The Power of Pauses and… Many Applications of Timing by: Kristi Eskelund

I like the Dictionary.com definition of timing:
“the choice, judgment, or control of when something should be done.”

I like this definition because of these words: choice, judgement, and control. These words emphasize that much of what we call timing as it pertains to public speaking depends strictly upon the speaker. The speaker chooses how to control the tempo to direct the responses and reactions of the audience.

There are actually several angles to consider when discussing pauses and timing as they apply to becoming a good public speaker.

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Impact! Tip – Personal Ethos by: Kristi Eskelund

Ethos is a difficult word to understand and even more difficult to effectively apply to your own efforts as a speaker. It’s a not-so-novice item for certain! Let’s see if we can begin to understand it a bit, and how we can apply it to Speech and Debate... and ultimately beyond!

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Lasting Impact! One Stop Resource

Ever caught yourself feeling unprepared for the upcoming season or generally in need of speech and debate resources? You’re in luck! From clubs, coaching, and mentoring to downloadable pdfs, Lasting Impact! has you covered! If you’ve ever wondered what the resources Lasting Impact! offers are, look no further! Lasting Impact! is available for all to enjoy, however membership does have privileges. Why do we offer a membership? Lasting Impact! is a community, think of it as a giant club! We have members all over the world. A few of the membership benefits are- receive discounts on coaching, clubs, and classes, as well as free access to our video gallery and the recorded workshops. Membership is ONLY $35 for the year!! As a Christmas and New Year’s BONUS you can use the code MEMBER5 for $5 off!!! If you don’t want to be a member but want to be up to date on what we offer, be sure you SUBSCRIBE to our website and give us your email on the right hand side of the HOME page.

In addition to the over 400 articles (and counting) posted at the Lasting Impact! site written for Speech and Debaters, in mind, as well as parents, coaches, and club leaders, here is an outline everything available in the lastingimpact.info SHOP (think Christmas gifts)…

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Adding Personal Perspective to Speech and Debate by: Kristi Eskelund

If we are going to talk about YOU as a speaker (and we are!) then you need to begin to know what your perspective is on the things you are going to talk about. Perspective in your point of view.

Let me break that down:
Your – influenced by your own experiences and encounters and background, etc.
Point – the direction of your thoughts
of View – the way you are looking at things

See, your perspective is yours. As you move beyond the ranks of a novice speaker, you will stop writing and saying the things you think other people want you to write and say, and you will begin articulating your very own thoughts, gleaned from your very own experiences, based on the things you encounter with your very own senses. You will share perspective with other people, but unless you can identify something as your own perspective, you will not be a genuine and authentic speaker...

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Ready… Not Ready (How to survive signing up for a Speech and Debate Tournament)

“In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun.” Apparently, Mary Poppins had never signed up for a Speech and Debate Tournament!! Ah- the STRESS!! First there is IF you are going to sign up… Are your parents making you? Are your speeches written? Do you have a case yet? Just breathe! Let us be your guide… your own little Mary Poppins to help you navigate the task set before you. How to survive signing up for a Speech and Debate Tournament…

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Another Resource! Lasting Impact! Grab and Go TP Guide

Yes! We have done it again… added another resource to help guide you through this 2020-21 Team Policy Debate Season. This is for any TP student, parent, coach, club leader, or even judge who wants to get a better understanding Team Policy! If you want to quickly wrap your brain around TP this season in either NCFCA or Stoa- this Guide is for you!

The Lasting Impact Grab and Go TP Guide provides a succinct and thorough basis for Team Policy Debate. Perfect for both competitors and coaches new to Team Policy, the guide covers basics such as stock issues, plans, harms, advantages, definitions, and more. For those wanting a deeper dive, the Guide also offers aff/neg strategies and research tips, laid out in a clear and accessible manner. Complete with an example Stoa Aff case, NCFCA Neg brief (from the Lasting Impact TP Sourcebook), and NCFCA general brief, this Guide will equip students with a thorough understanding of how to approach and compete in Team Policy Debate in a skilled and godly way.

Table of Contents include…

About the Book
About the Authors
Definition
Definitions Summary
Definitions Brief (NCFCA)
Definitions Brief (Stoa)
Plans
The Stock Issues
Topicalit​y
Inherency
Significance
Solvency
Advantages & Disadvantages
Evidence
Advocacy
Case Backups
Brief Writing
Sample Case Structure
Sample Case (Stoa)
Sample Negative Brief (NCFCA)
General Brief: The European Union
Debate Terminology
TP Tips and Tricks
Prep Time
Speaker Positions
Presentation
Evidence Preparation Strategy
Voting Issues
Choosing Your Partner
Partner Questionnaire
Tips For Writing A Good Ballot

Grab the Guide and Go HERE. Don’t forget to also check out the 2020-21NCFCA TP Sourcebook HERE. Lasting Impact! loves being able to support your speech and debate journey, wherever you are in the journey.

Expectations From an Online Tournament from Lasting Impact! By: Thaddian Burson

I could say it a thousand times: Adaption to online tournaments will be essential for the upcoming debate season! Raise your hand if you want to try out online debate for the first time at an actual tournament with check marks or at-large points in the balance? No hands? I agree.
The speech and debate world is undergoing a huge shift to try and balance speech and debate while protecting people’s lives. This shift is towards online debate. As students, we can choose to either resist it and just hope that something changes, or embrace it and learn to adapt. I am with most of you in that my initial gut reaction to online debate was: “Yuck!” Yet, after participating in several online tournaments, one of which was hosted by Lasting Impact!, my perspective has entirely changed. I believe that online tournaments provide a more than viable way to continue speech and debate in the Covid era.

Lasting Impact! is offering a chance to prepare for these online tournaments in the form of their Fall Circuit. It starts Sept. 28, 2020. Go to www.impacttournaments.com for more info or to register. In the meantime here are some expectations that you can have for this circuit and future Impact Tournaments…

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Hope Rawlson Does it Again – 2020-21 LD Guidebook is HERE!

This summer the Lasting Impact Team and myself have been working hard on the 2020-2021 NCFCA Lincoln Douglas Debate Guidebook!

Through this process, I have discovered the difficulty level of this resolution – it isn’t an easy one. We want you to be as prepared as possible; we want you to reach your fullest potential.

The Guidebook is to do precisely as the name implies – guide you through the year. If you have never stepped foot in a round or if you are a seasoned pro looking to dominate your senior year, this book is for you.

For beginners, it contains thorough explanations and illustrations of each element of an LD case. Additionally, multiple cases are provided that can be used as-is or made into one’s own.

For advanced debaters, we have made sure that over 90% of the evidence found is from highly credible sources, that the briefs cover every major example you need to know about, and that inside contains everything you need to jumpstart your year.

Young or old, teacher or competitor, this Guidebook is for you.

You won’t be disappointed! Get it HERE.

Want to know more about the author… Here is what Hope had to say when we asked her a few questions…

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Do you know how to research? by: Isaiah McPeak

A special kind of camp is on the horizon… the type of camp, club leaders, coaches, and students can really sink their teeth into! How do you research? Have you ever really been taught, or did it just come instinctively? What if I told you, you could learn how, and it could help you foundationally for the rest of your life! This is going to be an opportunity you don’t want to miss…

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The Need for Observation by: Denise Montgomery

Lasting Impact’s fall line up of online clubs and classes is going to be better than ever! All of the classes are listed HERE. One of the classes will be taught by my dear friend, Denise Montgomery. I believe her class will directly influence students, their observations, and of course their journey with speech and debate. After years of teaching (at the collegiate level and at home) Denise aims to fill in the gaps that many English programs leave. To think critically, effectively communicate, problem-solve, and experience life more fully, people must look through a new and wider lens…

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Questions to ask before signing up for online camps and classes

It is awesome to live in a world with so many opportunities! Our youth have so many options to explore and with protocols still up in the air throughout the country, it’s only natural that everyone is moving online. Summer School, Camps, and Classes, what do you choose? What will be the best fit when it comes to learning online? The Speech and Debate community is growing and it’s awesome to have so many options! As a parent for over 25 years, home educator for over 20 years, and an online business leader for almost four years, these would be the questions I would ask before signing up my students for an online camp or class…

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