BRADFORD — Public speaking is something that is nerve racking for people of all ages. Speaking in front of other people is hard enough, and being good at it is even harder. FFA offers a big opportunity for students to work on their public speaking skills, and this year our chapter had four members who decided to become involved in this opportunity.
The public speaking CDE our members were involved in has different levels; creed speaking, beginning prepared, prepared, and extemporaneous. Isabella Hamilton, Molly Clark, and Isabella Brewer, all sophomores, competed in the beginning prepared contest. Alexis Barhorst, a junior, competed in the prepared contest. All four of the competitors are also officers in our FFA Chapter.
On top of all the hard work they were doing to complete officer tasks and be present at meetings, these girls came to school early two days a week for quite a few weeks to practice and prepare. They all wrote five to eight minute speeches over an agricultural topic of their choice and then had to vaguely memorize their writing. Molly wrote about paylean in pigs, Isabella H. wrote about food waste, Isabella B. wrote about unwanted horses, and Alexis wrote about implanting in steers. They all developed really strong speeches and learned a lot about the topics they chose.
On the day of the competition, they traveled to the career center in Piqua. Each participant had a certain amount of speech time (that varies through the different levels) and a certain amount of questioning time where the judges are allowed to ask questions to test their knowledge on the subject. The girls were nervous but they all put in their best effort and did a good job.
In beginning prepared, Molly Clark placed fifth, Isabella Hamilton placed fourth, and Isabella Brewer placed third. In prepared, Alexis Barhorst placed third. They all worked hard and put in their best effort. It was a great experience for the girls who participated and we’re excited for the upcoming ag sales and general livestock CDE’s.
