournament and SMSU came home with quite a few trophies! Brando Sheffield placed 6th in Dramatic Interpretation. Scotty Anderson and Katlyn Richter placed 2nd in Dramatic Duo and Anna Hilbert and Candace Conway placed 4th in Dramatic Duo. Veronica Fischer placed 2nd in Persuasive speaking and 4th in Program Oral Interpretation. Good job team!
Well, that is the up-date for now. Up next, more descriptions of events!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Individual Events in Forensics
So, what can you do in Forensics? What do you speak about? Why is it even fun to get up in front of people and speak?
Well, there are at least eleven categories that you could be involved in while in Forensics. Of course, it is impossible to be in all eleven, but the SMSU team is proud to say that one member is in six of those categories. That is definitely an achievement! Along with the eleven categories, there are two basic categories that the eleven fit under--Public address and Interpretation.
The Public address category includes Impromptu Speaking, Informative Speaking, Extemporaneous Speaking, Persuasive Speaking, After-Dinner Speaking, and Communication Analysis. We will focus on these six events during this post.
Impromptu Speaking
This event involves a lot of thinking on your feet. The speaker is given a quote or saying or even just a statistic on a piece of paper and they have seven minutes to construct a speech and give the speech. A good speech length is about four to five minutes which only leaves two to three minutes for the speaker to prepare what they are going to say. Speakers are definitely given an adrenaline rush as they scramble for ideas to talk about!
Informative Speaking
This event requires the speaker to write their own speech. They pick a topic, research the topic, and then write a eight to ten minute speech. The speech should be memorized, although speakers have a few tournaments where they can be "on script"--meaning, they have their speech with them while they are performing. To be more professional, the script must also be lined in black construction paper. As the semester progresses and you still happen to be on script, their are chances that you will not do as well. This event can also have visual aids. This helps the speaker explain their points more fully to the audience.
Extemporaneous Speaking
This event is usually a small one since it is probably the most difficult. This is known as a "draw category" because speakers do not know what they will be giving a speech on until thirty minutes before they speak. The pick a slip of paper out of an envelope which has their topic on it. Then they are given thirty minutes to draw upon the sources that they have collected to write a speech. The speech has to include source citations and should ideally be eight to ten minutes in length. Those individuals who are in Extemp. Speaking always carry around briefcases and "traveling" filing systems.
Persuasive Speaking
This event is very similar to Informative Speaking, except for the fact that the content of the speeches are very different. The speeches in this event are also written by the speaker but they are persuasive in nature. Other than that, the category is very similar to Informative.
After-Dinner Speaking
This event is known as the "humorous event". Often abbreviated to "ADS", this speech is also written by the speaker. It is a persuasive speech that is humorous. The speech includes source citations as well. This event is also similar to Informative and Persuasive other than the content being different.
Communication Analysis
This last Public Address event is also similar to Informative and Persuasive. The writer picks a famous (or not famous) speech from the past and critiques it. However, it doesn't just have to be a speech. The writer can pick a poem, poster, film, or campaign. Visual aids are often used in this event to help the speaker make their ideas clearer.
Well, those are all of the Public Address events! There are five more events that I will cover next time.
Have an awesome day!
Well, there are at least eleven categories that you could be involved in while in Forensics. Of course, it is impossible to be in all eleven, but the SMSU team is proud to say that one member is in six of those categories. That is definitely an achievement! Along with the eleven categories, there are two basic categories that the eleven fit under--Public address and Interpretation.
The Public address category includes Impromptu Speaking, Informative Speaking, Extemporaneous Speaking, Persuasive Speaking, After-Dinner Speaking, and Communication Analysis. We will focus on these six events during this post.
Impromptu Speaking
This event involves a lot of thinking on your feet. The speaker is given a quote or saying or even just a statistic on a piece of paper and they have seven minutes to construct a speech and give the speech. A good speech length is about four to five minutes which only leaves two to three minutes for the speaker to prepare what they are going to say. Speakers are definitely given an adrenaline rush as they scramble for ideas to talk about!
Informative Speaking
This event requires the speaker to write their own speech. They pick a topic, research the topic, and then write a eight to ten minute speech. The speech should be memorized, although speakers have a few tournaments where they can be "on script"--meaning, they have their speech with them while they are performing. To be more professional, the script must also be lined in black construction paper. As the semester progresses and you still happen to be on script, their are chances that you will not do as well. This event can also have visual aids. This helps the speaker explain their points more fully to the audience.
Extemporaneous Speaking
This event is usually a small one since it is probably the most difficult. This is known as a "draw category" because speakers do not know what they will be giving a speech on until thirty minutes before they speak. The pick a slip of paper out of an envelope which has their topic on it. Then they are given thirty minutes to draw upon the sources that they have collected to write a speech. The speech has to include source citations and should ideally be eight to ten minutes in length. Those individuals who are in Extemp. Speaking always carry around briefcases and "traveling" filing systems.
Persuasive Speaking
This event is very similar to Informative Speaking, except for the fact that the content of the speeches are very different. The speeches in this event are also written by the speaker but they are persuasive in nature. Other than that, the category is very similar to Informative.
After-Dinner Speaking
This event is known as the "humorous event". Often abbreviated to "ADS", this speech is also written by the speaker. It is a persuasive speech that is humorous. The speech includes source citations as well. This event is also similar to Informative and Persuasive other than the content being different.
Communication Analysis
This last Public Address event is also similar to Informative and Persuasive. The writer picks a famous (or not famous) speech from the past and critiques it. However, it doesn't just have to be a speech. The writer can pick a poem, poster, film, or campaign. Visual aids are often used in this event to help the speaker make their ideas clearer.
Well, those are all of the Public Address events! There are five more events that I will cover next time.
Have an awesome day!
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