2023 Speaking Competition: Power

Amherst College’s annual speaking competition was held on February 22, 2023. Student finalists (from all class years) wrote persuasive speeches based on this year’s theme, “POWER,” and spoke compellingly about what matters to them.

2023 Award Winners

  • Best Overall Persuasive Speech: Kateryna Havryshchuk
  • Best Performance of a Persuasive Speech: Kobe Thompson
  • Best Written Persuasive Speech: Lovemore Nyaume

Winners of the 2023 Speaking Competition: POWER

Three students stand on a stage under an Amherst College banner holding up their winners' certificates.
Close Caption 2023 Speaking Competition Winners

(Left to right): Lovemore Nyaumwe '23 (Best Written Persuasive Speech), Kobe Thompson '24 (Best Performance of a Persuasive Speech) and Kateryna Havryschuk '26 (Best Overall Persuasive Speech).

A man gestures holding up one index finger to make a point while speaking.
Close Caption Lovemore Nyaumwe '23

Lovemore Nyaumwe presenting his speech, "The Power of Affirmative Action," which won Best Written Persuasive Speech.

A man gestures with both hands while speaking.
Close Caption Kobe Thompson '24

Kobe Thompson's speech was titled "And They Would've Gotten Away With It, Too," which won Best Performance of a Persuasive Speech.

A man in a grey turtle neck holds both hands in front of his chest, gesturing while speaking.
Close Caption Spencer Michaels '24

Spencer Michaels entry was titled "To Look, or Not to Look?"

A smiling woman in a red dress and black jacket applauding.
Close Caption Susan Daniels

Susan Daniels, associate in public speaking, applauds along with the audience to congratulate the winners. Kateryna Havryshchuk '26 "My Step Towards Peace"

A woman in a white shirt and grey vest gestures with both hands while talking.
Close Caption Kateryna Havryshchuk '26

This year's Best Overall Persuasive Speech was made by Kateryna Havryshchuk: "My Step Towards Peace."

This year's Best Overall Persuasive Speech was made by Kateryna Havryshchuk: "My Step Towards Peace."

Scoring

Competitors are evaluated on the following components:

Content and Organization

  • Topic and specific focus were appropriate for the audience (Amherst community).
  • Clear organization was followed consistently throughout the speech.
  • Speech consistently used evidence that was appropriate for the topic (e.g., narrative, statistics) and was cited as appropriate.
  • Language use was appropriate (e.g., avoided jargon) and suited to the occasion.
  • Logical connections were clearly made between ideas within the speech.

Delivery

  • Speaker’s use of vocal qualities (volume, pitch, emphasis) enhanced the presentation.
  • Nonverbal behaviors (gestures and eye contact) enhanced the presentation.
  • Speaker was fluent (e.g., avoided fillers such as “um”) and conversational.

Overall Impression

  • The speaker was engaging throughout the presentation.
  • The overall presentation was consistently persuasive.