Social Anxiety is Solved by Speech and Debate

Interested in the mechanics of rhetoric and argument, I joined speech and debate. However, there was one major problem: my crippling social anxiety. 

Many people with anxiety related to public speaking do not have an outlet to express themselves, partially because they have no platform or encouragement to do so. 

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been difficult to place a number on what percent of the population has clinical social anxiety (labeled social anxiety disorder, or SAD). It is known that, “...there has been an estimated additional 76.2 million cases of anxiety disorders globally, an increase of 25.6%, and it is unlikely that mental health will recover to pre-pandemic levels for some time.” More specifically, the prevalence of social anxiety disorder increased in Australia from 4.7% to a dire 7% — the highest prevalence of any mental disorder.

The fascinating characteristic of social phobia is not the disorder itself, but instead its cause. Social interactions are feared not necessarily because one does not know what to say, but because they fear they will be judged for speaking. It is crucial to remember that communication goes past what is said verbally, and often that those with social anxiety fear that what they are conveying is the wrong message unintentionally. This — coupled with a daunting, rigorous social environment — may assist in the lack of self-confidence that numerous are afflicted with. Anna Lock, Ph.D. states, “Social anxiety is often associated with low self-confidence in relationships. While treating the anxiety ultimately leads to increased self-confidence, the development of effective social skills can also facilitate this process. Effective communication is one of the most important social skills that contribute to developing and maintaining healthy relationships.” It is blatantly evident that working towards active communication in a more theatrical space can assist in tackling social phobia. More specifically, it challenges and changes the way we think. 

Sean Grover, L.C.S.W. states, “When your attention is on yourself, you get anxious. However, when your attention is focused on another person or an activity, your anxiety usually dissipates… People with social anxiety are worried about the future rather than the now… Learning to be present and a better listener is a big part of our actor training. Being in the moment and building an experience organically — be it a conversation or scene — is the quickest and simplest way to catapult yourselves out of an anxious headspace and into contact with another human being.” Access to competitive resources — which can be anything from debate briefs to socks and shoes — can help solve the acute difficulty of interpersonal speaking via public speaking. Seeing that we are involved in yet another academic event centered around adolescents, we inevitably will be exposed to a vast variety of people who come from a multitude of different circumstances and backgrounds. Speech and debate can assist in building a sense of intrapersonal pride, respect, and esteem. 

Speech and debate can solve this growing obstacle by providing a safe environment for students to raise their voices, gain self-confidence, and desensitize themselves to public speaking. Since speech and debate events can be impersonal, this can act as a buffer or facade to assist in lifting one’s voice. But there’s still a problem associated with this — criticism from judges or other competitors. 

Judges can unfairly critique a person based on their appearance or piece, both of which can have deep cultural or personal ties. We must educate our judges that these things cannot be a deciding factor in who gets the win or the 1 — and this is non-negotiable. Secondly, competitors need to be able to have enough confidence to perform their piece in order to negate social anxiety. A remedy is rendered useless if one is unable to use it, and the same applies here. Many students don’t have the “proper” clothing, access to training, or resources, and this does not fare well when seeking a more equal activity. Some competitors may be deterred from going to tournaments because they do not feel adequate enough for the stage, and this needs to end. When encouraging people to join the activity this summer and in the following months, remind them that all they need to bring along is themself. 

As competitors, we need to treat everyone with the respect and dignity that any human deserves. We represent the future of society. If we cannot refrain from passing poor personal judgments off to other competitors, what does that say about the benevolence of our generation? We need to stop viewing our events as something to be done to win a cheap medal or trophy, and as something that can help cultivate real change within individuals and society.

As members of the speech and debate community, we ought to prioritize fair resource distribution — whether that be in specific, tangible needs such as advocating in local school districts for funding, or coaching those that may be the only competitor on their team. We simply can not expect this activity to help anyone if it is not a truly universal, equitable, and openly accessible experience. It is important to note that we also ought to publicize and endorse speech and debate so that teams can grow, and more people can access the aid that so many with mental health disorders and more specifically, social anxiety, need. If we can help people with this problem before they go out into college and into the workplace, we can reform society and create a more peaceful and successful environment for all.