Do you know what the most underrated skill gained from speech and debate is???
The skill is not one that likely jumps to the top of your mind. Yes, speech and debate are great for developing critical thinking, vocabulary, public speaking, advanced nonverbal, interpersonal communication, research, leadership, and problem-solving skills, however, there is one more – let’s call it skill nine – that is absolutely worth highlighting… [Insert drum roll here]… self-awareness.
MEMBERSHIP PRiCES for ALL – through the 4th of July!! Our Online Camps are LESS THAN $100 (see below for details on the discounts). Sign up today for Lasting Impact! Online Camps, they will provide – amazing information, instruction, and inspiration! And, as always, the recording is FREE! Running a Club this year? Club Leaders are also welcome to attend! Learn and glean from top notch coaches to walk away with a jump start on the season making progress towards success!
Ethan Tong said, “Some of my fondest memories of High School Speech and Debate were the summer camps: hanging out with friends, not understanding how much I was learning, with little to no pressure to perform well. I remember one camp in Wisconsin where I was doing a practice round. One of the camp coaches was judging. I could not finish a single sentence without stuttering and saying ums all over the place––despite it being my 2nd year competing. I was so embarrassed that I literally said, in my speech, “I’m sorry, I promise I’m usually not this bad”!”
The great thing about camps is that you’re allowed to make mistakes and not be on your best game. You need to remember- you go to camp to learn, grow, and explore!
Lasting Impact! is offering summer speech and debate camps all over the country – including Hawaii! But did you know we also are providing some AMAZING speech and debate opportunities ONLINE this summer?? We are offering ONLINE DEBATE – in three different events––TP, LD, and Moot Court–– and ONLINE SPEECH! We guarantee they will help you learn the elements to get you started on the road to progress. By heading to a summer camp you are guaranteed to be further ahead than if you didn’t! We, at Lasting Impact!, are all about the process and progress over the perfection! If you can’t make it to an in person camp this summer… check out these online options…
TP and LD Camp – (TP – July 10-11/LD – July 12-13) These are called “Principles of TP” and “Principles of LD” because we will not just teach you how to succeed in a particular resolution, but how to succeed in any resolution. Coach Ethan Tong and Coach Nathanael Kolssak will teach you the principles of debate that all nationally-ranked debaters use. They are not only experienced coaches and past competitors, but they are also experienced judges! Therefore, they will be able to give you tips from the other side of the table and tell you what judges like and what they don’t like. Click HERE and enter the Code – DISCOUNT2310 for $25 OFF!!
Moot Camp – (July 26-27 or Aug. 4-5) This camp is geared for beginners and advanced. Beginners will cover…
⁃What is Moot Court? ⁃What To Do When Cracking Open the Packet ⁃Case Writing 101 ⁃Responding to Questions 101 ⁃2023 Packet Discussion ⁃…and more!
The advanced track will cover: ⁃Improving at Moot ⁃Case Writing 201: Compelling Intros and Conclusions ⁃Mastering the Rebuttal ⁃2023 Packet Discussion Click HERE. And enter the Code- DISCOUNT2310 for $10 OFF!!
Jump Start Speech – (July 17) Heather Neumann will lead students of all levels to get a kick start for the upcoming season. Through class time and engaging activities, Heather will break down all the speech categories, teach the benefits of speech and debate, and dispel various myths. Even the most apprehensive students will walk away with a foundation, and the varsity students will be inspired! Click HERE. And enter the Code- DISCOUNT2310 for $10 OFF!!
Do you need a camp to do well? No, not necessarily, but our camps will have value. You have the opportunity to start your journey NOW! Begin the process NOW. Oh––and one more thing: we promise these camps will be fun. Yes, they’re online. But we use high energy, humor, games, activities, and everything in our power to make these camps some of the best you’ve ever been to. Just hear what a Moot Court camper said:
“The energy was immaculate, the feedback was top tier, and the way the coaches handled everything (from jokes to lectures to drills to giving tips) exceeded my already high expectations greatly. Would 100% pay again. 10/10.”
Isaiah Depp competed in Speech and Debate for four years. He began reluctantly, but found a passion for articulating his thoughts, debating arguments, and processing ideas. He was blessed to study under a few master coaches, including Isaiah McPeak and Laurie Dawson. He submerged himself into a deep dive learning process uncovering everything he could from researching an argument, to actually understanding the other side and presenting cases. Isaiah enjoys thinking through the ideas and with new NCFCA resolution out, he thought, “why not dive into it?” and below are his initial thoughts…Enjoy!
Ok- maybe we are a bit premature! Some of you haven’t been to your National Championship, yet! But REGISTRATION IS GOING ON NOW! Lasting Impact! aims to empower students with the skills of effective communication and teamwork through the avenues of debate and public speaking. Check out what you can sign up for by going to the SHOP ( https://lastingimpact.info/shop/ )or read the list below…
In Person Camps! The Impact! Tour is topping at over 10 locations from HI to FL! We love partnering with clubs and are excited to bring energy and fun and quality coaching to your home town! We still have some dates available, if your state isn’t on the list, contact us!
Online Camps! Can’t make it to an in person camp? We have online camps in June, July, and August! All camps are recorded, so you won’t have to miss a thing!
Summer Sessions! https://lastingimpact.info/product/club15065/ We added something new to the mix this year! Online weekly encouragement to boost students, parents, coaches, and clubs! Every Monday night for ten weeks we will dig into the topics you want to hear about. We’ve invited special guests, as well as our coaches for you to hear the latest ideas and inspiration. Sessions 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
We, at Lasting Impact! have a passion for the Art of Communication! We are excited for what the Lord has in store for young people, and want to help them understand the value and power they have to IMPACT and inspire! If you aren’t seeing something you want contact heather@lastingimpact.info
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…
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!
This past week, I had the privilege of judging multiple LD rounds at an NCFCA tournament. I saw some stellar cases and strong argumentation, but I also noticed a disturbing trend: many students seem confident and put-together when they affirm the resolution. They can articulate a strong philosophical case for private property rights, complete with appeals to social contract theory and natural rights. However, when it comes to the negative side, many cases seem far less polished. Students struggle to come up with a philosophical justification for the economic interests of the community. They let many affirmative points slide, uncontested. They often look uncomfortable.
We, at Lasting Impact!, are excited to jump into 2023! Join us as we learn, explore, and make Lasting Impacts! through speech and debate! This spring Lasting Impact! is offering multiple opportunities for students to expand their skills!
Are you looking to up your speech and debate game? This winter/spring Lasting Impact! is hosting a number of different online clubs, including Extemp Roundtable with Marc Davis, Literary Analysis and Speech 101 with Heather Neumann, Apologetics and Foundational LD Debate with Noah McKay and starting in February Limited Prep with Honor Hoffman and Debate Readiness with Amy Eichholz! Our coaches have years of experience, knowledge and are actively involved with the leagues and speech and debate community. Our clubs provide not only educational material but general life skills, such as communication, analytical skills, timeline goals, and the ability to give and receive feedback from fellow peers. Clubs are a wonderful way to gain insight, knowledge, and help prepare you for the 2023 tournaments, and beyond! We are proudly a Christian-based organization mentoring students through a biblical worldview.
Here’s what people are saying,
“Heather combines next-door warmth with canny insight, creating classes and opportunities for students and parents that perfectly meet needs in an enthusiastic, always-encouraging, Christ-focused way. How grateful we are for Lasting Impact!” – Missy
“Lasting Impact! fosters an encouraging and creative environment for multiple ages, providing students across America and beyond with a solid foundation of principles and skills that will be used time and time again!” – John
“Being clear, logical, articulate, and winsome are qualities fast-fading in our culture, so we need to cultivate them. Lasting Impact! taught my student how research with legitimate sources, how to use logical analysis, and how to communicate calmly and persuasively.” – Kristi
“As a new student in the speech and debate world, I am very thankful for my coaches at Lasting Impact! They prepared me better than I ever thought possible!” – Isaiah
We would love to have you join us in preparing to leave a Lasting Impact! For more information on specific clubs or to register please visit our Shop. See you soon!
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