Extemporaneous is so gratifying—and not just because of the competition. There are plenty of outlets that provide that opportunity. What I really love about Extemp is the opportunity to expand my knowledge of the world, discuss it with family and friends, and then share that information and analysis with others. That’s exactly what I hope to do with you today. If we haven’t met, my name is Roman Hogancamp, and I honored to be the 2024 NCFCA Extemporaneous National Champion. As such, I would like to provide three tips for competing in Extemporaneous—whether in STOA, NCFCA, or just around the dinner table. Continue reading or SIGN UP for EXTEMP CLUB that starts NEXT WEEK!
As competitive speech evolves, new categories are introduced to challenge competitors and enrich the repertoire of performance styles. Back in 2016, NCFCA created a new category geared to using a prop and the Bible. Versions of the category stuck, and I don’t think it’s going to go away because of the specific benefits you can gain by competing in it.
Stoa also created a new category in 2023 called Interp in a Box. They have since retired the category, however those that got to partake in it learned a great deal. You see, new categories bring forth fresh dynamics and specific rules that participants must master. So let’s explore how to tackle new categories, detailing their rules, objectives, and strategies for understanding the benefits of exploring a different type of Interp… Read on OR SIGN UP FOR INTERP CLUB - https://lastingimpact.info/product/club22492/ Uncover all of the benefits, mysteries, and JOYS of Interpretive Speech!
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When I was 19 years old, (gosh that was a long time ago!) I ran a 6 week summer Theatre Camp based almost entirely on improvisation. Improv for short, we would develop our listening skills to learn excellent communication and performance skills. Sound like Fun? For those that are unclear as to what Improvisation actually is, the University of Chicago, one of the leading Improv Institutions, defines it like this: (Improv) “is a live performance in which the actors make up scenes, dialogue and characters on the spot (sometimes incorporating suggestions from the audience). It’s often comedic, though not always.” Sound slightly familiar? How about this definition: “to make, invent, or arrange offhand” (Merriam Webster) In competitive, public speaking, Impromptu is a category where we often do all of the above.
Online Apol starts TONIGHT!! Remember, all classes are recorded! Ethan Tong will coach this semester class/club. Sign up HERE – https://lastingimpact.info/product/club22508/ Or read on for his valuable insight…
I never used a box in Apologetics. Early on, I had a box in which I stored blank cards, but eventually, I stopped using a box at all. At first, I told people that I wasn’t using a box because “you don’t have a box with you in real life when someone asks you a hard question.” But… that was an excuse. I was a little too lazy to figure out how to print stuff onto index cards, and I was definitely too lazy to HANDWRITE all the cards.
But my senior year, I won the Region 4 Championship (which used to be all of Texas and Oklahoma!) in Apologetics. Without a box! How? Let me give you some of my secrets…
We apologize for the delay… but good things come to those who wait! This Team Policy Sourcebook was not just pulled together! In fact, our editors and writers put a great deal of thought and detail into this AMAZING resource! The TP Sourcebook is a compilation of cases and practical reference materials, intended as a “starter pack” to help students launch the season quickly and easily. And we created it for TWO leagues- ASDA and NCFCA (if you compete in both, you don’t need to purchase both). The TP Sourcebook provides important foundational information about the resolution and the key concepts involved, reference information about the countries and agencies covered under the resolution, and a set of cases to help students to begin debating right away. Not only do we write our resources for students, we write them with parents and coaches in mind.
2024-25 TP Sourcebook contents include…
– A resolutional analysis brief
– Six original affirmative cases (1AC’s)
– Six corresponding affirmative backup briefs
– Six corresponding negative briefs
– Six country-specific fact sheets
– A strategy article on “The Debate Continuum”
The 27-page “Resolutional Analysis” provides a thorough introduction to the resolution and a reference handbook with evidence cards regarding the terms and agencies covered under the resolution. The cases in this year’s sourcebook cover a variety of topics related to US policy, including immigration, foreign aid, tariffs & imports, economic development, global stability and strategies for fighting corruption in Central America.
Sourcebook contents are provided in an electronic folder with separate files for each brief, so students can print the sourcebook sections individually, or in their entirety.
Fair Use Agreement
Students may download the sourcebook in either a PDF, or DOC (Microsoft Word) version, or both. By downloading the TP Sourcebook, students agree to utilize the materials for their own personal use. They are allowed to share the sourcebook with their partner, but not with other students, unless a student has purchased (but perhaps not printed) the sourcebook for themselves. Students may use the cases and briefs as written, but they also may choose to “personalize” them by adding and adapting the materials with their own ideas and information.
Ahh! The new speech and debate season is upon us! Are you feeling prepared? Perhaps a little overwhelmed!? Don’t worry… The Lasting Impact! Team is ready to come alongside students, parents, coaches, and clubs! Allow me to introduce ourselves…. Lasting Impact! has been around for a while now! We have literally coached thousands of students nationwide and internationally. We have had the opportunity to coach numerous (too many to count) National Champions. Throughout the year we travel the country from coast to coast teaching the art of communication through Speech and Debate. During the school year, you will often find our coaches on Zoom teaching classes and clubs, or coaching one on one. We offer a variety of products and services to help you navigate the world of speech and debate! Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to our BLOG to be sure you get the latest information, releases, sales, etc. Look what we have just for YOU… the SHOP is where you can find all the amazing offerings…
Clubs/Classes – Our fall 2024 club/classes are gearing up, ready to go! We are offering from everything to Apologetics to Debate to Speech 101 and 102, Extemporaneous to Interp! All clubs/classes are on Zoom and recorded. Our clubs are not only for students! Many coaches have sat in to learn and gain a better understanding of what our experienced coaches have to offer! We are still taking registrations- REGISTER NOW!
Speech and Debate Resources – Lasting Impact! has created a number of “must have” resources! Whether it’s The Ultimate Guide to Interpretive Speech, The Limited Prep Guide, Speech Games, Speech Grab and Go, or our Debate Sourcebooks… our Resources will make your life a whole lot easier! All books are Ebooks, and just one click away! https://lastingimpact.info/shop/
Coaching – Wait until you see the line up of our 2024-25 Coaches! These are truly the best of the best! All of our coaches are actively involved in the speech and debate community. They are club leaders, debate coaches, preachers, tournament coordinators, judges, etc. Book a session with one today, and you won’t be disappointed! https://lastingimpact.info/coach-information/
Blog – Did you know that Lasting Impact! has over 500 articles about speech and debate!? We have a lot of say. We are here for YOU to help you dig deeper and understand the ins and outs of debate resolutions and speech categories. Be sure you SUBSCRIBE to the blog to read what our coaches think or are discovering! https://lastingimpact.info/tag/free/
Membership – Yes, Lasting Impact! is a membership site. But you don’t have to be a member to read the free blog. Members receive discounts on coaching and clubs, access to video gallery, free workshop recordings, etc. Membership is just $35 for the year! https://lastingimpact.info/register/annual-membership-subscription/
We welcome you to be a part of the Lasting Impact! Family! We look forward to coming alongside you in your speech and/or debate journey!
It’s a new speech and debate season – and we have a lot to uncover! Our coaches have been from coast to coast and they are excited to jump into our online clubs and classes with YOU! This year, Lasting Impact! will offer 10 unique speech and debate clubs! Each are less than $150! Check out all the options here – https://lastingimpact.info/product-category/clubs/ Don’t see something you want or need? We have been known to create one. Need a coach to teach a lesson or help your club? Just contact heather@lastingimpact.info
(Sign up for the final Moot Camp today!! It’s just around the corner––August 17th and 19th. It’s so much fun every year, and campers always express being grateful they decided to come.) https://lastingimpact.info/product/camp22585/
I’m a Moot Coach, so I hear a lot of people’s thoughts on the event. But oddly enough, the most common objection I hear to competing in Moot is not “idk, it looks scary.” It’s not “I dunno, it doesn’t look fun,” or even “I don’t have a partner.” No––the overwhelming #1 objection is “I don’t have time for it. I’m too busy this year.”
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” This popular quote from Benjamin Franklin is one that I often heard parroted at me by coaches throughout the years, always immediately followed by an instruction to start working on my speeches and debate cases much sooner than I would have liked. At the time, I felt like it wasn’t that helpful to start in the summer, after all, the same materials would still waiting in the fall. While I don’t like to admit that I’m wrong, I was definitely wrong; getting a head start on preparation during the summer has proven to be invaluable in my experience, especially when preparing for Moot Court. Getting a head start on the extensive reading and analysis only helps you. However, figuring out where to start is difficult, should you read the Supreme Court cases first? Or the facts? When should you start writing your cases?
Here are a few tips on jump-starting your season a few months in advance:
“The United States Federal Government should significantly reform its foreign policy toward one or more of the following Central American countries: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica.” This year’s NCFCA and ASDA TP resolution asks us to learn about some of our neighbors, who are just a few countries south. Given the number of countries covered under the resolution, it opens the door to a wide range of policies. International policy resolutions are distinct from domestic policy resolutions in that they offer debaters a greater challenge and a good opportunity to be creative. Some of my best years debating in the league were when I was challenged by an international policy resolution. With a new debate year right around the corner, it’s about that time in the summer when most people (except the most studious debaters who started researching when the resolution was released) start to think about the topic for the upcoming season. You may be asking, “How do I tackle this year’s resolution, and where do I start?” I hope to provide a brief orientation to this year’s topic and pique your interest by examining three broad issues related to the resolution: economics, national security, and global stability. Continuing reading below… or sign up for Lasting Impact!’s Online TP Camp (non league specific)! It starts next week. Also- our TP Sourcebook is COMING SOON!
If you weren’t in Anderson, SC for the NCFCA National Championship or if you happened to sleep in on the day, my dear friend, co-founder of Lasting Impact!, Kristi Eskelund, gave her devotion… you really missed out! How often to you see a grown women hop into a inflatable llama!? But that wasn’t the most impactful thing that morning… the message was inspiring, uplifting, and a great reminder of what we needed to hear! If you missed it or need a reminder of what speech and debate can look like… read on…
When I competed in NCFCA LD, I never bought sourcebooks. Why? It seemed like a waste of money. Why spend $45 on 6 aff cases and 6 neg cases, just to choose maybeone of them, and discard the rest?
Most likely, even if I did choose a case or two, I’d discard it in the middle of the year, realizing that I’ve developed better ideas and can write them better than someone else. So why spend money?
Enter the Lasting Impact! Lincoln-Douglas GUIDEBOOK. Instead of a sourcebook, where you just parrot someone else’s words, Lasting Impact is providing a guidebook to provide you with the tools you need to write the best possible case. We don’t just give you cases––we give you arguments. We give you evidence. We give you stories and examples. This isn’t just a guidebook for students! This is a guide for parents, coaches, and clubs! The Lasting Impact! model is to come alongside you to help and assist you in your journey. Go to the SHOP to purchase yours today… or scroll to learn more…
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