When Michelle Colpean, class of 2012, 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.
 
Immersed in the team's professional atmosphere, she spent countless hours polishing her delivery while closely paying attention to the techniques used by upperclassmen, veterans of dozens of intensive speech competitions.

As a result, Colpean played key role for the speech team this season as it won the Indiana state championship tournament for the fifth consecutive year in 2009. She was the state champion in varsity persuasion and novice impromptu while placing third in the novice informative category.

"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. 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 a state champion is more than a 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."

Tracy Vittone, speech team director and a communication studies instructor, believes the program plays a role in transforming the lives of many undergraduates.

"Good public speaking skills are essential for any career," he says. "Members of the speech team leave the university having strongly prepared themselves for the workplace by developing their research, analytical, and—most importantly—leadership skills.