By Samuel Huist, Department of Communication intern
The Department of Communication at Wright State University hosted the Rotary 4-Way Speech Contest in the Millett Hall Atrium on Sunday, March 22, for the second time.
Rotary is a 1.2 million member international service organization where professionals with diverse backgrounds exchange ideas and form lifelong friendships, according to rotary.org. Each of the 52 rotary clubs of district 6670, which represents southwest Ohio, held their own public speaking contests and the 29 best high school speakers were selected to visit WSU to perform.
“You’re looking at the cream of the crop as far as high school students are concerned,” said Peter Weiglin, past Governor of Rotary District 6670. “Every student here has won a local competition at their club or within their local school, so what you’re looking at here is a bunch of winners.”
The twenty-nine students were broken down into smaller groups and competed in the speech competition using seven rooms provided by WSU, and were evaluated by judges familiar with the principles of public speaking. The judges were trained in the Rotary International’s unique four way scoring system.
The Four-Way Test consists of the things people should think, say or do when making a decision, which include asking: 1) Is it the Truth, 2) Is it fair to all concerned, 3) Will it build goodwill and better friendships, and 4) Will it be beneficial to all concerned.
“I saw plenty of creative, well organized and thoughtful speeches,” said Dr. Robert Leonard, a WSU professor and judge for the contest. “From a communication perspective, every time you get the chance to speak in public, you get to learn about yourself, so these kids learned a great deal about themselves today as public speakers.”
Wright State was chosen to host the speech contest two years ago after former host Wittenberg University decided they would no longer pursue the event. “When we came to Wright State, the Department ‘of Communication’ said, ‘Wow, we got to have you,’ and they rolled out the red carpet for us,” said Eric Markus, Governor for Rotary District 6670. “Wright State is one of the underrated gems in the Dayton area.”
The four students that scored the highest in the preliminary round advanced to the finals and performed their speech again in the Millet Hall Atrium in front of a crowd of more than 100. Cedarville High School senior Nathan Sheridan won first place at the contest with a speech about sportsmanship.
“I absolutely love playing football for Cedarville and that’s what motivated me to do my speech on football and sportsmanship,” said Sheridan. “I let my pen guide me and it all worked out thanks to God.”
Sheridan will perform his speech again at an upcoming Rotary International conference where he will receive a cash reward to go along with his first place trophy. Sheridan offered this recommendation when asked what advice he would give to other young public speakers:
“Nervousness is normal,” he said with a laugh. “Nervousness is not something to be run away from. Just go up there, do your thing and let God take care of the rest.”
