Category: How to Prepare

Speech and Debate Summer Prep Intensive… sign up NOW!

Posted on by Heather Neumann

Lasting Impact! is excited to announce our first annual Speech and Debate Online Summer Prep Intensive especially geared for students, parents, and coaches!! Do you feel like you and your family could use some coaching when it comes to-

  • How to become more prepared for Speech and Debate?
  • How do we make Speech and Debate part of our curriculum?
  • Where do we get started if we want to learn more about Debate, or Speech events?
  • How do I pick an event?

Look no further! Lasting Impact! has put together a two-day ONLINE Workshop filled with information from our amazing, top notch coaches!

Come for one session or all! This is two full days packed for you to get the most out of your summer and upcoming season!

Sessions may include… final schedule will be announced soon!

Summer Apologetics Prep
Thinking about Extemp
Mars Hill with Isabelle Clausen
Speech and Debate from a Biblical Worldview
Is Interpretive or Platform Speaking For Me?
Starting a Club
Novice and Advanced Speaking
Debate Breakdown/Resolution Analysis
Parental Support
Where to Begin with Speech and Debate?
Making the most of the year
How to use your summer

We look forward to being a part of your Summer Speech and Debate prep!!!

Sign Up Now! ONLY $25 per family!!

Lasting Impact! Online Summer Speech and Debate Intensive

Credibility Crash Course

Posted on by Kristi Eskelund

Undoubtedly one or two things come to mind when you hear the word, credibility:  that guy who makes up sources for his extemp round, or that team that slices up their evidence cards so that they say what they want them to say instead of what the author actually said.  If that is the extent of your definition of credibility, you might need to stretch your understanding of the term.

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Why is the MESSAGE important in your Speech?

Posted on by Heather Neumann

Making sure your speech has significance is going to allow your judges the ability to connect with you, which in turn will hopefully cause your rank to improve. Sure, delivery is important, but it is what you are saying that is going to leave a lasting impact...

Young speakers struggle with figuring out what their topic is going to be on, nevertheless making it have the "So What Factor". Guiding them through the importance of having a message is something you should spend time in club doing. Here are my reasons WHY speakers should have a message...

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Overcoming the Fear of Public Speaking

Posted on by Heather Neumann

I spent a lot a of time and research on this article. One might think... Kristi and Heather and the Lasting Impact! Team just come up with random articles to write about and then poof, we write! Nope, sometimes God lays something on our hearts that we need to research or look for answers or look to the "experts."

I know many of us struggle with the fear of public speaking! Whether you are a new student, a returning student, or parent - getting up in front of an audience is hard! So - I did my research - I spent hours looking up the best ways to deal with "stage fright". Then I did the next best thing- asked our amazing coaches, how they combated their fears. Here is what I found...

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Blood, Sweat, and Tears: Five Best Tips for Platform Speech Writing by: Rebecca Frazer

Posted on by Heather Neumann

It’s that time of year—time for writing, re-writing, and honing speeches for competition. As an avid fan of the platform speech, I wrote and delivered nine platform speeches in four different platform categories during my years in speech and debate competition. By the end of it all, I’d learned that quality speech-writing takes an intense cognitive and emotional investment, somewhat akin to Churchill’s description of blood, sweat, and tears. We all can benefit from the encouragement of those who have been there before. So for all you hard-working speech writers out there, here are five pro-tips to aid your master process:

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Developing an Idea for a (Platform) Speech – The “So What?” Factor

Posted on by Heather Neumann

If you have been to one of my camps or workshops, I sometimes have my own little ways of saying things- "a Heather Neumann-ism." ;) Needless to say, I have coined the phrase, "The So What? Factor." Students have ideas all the time for their speeches, but does their idea have the "so what?"  factor? What is the "so what? factor"? Can your idea go the distance? Here are some questions you can ask yourself when you are flushing out an idea for a speech to make sure it has "The So What Factor". Today, we will specifically be going through the so what factor with Platform Speeches and while there is overlap, in the next couple of weeks we will tackle the so what factor with Interps...

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A Guide for Speech Preparation by: Chiara Baldacci

A Guide for Speech Preparation by: Chiara Baldacci

Posted on by Heather Neumann

Every tournament at script submission, if you listen, you’ll hear numbers of people complaining (but really bragging) about how little time they put into their speeches. You can almost hear the debate about who has stayed up the latest memorizing and writing. People take pride in their procrastination—especially when they go and win a tournament. But health, sanity, and excellence are all far more important than your pride—and your cramming skills. Pace yourself. You will achieve a higher level of excellence and a lower level of stress…

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2 Approaches to Platform Speeches (Workshop Tonight!)

Posted on by Heather Neumann

Which do you pick first? A platform speech category or a specific platform speech topic? Do you decide to write a persuasive and then look for the perfect persuasive topic or become passionate about a speech on baking long before you decide it’d make the perfect after dinner on household mishaps and management? Maybe you haven’t ever thought about this question, but it is an important step in the process of crafting an excellent platform speech. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer, so how you choose to answer the question will shape the rhetoric of your speech, its momentum, and your own growth as a speaker. If you’ve decided that you want to invest in a platform speech this year, whether you have brainstormed ideas or not, this is the workshop that will help you take the next steps. We’ll review the basic categories of platform speeches and look at their goals. We’ll examine the reasoning behind choosing topics and choosing platform categories, giving special attention to the relationship between these two approaches. We’ll also spend time working through potential topics ideas you may have. Our goal is to make this workshop an energizing and interactive experience that deepens your understanding of how to craft excellent platform speeches. We hope to see you there!

For more info read on or CLICK HERE to sign up…

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Workshop Wednesday – Making the Most of TP Debate Prep by: Eric Meinerding

Posted on by Heather Neumann

Eric Meinerding saw much success in High School Speech and Debate, and now he has been a college debater for the last two tears. He has gleaned many pivotal lessons from his professional collegiate coaches. He can’t wait to share what he has learned this Wednesday night! Join us  in his live online workshop (only $5 for members) titled, “Making the Most Out of TP Prep”, for more info click HERE.

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It’s Speech Season… but what event should I do?

Posted on by Kristi Eskelund

The Speech and Debate season is officially started - clubs have begun to meet, students are meeting with their coaches, preparations for the upcoming season are underway, and while competitions may seem far, far away to you right now, these next couple of months are actually critical time for the students who arrive at that first competition invested and ready. So, how to begin? Where to start? How do you decide what events you are going to do?

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