Inspire. Perform. Persuade.

This is the mantra the administrators of the 2022 SC&I Public Speaking Contest hope to instill in the minds of the students who will participate.

With this year’s theme “Find Your Voice” in mind, the contest moderators hope to inspire students to find confidence in their public speaking abilities, and to do so in an inclusive, welcoming, and supportive environment that encourages widespread student learning and positive growth, Teaching Instructor in Communication and contest moderator Erin Christie said.  Public Speaking Course Coordinator and Associate Teaching Professor of Communication Nick Linardopoulos will also be co-running the contest along with Christie.

Contest participants will be required to submit a recorded presentation, about 5-7 minutes in length, either informative or persuasive in nature.

“We decided on a theme that we felt would motivate students to actively participate in the contest while doing so in an inclusive and supportive environment,” said Christie. “We aimed to encourage students from all backgrounds to find their voice as they participated in our annual competition.”

The presentations will be judged by faculty members currently teaching the public speaking course. This year the final round judges will be: Professor Lea Stewart, chair of the Communication Department and director of the Center for Communication and Health Issues; Ralph Gigliotti, Ph.D.’17, a part-time SC&I faculty member who is also assistant vice president of the Office of University Strategy and director of the Rutgers Center for Organizational Leadership; and Marisa Percoco COM’24, last year’s contest winner.

The registration deadline was on April 4 at 5 p.m., and student presentations are due by April 13 at 11:50 p.m. On April 22, students will learn if they are advancing to the final round. On April 29, winners will be announced, to conclude the contest. Winners of the competition will receive the following prizes:

Top Speech: $800

Runner-up: $500

Third place: $300

Fourth place: $250

Fifth place: $150

Currently, 80 students have signed up for the competition. Judging is currently underway, and both administrators and participants of the competition are excited to watch the submissions and hear students use their voices to express themselves!

Discover more about the Communication Department at the Rutgers School of Communication and Information on the website. 

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