Georgia College Speech & Debate TEAM
Public speaking perennially ranks among America’s most widespread phobias. The fears of confrontation and conflict trail closely behind. The Georgia College Speech and Debate Team practices the arts of rhetoric and argument to hone critical thinking skills, communicate effectively, and advocate persuasively across varied interests and positions.
More than just help you conquer these fears, Georgia College Forensics fields competitive, intercollegiate speech teams at tournaments throughout the Southeast and beyond. Georgia College restarted the team in Fall 2022, and in Spring 2023, the team brought home team and individual awards at the Novice Nationals Forensics Association tournament—the team's very first tournament back in competition. We take a relaxed approach to competitive fear-conquering though, so we hope you’ll come check us out.
On campus, Georgia College Forensics hosts public debates and showcases student oratory to perform the power of students' voice as well as the art of rhetoric.
Commitment to Inclusive Excellence
Georgia College Speech & Debate maintains an intentional commitment to rhetoric’s role in imagining and advocating for a more just world. Thus, our excellence is premised upon the diverse and inclusive nature of our membership, mission, and practice. Even and perhaps especially on matters of civic disagreement, Georgia College Speech & Debate is committed to argument as a mode of inquiry, a means of knowledge production, and a practice that builds critical faculties. In this way, this co-curricular contributes to the threefold mission of our public, liberal arts university: reason, respect, and response-ability (Davis, 2010).
team practices and what we do
We practice on Monday nights at 5:00 p.m. in the basement of Terrell Hall. All are welcome, no experience is required, and you decide your level of commitment. We compose, perform, and compete across a variety of prepared and limited-preparation speech events as well as IPDA and NPDA debate. Both IPDA and NPDA debate are extemporaneous forms of debate.
Who coaches the team?
Dr. Nathan Bedsole is the Director of Forensics. He's worked with debate at Wake Forest University.
There are faculty members in the Department of Communication who help out with the team and have a background in intercollegiate speech and debate. Some of our faculty have coached at Illinois State University, Bethel University, and San Jose State University.
Georgia College Speech & Debate is supported in part by the Dr. Robert E. "Buzz" Lee Endowed Civil Discourse Fund.