When Michelle Colpean, '12, arrived on campus as a freshman from Fort Wayne, Indiana, she wanted her college career to have special meaning. She immediately looked around at the various clubs and programs, and found an the opportunity with Ball State's speech team.
 
In the team's professional atmosphere, she spent countless hours polishing her delivery while closely paying attention to the techniques used by fellow students, veterans of dozens of intensive speech competitions. 

As a result, Colpean and her teammates won the 2011 Indiana state championship tournament, the team’s sixth title since 2005. She was the state champion in rhetorical criticism, impromptu speaking, and persuasive speaking, and placed second in informative speaking. 

"Trying new things is what college is all about," Colpean says. "From the moment I joined the team, I fell in love with what we stand for. It's a great group of intelligent, driven people who really care about each other."

Ball State's award-winning speech team involves individual participation in regional and national tournaments. At the 2011 National Forensics Association national tournament, Ball State was the only team from Indiana to place, finishing 20th overall (out of 98 teams) and seventh among schools of its size.

Students receive individual coaching in public speaking and oral interpretation, which builds their communication skills and increases knowledge of the liberal arts. Team members participate in interpretation events such as prose, poetry, dramatic interpretation, program oral interpretation, and duo; public address events that include such categories as informative, persuasive, after-dinner speaking, and rhetorical criticism; and limited-preparation events, including extemporaneous and impromptu speaking.

"Being a member of the state champion team is more than something to put on my resume," Colpean says. "It is an opportunity to hone my skills that will play a major role in my future career when I graduate from Ball State."

Mary Moore, director of individual events in the Department of Communication Studies, says the team demands a high level commitment and sacrifice.

“Successful competitors spend hours reading, researching, and practicing,” she says. “In fact, research in our field shows that top competitors invest effort comparable to a graduate school thesis.

“The students’ hard work has many rewards. Participation on the speech team develops communication and critical thinking skills, prepares students for graduate work and the job market, and helps create valuable relationships and personal growth.”