Opportunities to compete online are all over the place, but how prepared are you? Online competition is a great way to participate in speech and debate without leaving the comforts of your home. But how do you prepare to communicate in this environment? Is it as simple as setting up your computer in your bedroom and showing up to deliver a speech? Our coaching team has been booked the last couple weeks… people realize you have to ADAPT if you are speaking to a camera or computer. It’s just different! If you don’t have time to schedule a coaching call before the next time you compete online, read on for the best tips and tricks from online competition experts who helped many in 2021 succeed…
It’s that time of year again. The Lincoln-Douglas debate resolutions have been released and the family affiliates have been asked to vote. But how are we to decide? This question seems to come up every year, so here are a few metrics that we like to think about when considering the debate resolutions:
We are in the thick of summer planning! One of the many things we do is come to YOU! Local families, coaches, or clubs invite The Lasting Impact! Team to come in a provide your local area with all of the latest, up to date speech and debate materials to help equip students and to jump start them into the world of speech and debate! Whether students are brand new, you are trying to motivate your reluctant debater, you are trying to grow your club, or you are looking for a fresh new perspective with energy, excitement, and passion for students learning the art of communication… we are here for you! Our summer camps are geared toward the needs of your local area! We customize every camp and send the top coaches! Last year we went to over a dozen locations nationwide! Where are we going this year? The list we be out SOON! Oh- and don’t worry, if we can’t come to your area… we will have summer online options as well!
Do you want to join the Lasting Impact! Summer Tour? We are looking for team members! Do you want the Lasting Impact! Team to come to your area? We have some space available!
Honor Hoffmann has been around speech and debate a long time! I remember her as an eager 12 year old. She had a zest and a zeal for learning, which has not stopped even after she graduated. Now she continues to give back, and has become quite the coach and expert! Her experience, as well as her gifts for teaching blesses our Lasting Impact! community. She wrote our Limited Prep Guide, and is also teaching a Limited Prep Club second semester (sign up NOW). If you want to grow as a competitor or learn more as a parent or coach… sign up for her Club, schedule a coaching call with her, read her book, or read the article below…
My first year of speech and debate, I mainly picked extemp because it was limited prep, and I wanted to put as little time into speech as possible. I was confident that my natural speaking skills would carry the day, regardless of my level of preparation.
At my first tournament, I got a cold splash of reality. Nearly all the extempers in the prep room were seniors, they were the excessively analytical types that wore bow ties and actually understood economic theories, and a large percentage were tall and imposing guys. Needless to say, I got slaughtered on every ballot that year.
Yet despite the reputation Extemp has received as a category for older students who are into research, I’m convinced that every speech and debater would benefit from trying extemp. Why? Here are three big reasons:
We are in full gear of the 2024 Tournament Season! Are you reading those ballots and feeling like you just need a little more push, edge, or inspiration!? Join a Lasting Impact! Club for all of the above, including GROWTH and fellowship! Second Semester Clubs are geared for the competition! Our coaches are actively involved in tournaments, judging, watching, understanding the elements of Speech and Debate, and what trends are trending. Are you looking for a little more this season? Sign up for one or more of the club below…
Speech 102 – Heather Neumann , along with public speaking pros, will be helping students take a deeper dive into their speeches. Students will practice and hone their speeches and receive feedback.
FAST TRACK – Interp – A six week course on quickly on creating a piece. There’s no reason not to jump into an interpretive speech this season! Why not start NOW!
LD Strategies – Ethan Tong will lead students deeper through the NCFCA resolution. This will be the place to be for extra practice, analysis, and growth!
Limited Prep Club – This eight week course with Honor Hoffmann will help you navigate the limited prep events – Apologetics, Extemporaneous, and Impromptu Speaking. These three events take practice! And typically more than just at a tournament! Come gain insight into these valuable events!
All clubs will be recorded, if you can’t make it. But as always, you will get the most out of being present! Tell your friends! Head to the SHOP and sign up NOW! Looking for more individual growth? Sign up for a one on one Coaching Session or a Script Assessment HERE. We look forward to seeing you soon!
Heart pounding. Palms sweating. Timer beeping. Pause. “Judges Ready?” Although the long, grueling days of speech and debate tournaments are behind me, these words manage to strike a peculiar chord of nostalgia and trepidation. From the first few tournaments when I competed via parental encouragement to the last tournaments when I remember thinking I’d miss these days. My speech and debate career ranged from sheer terror to apprehensive excitement. And even though I received a fair share of awards and plaques, I don’t think there was ever a speech I gave in my entire speech and debate career in which I didn’t tremble uncontrollably. Now, as a seasoned college student, I have noticed my speech and debate training come flying in at the most opportune times. And I’m wildly thankful for it…
Richard Green runs a Speech and Debate Club in Tennessee. His specialty- Lincoln Douglas Debate. This summer he tackled the NCFCA resolution and ran a summer debate camp. Here’s his approach any time he tackles a new resolution…
We spent a lot of time on this year’s GuideS… that’s right! We have TWO LD GUIDES. Take advantage of the bundled price (only $40) up until the end of the weekend. Go to the SHOP now, or hear what recent graduate and National LD Finalist, Lasting Impact Team Member, Kaeley Whitacre had to say about this resolution. I gave her the task of tackling it, as if she were still a competitor…
If you are a student, parent, club leader, or coach… Lasting Impact! is here to assist you in your speech and debate journey! This year will be our biggest Lincoln Douglas year ever! From clubs/classes – intro to advanced, to casebooks to guide books, to one on one coaching, to clubs. We are here for you! We coach all leagues… you should check out everything we offer…
Intro to LD with Peter Montgomery (not league specific)
LD Fundamentals with Nathanael and Hillary Kolssak
LD Strategies with Ethan Tong
Advanced LD with Noah McKay
Stoa LD with Charis Baker
NCFCA LD Guide Book Bundle – 2 Guides!!
Stoa LD – 5 Resolution Casebook
Head to the SHOP to see all the resources and how we can assist you!
The homeschool speech and debate circuit is quite conservative. Duh. This comes as a surprise to no one. Most of the motivations for homeschooling in the first place come from conservative places, such as evangelical Christianity. Christian leagues like NCFCA and STOA encourage their students to glorify Christ through speech and debate. This is a really good thing. My life and faith found their roots because of the conservative traditions in forensics. That being said, there should be open doors for some progressive opinions as well. Not everything. But some. And here’s why.
We are wrapping up the summer Speech and Debate Camp Circuit – otherwise known as the Impact! Tour! Our team went from north, south, east, and west… from HI to NJ, FL to WI! And we aren’t done yet! Fall is right around the corner and we are ready to help prepare you and your student for what the Lord has next! We are excited to offer OVER 10 CLASSES/CLUBS this fall! We have an AMAZING LINEUP – for all leagues, ages 10 and up! https://lastingimpact.info/product-category/clubs/
Debate Readiness with Amy Eichholz
Intro to LD with Peter Montgomery
Fundamentals LD with Hillary and Nathanael Kolssak
Strategy LD with Ethan Tong
Adv LD with Noah McKay
Intro to TP with Emalyn Sharp
Adv TP with Eric Meinerding
Extemp Roundtable with Eric Meinerding
Limited Prep with Ethan Tong
Apologetics with Noah McKay
Intro to Inter with Heather Neumann and Lynda DePasacreta
Speech 101 with Heather Neumann
Speech 102 with Heather Neumann
Our team has years of experience and are excited to share YOUR journey in the art of communication through Speech and Debate with YOU! In addition to our Lasting Impact! Online Clubs, did you know that our team coaches local clubs? Contact Heather@lastingimpact.info for club pricing. Sign up for fall now- and make the most of the 2023-24 season!
When NCFCA announced a few months back that rationalism vs. empiricism would be the LD resolution for the 2023-24 season, I was honestly a bit surprised. Even more surprising, however, was the resistance the topic was met with. Despite clearly receiving a plurality of votes, many people were disappointed in the resolution.
As someone who has coached LD for years and competed for years before that, the pushback bewildered me. What was so bad about this topic? I was even on this year’s LD resolution committee and so the research I had done on the topic was extensive. But I still wasn’t sure why people were hesitant to debate it. So I decided to get to the bottom of it, and this is what I found…
