In the past decade, contest persuasive speaking has become a product that student competitors produce and perform. A perversion of the contest formula has removed the element of persuasion from the formula. Competition rules suggest that a student's purposes in participating in forensics events should include inspiring, reinforcing, or changing the audience's beliefs, attitudes, values, or actions. Similarly, motives of judges/critics should include student effectiveness in such tasks. In recent years, participants have objectified persuasive speaking practices and evaluation to a point that removes audience responsibility for persuasive involvement. Judges deconstruct student messages without asking if those messages are persuasive. A close examination of some competitive speech texts shows that a focus on the message as product emphasizes logical appeals and disregards immediate effects on the audience. The loss of audience orientation limits student learning about persuasion. To restore student awareness of persuasion and audience, judges and coaches must recognize the persuasive transaction as a process. Students should be encouraged to speak about subjects to which they feel connected and to share the connection with the audience. Forensics educators do their students the greatest disservice if they fail to assure that students know how to use the tools of communication responsibly. (SG)