Atungulu Wins Presenter of the Year Competition

Submitted

Winners of the 2019 Presenter of the Year Competition were, from left, Mitchelle Atungulu (first place), Sydnie Wilson (second) and Cameron Willis (third).

The Business Communication Lab at the Sam M. Walton College of Business and the Department of Communication at the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences hosted the annual Presenter of the Year Competition on Nov. 16.

Support was provided by the University of Arkansas Bookstore, which donated items for prizes, and by Leadership Walton, whose students volunteered to help staff the event.

Contestants were Walton College students who were enrolled in a public-speaking course, COMM 1313. The competition had three rounds, including the finals, and each student delivered a five- to seven-minute problem awareness speech. Contestants' speeches advocated a solution to a problem faced by people in Northwest Arkansas, and the speech topics varied widely from the cost of college to academic dishonesty to systemic racism in education.

The competition provides students with the opportunity to practice presentation skills in front of a live audience and also rewards students who deliver excellent speeches. Students benefit by improving their public speaking skills, and the university community benefits by hearing the solutions that students advocate.

Mitchelle Atungulu delivered the winning speech, receiving a $400 bookstore gift card; Sydnie Wilson came in second, winning a $200 bookstore gift card; Cameron Willis placed third, receiving a $100 bookstore gift card. Aryaman Rallapalli, Savannah Rubino and Luke Shuffield also presented in the final round.

Special judges for the final round were David Gearhart, professor of higher education and chancellor emeritus; Lynn Meade, Department of Communication; and Sagar Vanteru, a Walton sophomore supply chain management major who was last year's winner.

"Public speaking is something most students dread doing in class, much less in front of an audience of 80 strangers and fellow competitors," said Ryan Sheets, director of the Business Communication Lab. "I applaud the finalists and other competitors who overcame their fear of public speaking and delivered such insightful, engaging presentations."

"The combined effort of the Walton College and the Department of Communication affords our first-year students the experience to practice their skills outside the classroom. Their presentations were indeed impressive and I look for this event to continue for years to come," said Cathy Hollingsworth, public speaking course director.

Details on the event can be found by visiting its webpage.