Speak up: What it's like to compete in public speaking competitions

Opinion

Public speaking. For you 4-H-ers out there, you’ve probably competed in an agricultural-based public speaking competition before, whether it was to your excitement, or you were doing it because it was mandatory in your district. Growing up outside of the 4-H sphere, and not living in a big centre, these were skills I didn’t really have a chance to hone. I grew up on a grain, oilseed, forage, and pulse crop farm. I left the farm after high school to pursue my diploma in broadcast news, followed by my degree in communications. Although never actually a part of a speaking…