You might have joined the speech and debate team because you sincerely wanted to improve your public speaking skills or because you just wanted to hang out with your friends. Either way, you did not know how much of a time commitment it would be or that you actually had to compete every single Saturday. Nevertheless, it turned out to be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life.

Here are 7 things you learned from high school speech and debate!

1. Talking to lockers is perfectly normal.

They make such great listeners.

2. Always take a sip of water before starting to speak.

Even when you are just giving a presentation in class. It gives you a moment to wet your whistle, take a deep breath, and prepare yourself. Just don't let it go down the wrong pipe!

3. Dress for success.

You loved having a reason to go shopping for a new suit jacket. And you learned how important it is to look and be professional. You dressed for the scores you wanted, not the scores you'd been getting.

4. E-nun-ci-ate.

There's a fine line between speaking clearly and speaking in a way that is just downright unnatural.

5. Self-evaluations are vital.

Filming yourself while practicing is a technique that can carry over to many other areas of life. When you can see and hear how you are presenting information, you can make adjustments to your pace, tone, gestures, and facial expressions. Very helpful.

6. Making an impact is the most important thing you can do.

Even if you don't get the 1 in the round, as long as you inform, persuade, entertain, or touch one person, it is all worth it.

7. Stick with it.

It can be tempting to pull out of something when you aren't getting the results you want or when fear and insecurity start to set in. Because of competing in speech and debate, you learned the benefits of digging in and truly committing to something. You also realize that you probably would have made more progress if you had stuck with one category all four years of high school instead of switching every time it got difficult. Fortunately, now you are determined not to make the same mistake when choosing a college major. Even though it's tough, you resist the urge to jump ship every summer when you're away from classes. You are confident that commitment and growth will pay off in the end.

Once a speechie, always a speechie.