Navigating To and Through the Speech & Debate Room at UCF

This wiki is based on the UCF Speech and Debate room located in the Nicholson School of Communication at 12405 Aquarius Agora Dr, Orlando, FL 32816.

If you're currently a member of the UCF Speech and Debate Team, then I'm sure you know everything there is to know about the UCF Speech and Debate meeting room. However, even new members will eventually come to understand the true significance of the room, aside from the fact that it is where weekly meetings for the teams are held.

**Finding the UCF Speech & Debate Room**:

Once you enter the Nicholson School of Communication, refer to the posted signs on the white walls to find room 162. This is where the office for the head coaches of UCF Speech and Debate is located. You'll also see a black sign with white text reading "Speech & Debate" towards the end of one of the hallways in the building. It actually contains a big, white arrow that literally points to the location of the meeting room. This same room is also directly across from the office of the head coaches of UCF Speech and Debate.

**Bringing Life to the Room**:

The Speech and Debate room is so much more than just a meeting place, and new members tend to find this out very quickly. Since I'm a member of the UCF Speech Team, I'm going to focus more on the ways that our members typically use the room. For starters, there is a big table in the middle of the room where members and coaches can sit and talk amongst themselves about upcoming competitions, topic ideas, funny memes and experiences, or even just enjoy a quick bite to eat (P.S. there is a box of plastic utensils on a shelf to the left of the whiteboard that is across from the middle table if you need silverware, so just go ahead and grab some).

If you need to start working on a speech (or even finish up some homework for class), there are also plenty of desktop computers for your reference. You can certainly print from these computers if you have to, but be advised that your work will most likely be printed in black and white.

After a long day of classes, it's completely normal to want to take a quick power nap. If you're a commuter like me, however, then you probably know the struggle that comes with not living near campus and feeling too exhausted to drive all the way back home until you've had one. That's where the two couches on the far right side of the room come in handy. Most people don't consider them to be very comfortable, but they're definitely a good place to rest your eyes if you absolutely have to. Feel free to cuddle up with the gray blanket and soft pillow, by the way!

Across from one of those couches is a shelf containing a multitude of different books. Many speech members tend to reference these if they are in need of some topic ideas for particular events (e.g. dramatic interpretation).

**The board of approved events**:

Directly above one of the two couches, you'll notice a big tackboard with names of some (if not all) of the speech members and event types. Once you get your event approved, the head coach will pin your

personalized name card (which he will create for you) onto the board under the event(s) that he believes will have the potential to be competitive at future tournaments. If you end up placing with that event at a tournament, your name card will be given a star-shaped sticker in order to signify that accomplishment.

**Signing up for coaching appointments**:

Aside from being a common meeting place for UCF Speech and Debate Team members, the UCF Speech & Debate room is also where all of the coaching happens! Coaching is of utmost importance in this room, as it is what forms the members into who they are as competitors. All members are required to attend "work" sessions for at least 2 hours every week. You'll find this sign-up sheet (and further information regarding these sessions) on the wall near one of the bookshelves.

You can also sign up to attend a one-on-one coaching session with Jonathan, the head coach of the team. He's excellent at providing coaching for every event, and his coaching schedule can be found posted on the door to his office (which, again, is directly across from the meeting room). Just pick out a date and time, write your name (and event type you wish to work on during the session-optional) in the appropriate scheduling block, and you'll be all set!

Brandon, our second speech coach, also provides superb coaching (especially when it comes to interpretive performance)! The best way to schedule an appointment with him would be to speak with him personally whenever you see him, or just send him a quick text message.