Motlow Buzz Contributing Writer
SMYRNA -- Motlow Students can gain invaluable experience and career-changing recognition this spring by competing in the second annual Debbie Zimmerman Oratorial Contest.
Emerging, intermediate and advanced student speakers are encouraged to enter the contest.
The deadline to enter the contest is March 12 (Friday). Videorecorded speeches must be submitted by March 15. The speeches will be evaluated by March 22, with finalists notified they have qualified for the finals. The final round of the competition will occur at Moore County on April 4.
Students can enter the contest by emailing Associate Professor of Speech Robert Davenport at rdavenport@mscc.edu. In that email, they should state their name, email address, and the Motlow campus where they attend. Entrants will be emailed a list of the requirements for speech preparation and video submission.
Davenport is once again coordinating the contest, along with faculty co-advisors (Professor Charles Whiting and Professor Debbie Stockdale) of the SEAM (Smyrna Entertainment, Arts & Media) Club on the Smyrna campus. The event is also sponsored by the Humanities Department at Motlow.
“I appreciate so much the support we have received from my colleagues who understand how important and rewarding this kind of activity is for our students across all of the campuses,” Davenport said. “We are committed to continuing to offer this opportunity to students for many years to come.”
Motlow debuted the contest last April with four students taking the podium for a series of self-penned persuasive speeches with visual aids. Kirsten Wright, who attended classes on the Sparta campus, won first place to become the first-ever Oratorial Contest champion.
The contest is named after Professor Emeritus Debbie Zimmerman, a longtime speech & theatre professor who was instrumental in building the curriculum at Motlow. She was also one of the judges for last year’s contest, along with two speech communication professors from MTSU. She expressed her appreciation for having the event named in her honor, sharing her hope that the contest would become an annual event.
The second annual Oratorical Contest is open to Motlow students (including dual enrollment students) who have already completed COMM 2025 – Fundamentals of Communication or are currently enrolled in that course.
Students who enter the contest will be asked to prepare and present a 6 to 10-minute persuasive speech on a topic of their choosing. Depending on the number of entrants, there will be a “semifinal” round in which students will submit a videotaped recording of their contest speech, which will be evaluated by a group of speech professors. The top five to 10 speakers from that round will then qualify for a live final round of competition on the Moore County campus and compete for trophies and other prizes.
Davenport emphasized how participation in this activity can be extremely helpful to students from any major or career path. The event will help them improve their speaking and overall communication skills as they prepare for the future.
“Communication skills are the number one skill employers are looking for when choosing new employees for their companies,” Davenport noted. “Besides that, stronger communication skills can help students be successful in their other courses as they advance toward graduation.”
