ABOUT SPEECH & DEBATE

"Speech & Debate" is the umbrella term used to describe a collection of high school public speaking and performance competitions.  Rather than one singular style of competition, students choose from a large menu of various competitive events, held at tournaments throughout the country every weekend of the school year.
Each competitive event challenges students to develop and hone their skills in: 
  • Public speaking
  • Advocacy
  • Critical thinking
  • Argumentation
  • Persuasion
  • Research
  • Adaptation
  • Problem solving
  • And many, many more!
​These are all skills critical to career and personal success in the 21st Century!
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Peer-reviewed academic research frequently and consistently results in the same finding:  No other high school activity offers a more holistically benefit to its participants than Speech & Debate!
COMMON EVENTS IN OUR AREA:
Original Oratory
International Extemp
United States Extemp
Informative Speaking
Radio Announcing
Humorous Interpretation
Dramatic Interpretation
Duo Interpretation
Program Oral Interpretation
Prose Reading
Poetry Reading
Storytelling
Policy Debate
Public Forum Debate
Lincoln-Douglas Debate
Congressional Debate
One Act Plays
Readers' Theatre

ABOUT EASTMO SPEECH & DEBATE

"Eastern Missouri Speech & Debate" is a community of six different organizations each offering a different avenue for high school students to participate in various Speech & Debate competitions!  Each organization has its own mission, vision, and purpose; but all of them have one strong belief:  SPEECH & DEBATE SHOULD BE AVAILABLE TO ALL STUDENTS, EVERYWHERE!  

The leaders of these various organizations came together in 2018 to build this ONE website to:
  • Help all coaches in the Eastern Missouri geographic region have ONE starting point to find resources
  • Help new coaches connect to the resources that fit them and their emerging teams
  • Help develop professional connections between coaches
  • Provide general resources for judge volunteers
  • Provide a platform for ALL schools to advertise their local invitational tournaments.
This website is a collaborative effort of volunteers and is being developed slowly and deliberately. 
We welcome suggestions!