I’ve been blessed to coach students heading to the national championship and watch students compete since 2016. Year after year, I often find myself saying the same thing- get a fresh perspective! It is not a new concept.
What inspired me today applies particularly to speech students, though I would encourage debate students to think through the same concept – how do we view our case, digital presentation/expos, apologetics? You name it, pick a topic.. how do we approach any of it with a fresh perspective that will not only engage our audience and judges, but engage our own minds as well…
Weekly live (yet recorded) Speech and Debate sessions to increase your summer prep! Each week we will cover areas or subjects pivotal to Speech and Debate. Sessions will include…
How to get started in Speech and Debate
Overview of Resolutions
How to Research
Picking Topics
The Ins and Outs of Expository or Digital Presentations
Purposeful Practicing
Running Clubs/Club Leading
And More!
Each week there will be a theme, which will include guest speakers. The schedule will go out in advance.
When?
June 26-Aug. 28
Mondays – 7:30pm CT
Cost – $150 per family/$125 per membership family
Questions?
Do I need to be physically present? No. But being there is an advantage! The recordings will be sent out.
Can I watch the recordings later? Yes, we will keep the recordings for the remainder of the year, possibly longer.
Do I need to purchase one for each student? Nope! The cost is per family.
Can I use a video for club? Yes.
Lasting Impact! loves coming along students, parents, coaches, and clubs providing you with the tools for the toolbox to create an impact! Come! Be inspired! And be get ready to make an IMPACT! Register NOW – https://lastingimpact.info/product/club15065/
Ahhh- yes, another baking recipe article from someone who does not like to cook or bake, but I do know how to write a speech, coach a speech, teach public speaking, and prepare for the next level of speech and debate competition!
Whether you are heading to your Regional Championship, National Championship, or simply the last chance to achieve your goals, it’s time to relook at your speeches and make sure they have some key ingredients…
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This part of the season is particularly stressful. The last qualifiers are passing by, spelling the end of the season for some, and the road to Regionals for others. Exhaustion sets in as energy starts to run low. You have been giving these speeches and researching for debate for four months now, if not more. You trade social activities for brief building, and spend your time talking to walls in an attempt to get your accents perfected. After months of competition and being scrutinized by judges and submitting yourself to emotional and physical exhaustion for three to four days straight, you are likely worn out.
Why are you doing this Speech and Debate activity?
Voting closes this week on the proposed NCFCA LD resolutions. Though I’ve been uncharacteristically quiet about this year’s options, I have plenty of thoughts to share. Better late than never…
Proposed team policy resolutions can be very hit-or-miss. Some years, the entire slate of options is highly promising (like in 2022, when NCFCA debaters could choose from tribal issues, federal prisoners, or housing concerns). Other years, the provided choices leave debaters wondering who exactly is in charge of proofing these suggestions (while increasing development assistance to Honduras, Guatemala, or El Salvador is an important topic, it doesn’t exactly lend itself well to breadth of research).
Fortunately, this year’s NCFCA lineup is more the former than the latter. While each option has its pros and cons (we’ll get into those in a moment), each would be a perfectly reasonable and interesting topic to spend a season debating…
If you have ever spent hours writing a speech only to have it be wordy, factual, or even like an essay, this platform checklist is for YOU! It can be tricky to clearly and concisely convey your points in an exciting way without the so-called “meat”, main points, or the body of your speech being lost. Heather Neumann has created step-by-step guide (and the worksheet/handout is even included in the Speech Grab and Go Guide - HERE), you’ll not only be checking off each box but wowing your audience and judges! Heather has taught and coached thousands of students, including Ted Talk speakers, she knows what a good speech looks like and how to keep the audience’s attention! Perhaps going through this list you will realize what your speech is missing…
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Could the skills learned in high school speech and debate be part of the solution to the culture’s ideological conflict and political division? I believe the answer is yes. Participating in debate is the best way to learn one crucial skill that is incredibly needed and often overlooked. Debate requires students to fairly evaluate views that they don’t hold…
If you’re in Team Policy Debate, hopefully by now you have a wealth of evidence dumped somewhere, ready to use at your first tournament. The problem comes when you’re in a debate round, trying to find where exactly you put that one perfect card.
We, at Lasting Impact!, are proud to offer a variety of Clubs and Classes! We have excellent instructors who care deeply and passionately for our students. Amy Eichholz is one of these instructors, and she is also my friend. We have been doing Speech and Debate together for over a decade. She has taught countless early, beginning debaters in one of the largest Speech and Debate Clubs in the MidWest. We are stoked to be starting another Debate Readiness Class this spring 2023. It starts Monday… and there is still time to sign up! Click HERE to register, or check out the description and Amy’s bio below…
Are you interested in a gentle introduction to some of the skills used in debate? Learning to think critically and communicate rationally about a wide variety of subjects is one of the best benefits of debate. For new debaters, the learning curve can seem steep, especially for young debate students. Debate Readiness exists to equip young thinkers with some basic tools for their debate toolbox. In this course, we will introduce logical fallacies, basic economics and lawmaking, and current the NCFCA resolutions.
Booklist: The Fallacy Detective by Nathanael Bluedorn Whatever Happened to Penny Candy by Richard Marbury Whatever Happened to Justice by Richard Marbury
Ages: 10 – 15
Bio: Amy Eichholz I am a homeschool mom who began novice debate class over a decade ago alongside my oldest son, and while he and all his siblings have graduated from novice debate, I’m still happily there. I coach in my local club, Salt & Light, where I have the joy to see beginning debaters gain skills and confidence as they learn to think and communicate critically and deeply about important issues. Prior to homeschooling my children, I taught fifth through twelfth grades in public and private schools, with an emphasis on special needs and gifted education. I love debate because it synthesizes critical thinking skills and applies them in exciting, real world ways and is a powerful crucible the Lord can use to humble, teach, and grow us as His disciples. Oh, and I love to knit!
“Well…I guess they sit in a circle and hold hands and sing Kum ba yah. But the program doesn’t work because the government needs more money to sing Kum ba yah…and drug dealers and immigration violators don’t even get to sing!” This is a quote from my favorite ballot of last year. It is a vivid description of my team policy case (and it’s not far off either.)
There is a uniqueness to speech and debate leagues that didn’t become fully clear to me until this past weekend. I walked into the competition room, taking deep breaths to relax my nerves. Only this time, I wasn’t competing. I was a judge…
Most people think of impromptu examples as stories. Almost always, that’s the way it plays out: whether you’re telling the story of someone’s life (Beethoven overcame challenging life circumstances to compose beautiful music), a plot point from a book (When Frodo took the ring to Mount Doom, he relied on his friend Sam), or even a personal anecdote, you’re relying on storytelling. There’s nothing wrong with this–in fact, story is a powerful way to connect with people and draw them into your narrative…
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