East Tennessean

Issue date: 1/25/10 Section: The Scene

Media Credit: gettyimages.com Joining debate club will most likely help with public speaking skills, however the club is not limited to those only wanting to participate. The club welcomes all students, even if they only want to observe.

The Forensics and Debate Club at ETSU re-formed in 2005 and offers students an open environment in which they can have their voices heard as well as learn important social skills that benefit them both personally and academically. The club focuses on competing in debate tournaments as well as hosting speaking events that ETSU students can get involved in on campus.

The type of forensics and debate that the club participates in covers a wide variety of public-speaking techniques including parliamentary debate, poetry interpretation, informative and persuasive speeches and impromptu arguments says debate club adviser Laughton Messmer.

While some students might be hesitant to volunteer for public speaking, joining the debate club does not necessarily mean participating in public speaking events.

"I want to stress the openness of the club," says Laughton Messmer, who started out as the club co-coach. "Our club is unique in that joining the club does not necessarily mean participating in debates.

"Anyone who wants to learn or practice is welcome," says Messmer. "Students are welcome to observe what we do and take away from that a certain amount of knowledge about public speaking that they might not have had otherwise."

Along with its openness, Messmer is encouraged, he said, by the many different types of students coming together in the club. "So many different majors with different backgrounds and perspectives participate but the students come together and develop a camaraderie," Messmer says.

These differing perspectives have served the debate club well, bringing numerous awards from state competitions such as the Smoky Mountain Tournament and the Tennessee Intercollegiate Forensics Association. Recently competing in the Smoky Mountain Tournament, the club won two awards. Zack Walden placed fifth as a speaker while David Testerman took second place in the finals.

Aside from being award-winning, the debate club is a platform for offering students communication and reasoning skills, Messmer says.

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