Speak Off finalist Ashley Guthrie, a senior majoring in social work, almost didn’t try out for the competition in her communication class because she lacked the confidence and preparation.
“The night before, I had no idea what I was going to talk about,” Guthrie said. “I honestly didn’t think I was going to make it to the top six. I thought, ‘I am not going to get picked anyway, so there is no point in showing up.’”
She made a last-minute decision to attend and do a speech on entertainer Dolly Parton, someone she has admired since childhood.
“I have loved Dolly’s music and movies since I was a little girl, thanks to my mom,” Guthrie said. “In high school, I did a project on her and realized that she was so much more than people have ever realized. Since then, I have seen her as a role model, and what speaks to me most about her is her unshaken sense of self.”
Tuesday night at the Morgan Auditorium, Guthrie and five other Speak Off finalists will deliver their speech in front of a crowd of potentially more than 600 of their fellow Communication 123 classmates. COM 123 is an introductory public speaking course at the University. The competition, which is at 7:30 p.m., will be judged by professor and chair of the department of communication studies Beth Bennett and communication studies instructors Caroline Parsons and Angela Billings.
The first-place winner receives the Oscar Newton Public Speaking Award and $200, the second-place winner is awarded $150 and the third-place winner is awarded $75.
The six finalists are Guthrie, Noah Cannon, a sophomore majoring in telecommunication and film, Daniel Moore, a freshman majoring in telecommunication and film, Austin Rhyne, a freshman majoring in telecommunications and film, Joseph Hurd, a junior majoring in journalism and Zachary Travis, a senior majoring in telecommunication and film.
Alexa Chilcutt, an assistant professor in the department of communication studies and director of the public speaking program, said COM 123 students can benefit from watching their peers perform their speech.
“It’s inspiring for them, because they have had to do that assignment already. Then they see the best examples of that,” Chilcutt said.
She also sees it as a positive experience for the finalist.
“It’s a confidence booster,” Chilcutt said.
Guthrie doesn’t have much experience with public speaking, other than some ceremonies she has spoken at in high school. Her speech will discuss the main points in a commencement speech Parton delivered to University of Tennessee College of Arts and Sciences class of 2009. She said some classmates convinced her to compete.
“I’m glad that they did that, because it pushed me to step out of my comfort zone. I guess I was a little better than I thought,” Guthrie said.
Rhyne will be doing a speech on Pixar Animation Studios. He said his dream job is to work for the company.
“I chose Pixar because I have grown up with Pixar. I have a passion and a borderline obsession with the company,” Rhyne said. “My speech focuses on the history and origins of Pixar, and I talk about their influence today, including some fun facts about the company.”
Rhyne said that although he has always felt comfortable speaking in public, his COM 123 class taught him about the structure of public speeches.
“I think the real revelation is just the organization and how to effectively deliver a speech,” Rhyne said. “It’s how the different aspects need to be tweaked for each topic and how they work together to create an effective speech.”
Daniel Moore will be speaking about the history, production and basics of the animated series “South Park.” He said he has been following the show for a long time.
“It’s my favorite show and an enormous influence on my creative work,” Moore said. “And I’m very passionate about cartoons. I’ve wanted to go into animation for a long time.”
Moore said he values winning but also values the opportunity to participate. He also said the experience might help with his future career.
Hurd is going to discuss his icon Liam Gallagher, lead vocalist of the former band Oasis, currently front man of the band Beady Eye.
He said the class taught him to speak to his audience instead of at them, making the speech more conversational than a lecture. Hurd was shy as a kid, but became more confident with time.
“Around high school, I broke out of my shell and have been a social person ever since. For me, this competition is a reminder of how far I’ve come in life,” he said.
