I got to judge a round of apologetics at a National Championship. I felt slightly unqualified because it was the semi-final round and I never came close to that competitive level as an apologetics speaker. But I took the ballot and enjoyed the round. I was impressed by everyone’s incredible delivery, conduct, organization, etc. And some even shared excellent content. But I did turn in those ballots wanting to share some words of encouragement with apologetics students. Specifically, these words: dig deeper! I noticed much shallow preparation as a competitor (in myself and others) and saw more signs of it as a judge. This is not to say that the speeches I saw were bad – far from it! But I wanted to see that these students had thought deeply about their topics and hear them share from that deep thought. I wanted to hear what God’s Word says about these topics (beyond Romans 3:23, Jeremiah 29:11, and John 3:16 that is). And I wanted to hear why speakers earnestly thought there was weight to the matters they addressed. I wanted them to dig deeper.
On September 6th, 1998 one of the greatest quarterbacks football has ever seen started his first game. Peyton Manning, the first pick in the 1998 draft out of Tennessee, lost in his first game as a rookie with the Indianapolis Colts. Unlike many of the star first round quarterbacks of today’s football, Peyton Manning was never known for his strength, speed, or agility. While he certainly possessed the physical characteristics one would expect from two-time Superbowl champion, that didn’t define his style. He wasn’t one to consistently roll outside the pocket to extend a play or hurtle a ball downfield on sheer talent alone. Peyton Manning’s study, awareness, and preparation allowed him to become the football legend he is now known for today. That notion of skill development and preparation extends so well into the world of competitive forensics. It is one of the many reasons competitive forensics ought to be considered a sport. And it would behoove competitors to think of debate as such.
This week starts Annie Roger’s Online Impromptu Club. There is still room left to join and gain the tools you need to feel better equipped to speak on your feet. Are you ready? 1 Peter 3:15 states, “But in your hearts honor Christ as Lord, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that is in you.” Are you ready to defend your faith? Are you ready to give an answer? Annie has been working with students for over three years. Here is what a couple of her students had to say…
“Annie’s guidance with Impromptu was extremely beneficial for me. She demonstrated how to quickly craft an effective thesis by helping me think about seemingly simple topics in a deep and impactful way. Through Annie’s insight I went from never breaking to competing at Nationals.” ~Nathanael R.
“Annie Rogers is one of the best coaches that I’ve ever had the privilege of working with. I had never imagined success in Impromptu, as it was a new event for me. Annie is professional, encouraging, and honest. She taught me many valuable lessons about Limited Preparation Speeches. She is an incredible strategist, in that she can analyze a situation and help her students overcome their obstacles. She not only helped me succeed in Impromptu, but I got to Nationals in Debate and Apologetics, as well. She is more than just a coach, she is a friend that I would recommend to anyone.” ~Zach D.
If you sign up for Online Impromptu, here are some of the things Annie will be covering…
Intro into Impromptu
Preparation
Structure
Delivery and Style
Growth
Adding Complexity
Being able to speak on your feet will be valuable for years to come. Sign up NOW.
Annie Rogers competed in speech and debate for seven years. In 2015, she earned the title of NCFCA National Impromptu Champion, her favorite category, and was in the top five debate teams in the nation for 2017. As a sophomore at Wheaton College in Illinois, Annie competes on Wheaton’s British Parliamentary debate team, and got 2nd place at the 2019 Pan Pacific Debate Championship. Annie has been coaching limited prep for three years, and loves watching her students tackle challenges and grow in skill and character.
This week a friend called. She needed some ideas for her club kids who are working on platforms. They’ve discussed having a thesis. They are writing, but there is not a lot beyond that to do with those speeches during club meetings right now. Here are the ideas I shared with her to help kids build platform skills before they have a platform speech prepared:
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Next week starts Online Impromptu Club with Annie Rogers. Sign up now to improve your Limited Prep speaking skills. Click HERE to learn more about this awesome opportunity or continue reading Annie’s article on “How to Approach Impromptu “…
Another fantastic Online Club/Class was just added for this semester of 2019! Sign up now! With tournament season right around the corner, this is the type of class that will help you progress in both Speech and Debate. Space is limited, so you better act now!
Online Impromptu Day/Time: Wednesday’s 9am CT (approx. 1 hour) Dates: October 30 – December 11, 2019 (Break the week of Thanksgiving) Cost: $50 Members/$65 NonMembers
Over the course of 6 weeks, we will dive head first into the world of limited prep, going over exercises and tips for clear structure, effective delivery, and persuasive content. Weekly meetings will center around a quick lecture on structure, delivery, or content tailored to impromptu, and then 1-2 students giving impromptu speeches per session. The majority of time will be spent analyzing the two speeches, and going through exercises to strengthen various facets of the speech. As coach, my goal is to help each student feel prepared and confident to give a concise and compelling for any topic they draw in impromptu.
Please Note: All meetings will take place over Zoom, and will be recorded. Space Limited!!
Coach Bio: Annie Rogers competed in speech and debate for seven years. In 2015, she earned the title of NCFCA National Impromptu Champion, her favorite category, and was in the top five debate teams in the nation for 2017. As a sophomore at Wheaton College in Illinois, Annie competes on Wheaton’s British Parliamentary debate team, and got 2nd place at the 2019 Pan Pacific Debate Championship. Annie has been coaching limited prep for three years, and loves watching her students tackle challenges and grow in skill and character.
Definition of Introduction: the thing preliminary to something else, especially in an explanation section at the beginning of a book, report, or speech. If you have read any of the going on 400 articles Lasting Impact! has wrote, I have already made it very clear I think an Introduction is super important element in your Interpretive Speeches. But one type of Intro might have a little more punch when it comes to the judges...
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It’s that time of year again, pumpkins, cool nights, falling leaves and….
Debate prep! If you are doing LD this year, I’m sure you have realized that this resolution is really challenging in more ways than one. Not only is the wording different than you’re probably used to, it’s a fact resolution so there is only one side, but also the topic is unbelievably complicated. Everyone from scholars to military experts has been debating about it for thousands of years. You will need to understand not only debate concepts, but ethics, philosophy, and history just to name a few. Because of all these reasons and the gap we saw in providing real, understandable, concrete help to you, Lasting Impact! created the 2019-2020 NCFCA LD Guidebook written by two of its top competitors, Hope Rawlson and Caleb Sampson. No matter who you are or your experience level, from novice to experienced debater, we believe this guide will be of tremendous benefit to you. This is a complete resource, not your typical “sourcebook”. In addition to LD cases, we wanted to help you understand the most important parts of LD by going through it section by section. Included in the Guidebook are extensive briefs on Definitions, Resolutional Analysis, Values, Contentions, Themes, Philosophy and Case Ideas. Plus, hundreds of evidence cards on historical events relevant to the resolution. So, whether you are learning how to do LD, teaching a club, exploring resources, or trying to get a head start on the season, we believe this Guidebook can send you on your way to being a fantastic LD debater! Click HERE to purchase or read on…
Following is an excerpt from our Themes summary and brief. We hope you enjoy-Happy Debating!!
Humor is important in communication. Knowing how to use humor opens doors that no other skill can get through, BUT humor badly done is also worse than any other communication skill when it’s botched, so it’s awfully important to your ethos as a speaker to manage your humor well and mine all of its potential.
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I love new Speech categories! The opportunity to try something new or experience something some people might not!? You don't need to be the adventurous type… just be willing to try! Don't let someone tell you, you are a debater or limited prep-type. You define who you are. Give these new speech categories a whirl. This is your time to set the bar. Be the example! Don't sit back and just watch someone else experience something you can… you be the pioneer… ready, set, GO! Let's take a look at a few of the new possibilities this season...
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Imagine this: It’s the beginning of a new competition season. You’re excited to start learning about the new debate resolution, and you need a way to gain a killer understanding of the topic. So what do you do? You buy a sourcebook for the resolution. Sounds logical, right? Well, not completely. The book you just purchased is composed of two sample cases and a few pages of briefs. You read through all the material, and even though it’s solid, you’re left wanting to learn even more.
I’ve been debating for five years now, and over that time, I’ve come to a conclusion about debating; it can be pretty tricky! Let’s face it, answering questions that have stumped the world’s brightest minds requires a huge amount of foundational knowledge. If you need a beginner case or a basic brief, most LD sourcebooks are great, but if you want a complete, awesome, expert understanding of Lincoln Douglas Debate, they’re simply not enough.
That’s where Lasting Impact! comes in. For the past three months, we’ve been creating a completely new type of LD sourcebook: The 2019-2020 NCFCA LD Guidebook. The purpose of this Guidebook is to fill a role that other sourcebooks don’t, the role of a complete resource. We’ve delved into legal journals, philosophy texts, and ancient writings to round up as much information as possible to send you on your way to being an expert LD debater!
Included in the LD Guidebook are extensive lists of –
Definitions
Values
Resolutional Analysis
Contentions
Case Ideas
Strategies
Philosophies
Most important of all, the Guidebook includes HUNDREDS of evidence cards (yes, hundreds) on historical events relevant to the current resolution. So you’ll know all about preventive wars fought in ancient Greece, modern Iraq, and everything in between.
The NCFCA LD Guidebook is written by two of NCFCA’s top competitors- Hope Rawlson and Caleb Sampson. Hope Rawlson is the reigning 2019 National NCFCA LD, Moot, and Extemp Champion. Caleb Sampson is a two-time LD National Quarterfinalist, as well as the 2019 NCFCA Sweepstakes Champion and the 2018 Illustrated Oratory National Champion. “We’re so excited and blessed to be a part of this project, and hope you’ll take advantage of this awesome resource. We truly believe that with the foundation of the Lasting Impact! NCFCA LD Guidebook, competitors will hit the ground running as they get ready to compete in 2020!”
Now is the time to get this awesome resource! CLICK here to purchase yours today.
Do you ever wonder how to effectively link books, songs, movies, art… to Jesus? I mean, who does that?! Mars Hill Impromptu is a great event that helps train us to implement Jesus into every aspect of our lives! It’s also a great way to practice witnessing to others about Christ in a creative way!
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