Dr. Marie A. Mater, Associate Professor and Program Coordinator of Speech Communication in the Department of English, Communication, Great Texts, and Modern Languages, was an invited judge at the National Christian Forensics and Communications Association (NCFCA) Online Winter National Mixer tournament from January 30-February 2, 2024.
This online tournament included participants from across the United States competing for places at the National Championship tournament this summer. Dr. Mater judged the Impromptu Speech Semifinals and the Extemporaneous Speech Finals.
The NCFCA speech and debate programs are designed to teach young people to communicate truth with both integrity and grace. Each speech event offers unique educational opportunities that promote critical thinking, research, literary analysis and effective delivery. The Impromptu Speech is a limited preparation speech in which the speaker presents a unique and meaningful 5-minute speech on a topic drawn from abstract words, phrases, quotations or table topics. The Extemporaneous Speech is a limited preparation speech in which the speaker analyzes news and other sources to prepare a 7-minute evidence-based speech on a current events topic.
An organization committed to training home school and high school students to address life issues in a manner that glorifies God, the NCFCA ultimately prepares students to shape the culture and impact people for Christ. Through regional and national competitions, supported by exceptional training and an elite qualification system, NCFCA Speech and Debate provides a proven framework that challenges students to grow their communication skills.
The organization has a far-reaching impact on American society. There are 160-plus clubs around the United States that meet to learn, prepare and practice for the yearly competitive season. Thousands of students ages 12-18 participate in both in-person and online competitions, resulting in over 38,000 speeches and 14,000 debates delivered during the season nationwide. NCFCA graduates are influencing our world as analysts, authors, business owners, doctors, educators, engineers, entrepreneurs, lawyers, nurses, pastors and politicians.
For more information, visit NCFCA.org.