If you weren't aware, October is National Anti-Bullying Awareness month. From Pacer's National Bullying Prevention Center to Do Something, organizations everywhere are casting a spotlight on this troublesome behavior. People are firing up their Mean Girls DVDs, opening their copies of Queen Bees and Wannabes, and coaches are reminiscing when Heathers was topical. Whether it's physical, verbal, emotional, or digital, harassing other individuals for any reason isn't cool. At all. Seriously. 

You would think that forensics, an activity that debates morality, discusses ethics, and examines the human condition would be immune to bullying and harassment. We are enlightened individuals! We research...FOR FUN. We play with our emotions...FOR TROPHIES. 

But sadly, even speech can be a pressure cooker of harassment. From internet jokes designed to degrade other competitors, online commentators engaging in snark fest of national final round performances, to countless conversations at tournaments about the things seen in and outside of rounds - we've witnessed how pointed people can be when it comes to the speech community. 

Maybe we're so used to being under the spotlight and being critiqued, we feel better about ourselves through judging others. Maybe nitpicking other people is a way to prove 'we know what we're doing.' Maybe it's just plain ole human nature.

This month, try to identify and correct "Forensic-hating." If you see someone trashing a competitor or teammate, take a stand. Even if people get defensive and insist you're making a big deal out of a joke, remind them that there's nothing funny about tearing someone down. If you, or someone you know, is getting harassed by people (through speech or not) tell an authority figure. If they don't do something, find someone who will. If you think you may be guilty of being overly critical, making jokes at someone's expense, or trashing another teammate's or competitor's performance, it is never too late to apologize and put a stop to it. There are too many tragic cases where harassment goes too far.

Think public speaking skills are only important for presentations and competitions? Think again. President Barack Obama addressed heightening tension in the Middle East during his speech to the United Nations General Assembly today. The video feed (via PBS Newshour) is posted below.  The Guardian has made a full-text transcript of the speech available here.

 Interpers are no strangers to making strange noises. When you're forced to perform without stages or props, you have to get creative to get your audience engaged. We've all certainly heard our fair share of odd sounds coming from classrooms.

Bleep Blap Boop is a charming short film that turns sound effects into a battle of the sexes. With a variety of prompts, the filmmakers ask people to do their best to replicate the sounds. They're not professionals, but they certainly try their best. 

Which team do you think did a better job at making sound effects? What was the most creative sound effect you've heard in a performance?

If you've been following the upcoming presidential election, then the past two weeks have been bursting with noteworthy events. With the Republican and Democratic National Conventions having wrapped up, Obama/Biden and Romney/Ryan have been officially nominated by their respective parties. More notable than the nominations, however, were the speeches. 

So we're wondering, what if this were a tournament? I mean, sure, based on Bill Clinton's 49 minute speech, it would be a very, very, long round. But if you were handed a ballot and asked to rank the following six individuals based on the speeches they gave at their respective conventions, who would you award first place? 

Barack Obama
Mitt Romney
Bill Clinton
Paul Ryan
Michelle Obama
Ann Romney

Join the conversation on Twitter and at Facebook. 

Image via Hollywood Reporter.