Are You a Debater Considering Speech?

If you're already in debate, you might think speech events are a waste of time or are not your thing. They seem like a totally different world. More performance and less clash. But that mindset misses the point. If you’re serious about getting better at debate, doing speech events will help you in ways debate alone can’t.

Here’s 6 reasons why speech should be part of your training.

Table of Contents

• 1. You learn to actually speak like a human

• 2. You get better at thinking on your feet

• 3. You become more persuasive

• 4. You improve your prep and writing skills

• 5. It helps you beyond debate

• 6. It’s not as different as you think

• What speech events should you try?

• Bottom line

1. You learn to actually speak like a human

In debate, it's incredibly easy to fall into the trap of speaking fast and robotic. You’re so focused on content that you forget how to deliver it. Speech brings you back to real communication. It teaches you how to sound confident, clear, and persuasive without needing to spread or read blocks.

In events like extemp, you stand up and explain something complicated in plain language. In oratory, you write and perform a full speech that connects emotionally with your audience. That kind of speaking translates directly into better debate delivery.

2. You get better at thinking on your feet

Categories like extemp and impromptu sharpen your quick thinking. You have to come up with ideas fast, organize them, and deliver them smoothly, all in a few minutes. This skill is gold in crossfire, cross-ex, and rebuttals.

A lot of debaters panic when they go off-script don’t know how to talk without prep time and so they start repeating points, stuttering and becoming less intelligible. Speech gives you tools to stay calm, stay smart, and keep speaking when you’re under pressure.

3. You become more persuasive

Debate teaches logic. Speech teaches rhetoric*. And persuasion isn’t just about having the right argument; it’s about getting someone (the judge) to care. Speech makes you think about how you say things, not just what you say.

The best debaters know how to speak like real people. Judges remember the debaters who sound convincing, not the ones who spit out ten impacts with performative emotion. Doing speech helps you learn that skill.

_{*Both debate and speech develop your rhetoric, but the development can be made much faster with speech}

4. You improve your prep and writing skills

In oratory and extemp, you write and prep a lot. You learn how to structure arguments, how to cut down fluff, how to make something sound good out loud. That makes you better at writing cases and blocks.

If you’ve ever struggled to make your case flow well or make a block sound natural, speech gives you practice fixing that. You start to care more about clarity and delivery—skills that matter in every debate format.

5. It helps you beyond debate

At some point, you’ll leave the debate world. But speaking skills stay with you. Giving a presentation, leading a meeting, or speaking in public or even one on one conversations. Those are all speech skills. Debate gives you critical thinking. Speech gives you real-world speaking.

Together, they make you unstoppable.

6. It’s not as different as you think

People assume debate is about clashing while speech is about performing. But that’s oversimplified. In both, you’re persuading an audience. In both, you’re organizing complex ideas and delivering them clearly. The overlap is bigger than you think.

In fact, a lot of top debaters are also great speakers. And a lot of strong speech kids have the best delivery in debate rounds.

What speech events should you try?

• Extemp is the most debate-adjacent. You get a question, prep for 30 minutes, and give a 7-minute speech with sources. It’s like doing a rebuttal with more style.

• Impromptu is great for thinking fast. You get a topic and start speaking right away.

• Original Oratory helps with scripted delivery, emotional appeal, and long-form writing.

• Informative is useful if you like research-heavy topics and structured delivery.

Try one or two. See what clicks.

Bottom line

If you care about getting better at debate, do speech. It makes you clearer, quicker, and more persuasive. It fixes the weaknesses debate doesn’t touch. And it gives you skills you’ll use long after your last tournament.

So don’t treat speech like a side hustle. Treat it like part of your training. It’ll make you a better debater and a better speaker for life.

That’s all for now,

The Forensic Funnel Team