Alyssa Kane, BS’21, took home first place in this semester’s Speech Night at IUPUI.
For nearly 50 years, IUPUI Speech Night has given students in the Department of Communication’s Fundamentals of Public Speaking class the opportunity to showcase their talents every fall and spring semester. 49 students are selected as semifinalists, and from there, seven students are selected to present as finalists.
Kelley’s Alyssa Kane, who is a freshman finance and international studies major, took home first place during the fall semester with her persuasive policy speech entitled “Prepared to Protect.” In the speech, Kane said she would like to see even more education on armed intruder training offered to all IUPUI students, to offer a culture of safety and responsibility so students are fully prepared in case of an active shooter on campus.
“I was shocked to hear my name announced as the winner,” said Kane. “It was such a neat opportunity, and all the finalists gave such informative and provocative speeches – It was an honor to be considered at the top.”
As a business student, Kane says she believes good communication skills and business go hand in hand, explaining she will utilize everything she’s learned in this speaking course, throughout her time at Kelley and beyond.
“My X105 honors course and the Fundamentals of Public Speaking course both have given me a confidence to speak effectively and to communicate to my audience in a way so that they will want to hear what I have to say,” Kane said. “I will use this in everything I do moving forward.”
“This is so important for business students, because like the saying goes, ‘practice makes perfect.’ Though public speaking and presenting may be scary, the only way to calm those nerves is to practice. If I can present in front of hundreds of students at Speech Night, I can present in front of 24 in my final X105 presentation this week. The more you put yourself in challenging situations like this and handle them well, the more you’ll have confidence for the future you may not have had otherwise.”
The Kelley School of Business at IUPUI also represented during the spring 2017 semester: Nathaniel Burton, a supply chain management and marketing major, took home first place then.
Congratulations to all involved!