“Like the dead bodies?” Is the question I get asked almost every single time I tell someone that I do forensics. It takes a good bit of convincing and a “it puts the speech in speech and debate” remark to teach them I’m indeed not talking about corpse science, but rather the public speech competitions popular all over the country. Memorial is one of the most prestigious forensics teams in the state of Wisconsin, winning the state tournament thirteen straight years from 2008 to 2020, with five additional state wins in other years too. And the best part of the forensics team? Anyone can join! So, without further ado, here is a deep dive into what forensics looks like, and why you should join!

In the state of Wisconsin, forensics competitions have eighteen main events, with a few additional events available at certain tournaments. Those events fall into three main categories: Speech events, Interp events, and Limited Prep events. Speech events are typically informative speeches, educating the audience on a certain topic. Interp events are where the actors get to shine, performing an interpretation of a published literary work. And finally, limited prep events are speeches written and given on the day of the tournament, whether through a prepped radio packet, 30 minutes of preparation on a current news topic, or preparation AND a speech in a 5 minute window. Each of the event types has a ton of fun competition each weekend, and has time with coaches to prep before each tournament. 

Now that we’ve gone over the “what” of forensics, it’s time to ask the big question, “why?”. Almost anyone on the forensics team you ask will tell you a different reason or story behind why they do forensics. As a baseline, forensics is one of the best ways to improve your communication and public speaking skills. Confidence and proper communication in speaking settings is a perfect way to stand out amongst potential job applicants, conference speakers, or even political candidates. Many teammates of mine do forensics for the competition, as forensics provides an amazing outlet for competition across the state. And me? I do forensics simply to make people laugh. Everyone you’ll ask will have a different reason on why they do forensics, 

Forensics is an amazing way to make your voice heard, giving students an outlet to present about whatever topic or issue they’d like. Even just last year, as a team we had incredibly performing speeches from everything to abortion rights, to a sketchy summer camp, to even the tale of Missouri’s infamous cheese caves. Whatever you’d like to talk about, forensics has you covered. If you’re interested or have any questions at all, feel free to either email me at [email protected], or DM the vpmmemorialddaf account on Instagram to get in touch with any of our officers. I and my fellow teammates hope to see you soon, whether at a coaching session, DDAF club meeting in Theater 300 on Mondays, or at a tournament any Saturday from January 17th all the way until April 10th.