Blinn to host public speaking contest at the Bryan Campus

The public is invited to judge Blinn speech students in informative and persuasive speaking

November 8, 2018

The Blinn College District invites the community to evaluate speech students during a district-wide public speaking contest Tuesday, Nov. 13, at the Blinn-Bryan Campus. 

The event will begin at 6 p.m. in Student Center Room F-120 (map) and will feature speeches from six Blinn students in the categories of informative and persuasive speaking. The audience will vote unanimously via mobile device to determine which students take home the top three prizes in each category.

“This is a showcase of what students are accomplishing in Blinn speech courses across the district,” said Jay Pedregosa, Blinn Speech Professor and event coordinator. “The audience ultimately will decide whether the individual was effective through the quality of their content and delivery.”

The speeches will cover a variety of topics, including global issues, current events, and student matters. Contestants are asked to keep their dialogue under 10 minutes.

The contest is open to speech students across Blinn’s five campuses and will feature monetary prizes in the form of bookstore scholarships and gift cards. Students interested in competing in the contest have until Friday, Nov. 9, to enter by contacting Pedregosa at jay.pedregosa@blinn.edu.

“It is important for students to understand that public speaking is a skill that can be applied to any field of industry, career, or wherever they want to have their voice heard,” Pedregosa said. “Mastering public speaking is very beneficial to their future.”

Registration for Blinn’s Winter Minimester, which runs Dec. 14-21 and Jan. 3-10, is available through Dec. 13, and registration for the Spring semester is open through Jan. 14. College officials encourage early registration for convenient scheduling and placement in high-demand courses.

For enrollment or financial aid information, visit www.blinn.edu.