We connect, support, and inspire a diverse community committed to empowering students through competitive speech and debate.
As the national authority on public speaking and debate, the National Speech & Debate Association provides the infrastructure for speech and debate competitions around the world. We create a platform for youth voices to be heard and celebrated, which culminates with an annual National Tournament, the pinnacle of public speaking.
Speech and debate changes lives. NSDA membership builds confidence, boosts classroom performance, improves communication, and increases critical thinking skills to prepare students for college. Our activity provides life skills vital to a young person’s success in the future.
INCREASE IN READING TEST SCORES
INCREASE IN ANALYTICAL SKILLS
HIGHER SELF-ESTEEM
Join today and purchase your memberships
In a society that constantly tells us who to be, speech and debate provides the strength to authentically and unapologetically embrace who I am and what I live for. Using the power of words and ideas allows us to cultivate the mending of cracks within our communities, helping others embrace themselves.
2024 NSDA Student of the Year, Sioux Falls Jefferson High School, South Dakota
