Several suit-clad teenagers sit in the corner, playing cards excitedly. Their quiet conversation about public policy is punctuated by unison shouts and groans as a telling card is dealt and someone is declared the game's winner.

Such is the atmosphere at a high school speech and debate tournament.

Most people are terrified of public speaking - it's been said that people are, on the whole, more afraid of public speaking than death - but these tournaments focus on encouraging high school students to speak.

Tournaments are held at a variety of schools across the nation and are a way for teens who are interested in a variety of forms of expression - debate, acting, informative speaking and impromptu speaking - to gather and compete against one another and hone their skills.

At tournaments, students can participate in a variety of events.

Debate events give students practice looking at both sides of the issue and finding strengths and weaknesses in arguments, while other speech events give students an opportunity to act, comment on social issues and develop ideas on the spot to speak about.

One such speech event, impromptu, gives participants 30 seconds to mentally prepare - writing notes is prohibited - and then speak about a topic for five minutes.

The first time I participated in impromptu speaking, I was terrified. Now, I've grown so comfortable with the concept of public speaking that talking about a given topic for five minutes is no problem.

Speech and debate boosts teens' confidence and allows them to develop communication skills, critical thinking skills and the ability to fight for what they believe, but possibly even more important is the constant questioning that speech and debate forces students into. When considering arguments on both sides of the issue, which is mandatory, teens question their own convictions as well as what they've been taught while growing up.

Serious topics aside, speech and debate events can be a lot of fun. In one event, after-dinner speaking, participants come prepared with a memorized speech, six minutes in length, that is supposed to be a humorous speech on a specific topic. At the end, the speaker wraps up the humor with a serious tone, encouraging the audience to believe something. Among the topics tackled have been the media's portrayal of women, the marketing of frivolous objects and even racial stereotypes.

Students also can participate in interpretation events, by themselves or with a partner. In duo, one such event, a pair of students stand up and without looking at each other or touching each other interpret a written work. Often playing two or more characters each, they tell a story - and send a message.

High school debate is definitely more than just a simple extracurricular activity. It teaches young people to question the world and helps them work up the courage to tackle something that's a real fear for many people. They make new friends, think critically, tackle tough issues and learn about the world in which they're living.

Ellen Nitchals is a junior at Corvallis High School. She can be contacted at felixcanis11@gmail.com.