Category: Products

Speech and Debate… Where to begin? With Lasting Impact!

Posted on by Heather Neumann

Ahh! The new speech and debate season is upon us! Are you feeling prepared? Perhaps a little overwhelmed!? Don’t worry… The Lasting Impact! Team is ready to come alongside students, parents, coaches, and clubs! Allow me to introduce ourselves…. Lasting Impact! has been around for a while now! We have literally coached thousands of students nationwide and internationally. We have had the opportunity to coach numerous (too many to count) National Champions. Throughout the year we travel the country from coast to coast teaching the art of communication through Speech and Debate. During the school year, you will often find our coaches on Zoom teaching classes and clubs, or coaching one on one. We offer a variety of products and services to help you navigate the world of speech and debate! Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to our BLOG to be sure you get the latest information, releases, sales, etc. Look what we have just for YOU… the SHOP is where you can find all the amazing offerings…

Clubs/Classes – Our fall 2024 club/classes are gearing up, ready to go! We are offering from everything to Apologetics to Debate to Speech 101 and 102, Extemporaneous to Interp! All clubs/classes are on Zoom and recorded. Our clubs are not only for students! Many coaches have sat in to learn and gain a better understanding of what our experienced coaches have to offer! We are still taking registrations- REGISTER NOW!

Speech and Debate Resources – Lasting Impact! has created a number of “must have” resources! Whether it’s The Ultimate Guide to Interpretive Speech, The Limited Prep Guide, Speech Games, Speech Grab and Go, or our Debate Sourcebooks… our Resources will make your life a whole lot easier! All books are Ebooks, and just one click away! https://lastingimpact.info/shop/

Coaching – Wait until you see the line up of our 2024-25 Coaches! These are truly the best of the best! All of our coaches are actively involved in the speech and debate community. They are club leaders, debate coaches, preachers, tournament coordinators, judges, etc. Book a session with one today, and you won’t be disappointed! https://lastingimpact.info/coach-information/

Blog – Did you know that Lasting Impact! has over 500 articles about speech and debate!? We have a lot of say. We are here for YOU to help you dig deeper and understand the ins and outs of debate resolutions and speech categories. Be sure you SUBSCRIBE to the blog to read what our coaches think or are discovering! https://lastingimpact.info/tag/free/

Membership – Yes, Lasting Impact! is a membership site. But you don’t have to be a member to read the free blog. Members receive discounts on coaching and clubs, access to video gallery, free workshop recordings, etc. Membership is just $35 for the year! https://lastingimpact.info/register/annual-membership-subscription/

We welcome you to be a part of the Lasting Impact! Family! We look forward to coming alongside you in your speech and/or debate journey!

Dramatic Interpretation: A Journey into the Depths of Emotion

Posted on by Heather Neumann

Dramatic Interpretation stands as one of the most emotionally charged and profoundly impactful categories in competitive speech. It requires competitors to delve into complex characters and narratives, often exploring themes of conflict, tragedy, and human resilience. Dramatic Interp is not just about death and dying! This category not only showcases a speaker's ability to interpret and convey intense emotions but also their skill in bringing to life the subtleties and depths of human experience. In some leagues they don’t have Dramatic Interp, so you can apply this article to Open Interp, or a dramatic duo! Really this article is how to dig deeper…

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NEW! The Ultimate Guide to Interpretive Speech

Posted on by Heather Neumann

You asked for it… we have been asked for years to come out with a product just for Interpretive Speech! Here it is! Packed with photos, inspiration, tips, tricks, advice, worksheets, games, encouragement, and more. The Ultimate Guide to Interpretive Speaking will be your Guide to walk you though the process of an Interpretive Speech – finding a piece, picking a piece, themes, introductions, honing your characters, as well as tackling specific categories such as duo, open, dramatic, humorous, or biblical.

This is a great resource for students, parents, and coaches! Did you know, Lasting Impact! Has dozens of resources? Check out the SHOP for items such as Debate Guides, Sourcebooks, The Speech Grab and Go, Speech Games Book, The Limited Prep Guide, and more!

https://lastingimpact.info/product-category/books

Purchase The Ultimate Guide to Interpretive Speech today!

Skeptic to Supporter: Rationalism vs. Empiricism by: Kaeley Whitacre

Posted on by Heather Neumann


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…

Continue reading “Skeptic to Supporter: Rationalism vs. Empiricism by: Kaeley Whitacre” →

2023-2024 – Biggest LD Year Ever!

Posted on by Heather Neumann

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!

Ready, Set, (Speech and Debate) Summer!

Posted on by Heather Neumann

Can you believe it’s mid-June? Can you believe I have had coaching sessions already for fall 2023?! I’m not going to lie- I love summer prep! I love the enthusiasm that comes with tackling new resolutions, speech ideas, and the inspiration that comes from simply seeking His will.

Are you feeling ready for what the new speech and debate season has in store? If you are feeling unequipped, unsettled, or uninspired – join Lasting Impact! to get energized!!

Online Summer Camps! 

In Person Summer Camps!

One on One Coaching! https://lastingimpact.info/product-category/services/ 

  • There’s nothing like a coaching session to give you accountability for the summer! 

Over 400 Articles!

  • Look through all our past articles to see what past coaches, competitors, even National Champions wanted to share with us!

New! Limited Prep Guide! https://lastingimpact.info/product/club15091/ 

  • The latest Lasting Impact! Resource full of beginner, intermediate, and advanced tips to help you grow in your limited prep speaking. Including Impromptu, Mars Hill, Extemporaneous, and Apologetics.

Books and Resources!

And don’t forget Fall Clubs are right around the corner… sign up now! Space is limited! https://lastingimpact.info/product-category/clubs/ 

  • Speech 101 with Heather Neumann
  • Speech 102 with Heather Neumann
  • Interp Club with Heather Neumann and Lynda DePasacreda
  • Limited Prep with Ethan Tong
  • Debate Readiness with Amy Eichholz
  • LD Fundamentals with Hillary and Nathanael Kolssak 
  • LD Strategies with Ethan Tong
  • Intermediate LD with Peter Montgomery 
  • LD Roundtable with Noah McKay
  • TP Foundations with Emalyn George
  • Advanced TP with Eric Meinerding 
  • Extemp Roundtable 

We can’t wait to see you again, meet for the first time, come alongside you and GROW, EQUIP, INSPIRE, and IMPACT! As always, we are cheering you on, and remember- you got this… cuz He’s got you!

Before you open the NCFCA Moot Court Packet – Read This! By: Ethan Tong

Posted on by Heather Neumann

About a month ago, the 2022-2023 NCFCA Moot Court packet dropped- an edited version of the college Moot Court (AMCA) packet from five years ago. Many experienced mooters immediately dove into the packet, hoping to analyze it with their friends. But for others, the packet is big and terrifying: 23 pages of daunting legal material.

Where do you even start?

Continue reading “Before you open the NCFCA Moot Court Packet – Read This! By: Ethan Tong” →

A First Look at the Speech Grab and Go Guide by: Katie Kellam

Posted on by Heather Neumann

Lasting Impact! has a great new resource for speech coaches and parents looking to simplify their lesson planning process. The Grab-and-Go Speech Guide has articles, lesson plans, and handouts designed to simplify the preparation process for new coaches and parents who might be intimidated by the idea of teaching public speaking for the first time or even more experienced teachers who just don’t have the time to spend hours preparing a lesson plan each week. 

In this guide, Heather Neumann has compiled a collection of her own lessons that she uses when she teaches clubs and camps, and she loves that she can share the insights that the Lord has given her over many years of working with students with the coaches and parents who make everything happen.

As a sneak preview, we thought we’d share some of the team’s favorite lessons from the Grab-and-Go Guide!

Heather loves the lesson on the I-test. The I-test helps students create connection with their audience. This is one of Heather’s favorite lessons because it speaks directly to the vision of Lasting Impact! which is to equip students to be lifelong communicators whose impact goes beyond the competition room. Giving students the tools to evaluate their speech in terms of the connection that it will create is the goal of this lesson. Students learn how to Inform, Interest, Impact, and Inspire with the I-test lesson. Incorporating these elements into a speech is a huge part of becoming a successful communicator!

Katie loves the lesson on cutting interps. This lesson tackles a topic that many students struggle with, especially because it can be extremely intimidating to pick up a full length novel for the first time and realize that you have to condense it down to a nine and a half minute speech! Ah! This lesson is Katie’s favorite because it gives students practical tips and guidelines that simplify the cutting process into something that students feel equipped to accomplish.

Another feature in this guide that our whole team loves are the parent and coach resources in the back of the book. Our Writing a Ballot handout is an amazing resource for new parents who want to give helpful, constructive feedback to their kids but don’t feel like they have anything useful to contribute. Every parent is a potential judge, and students need feedback from many different perspectives in order to succeed. This handout is perfect for giving parents the confidence to give feedback that students can use to become better communicators. 

Whether you are a speech and debate club leader, or a parent, this is a resource you must have for your toolbox! We know you don’t have time to create plans or figure out what assignments will make the most out of your limited time. Why not go straight to the ultimate source and use her ideas? Heather Neumann teaches Public Speaking, Speech Clubs and Camps, and Coaches students all year round in the art of communication. This is what she does! Do you want to know how she does it? Heather is sharing the tips and tricks she has learned in this very simple guide to help provide you with the direction you need. The Lasting Impact! Team has created this simple Grab and Go Guide to help you and your students feel equipped for competition, and most importantly the art of communication.

Packet includes over 25 worksheets/handouts…

  • Making a Plan
  • Choosing a Platform
  • Picking an Interp
  • Citations
  • Introductions
  • Hooking Your Audience
  • Making Public Speaking EC (Easy)
  • Memorization
  • Character Analysis
  • And more!

Great for club leaders, parents, co-ops, and more!

Please note, this product allows you to print one copy of the Lesson booklet and one copy of the Handouts and Worksheets booklet. Check out the Speech Grab and Go… HERE

Grab & Go Speech Lessons Plans (eBook)

NEW PRODUCT – Grab and Go Lesson Plans

Posted on by Heather Neumann

Whether you are a speech and debate club leader, or a parent, this is a resource you must have for your toolbox! We know you don’t have time to create plans or figure out what assignments will make the most out of your limited time. Why not go straight to the ultimate source and use her ideas? Heather Neumann teaches Public Speaking, Speech Clubs and Camps, and Coaches students all year round in the art of communication. This is what she does! Do you want to know how she does it? Heather is sharing the tips and tricks she has learned in this very simple guide to help provide you with the direction you need. The Lasting Impact! Team has created this simple Grab and Go Guide to help you and your students feel equipped for competition, and most importantly the art of communication.

Packet includes over 25 worksheets/handouts…

  • Making a Plan
  • Choosing a Platform
  • Picking an Interp
  • Citations
  • Introductions
  • Hooking Your Audience
  • Making Public Speaking EC (Easy)
  • Memorization
  • Character Analysis
  • And more!

Great for club leaders, parents, co-ops, and more! Purchase the set and then a license for how many students you have in club (families can make personal copies). Go to purchase this amazing product or check out the other awesome resources in the SHOP – https://lastingimpact.info/product-category/books/

Debate Opportunities Coming IN FEBRUARY!

Posted on by Heather Neumann

We have TWO awesome opportunities in February for you Debaters!

  1. Online Moot Workshop with Ethan Tong. This one evening event will focus on three things: (1) diving into this year’s NCFCA packet to improve argumentation; (2) improving case structures so that they are easily intelligible to judges, yet nuanced and complex enough to win rounds; and (3) improving speaking and delivery. This two-hour workshop, led by former Moot Court competitor and current coach Ethan Tong, is aimed towards those who already have experience with this year’s packet, but those who are looking to start Moot Court would greatly benefit as well. The workshop will be RECORDED. Online Moot Court Workshop – Lasting Impact!
  2. 2nd Semester LD- Lincoln Douglas Club with Noah McKay. This ten-week club will focus primarily on tournament preparation, case refinement, and competitive strategy. The format will be largely discussion-based, with short lectures planned for the beginning of each meeting and the remainder of the window reserved for students to discuss the content of the lecture, ask questions, practice their cross-examination and rebuttal technique, and – depending on the week – discuss trends in the tournament world and potential strategies for refuting common cases. Students will also help each other analyze both their winning and losing ballots in order to foster consistency in their competitive performance. 2022 2nd Semester Online LD Club – Lasting Impact!
  3. SALE! All TP and LD Sourcebooks will be on SALE! BOOKS – Lasting Impact!

Lasting Impact! hopes we can assist you in your Speech and Debate journey. Our hope is to encourage students, parents, coaches, and clubs! Please let us know, how we can help!

The 2021-22 Lasting Impact! LD Guidebook is HERE!

Posted on by Heather Neumann

We are excited to be part of your Lincoln Douglas Debate journey. If you know you want the 2021-22 NCFCA LD Guidebook fresh off the presses- click HERE!

Wondering why you might need the LD Guidebook this season? You may be reading our Guidebook for a multitude of purposes: 

1. To learn how to do LD
2. To teach a club
3. To explore the LD resources
4. To get a head start on the season 

No matter who you are or your level of experience, we hope this guide will be of tremendous benefit to you. This guide is different than most typical Sourcebooks. In addition to giving you LD cases, we wanted to help you understand the most important parts of Lincoln Douglas Debate and go through cases section by section. 

There is no other Guidebook like it, specifically geared toward the NCFCA 2021-22 Season.

For new debaters or those teaching at a club: 

We hope this will be your how-to guide for LD! Each section includes an explanation of that part of LD, why it is important and how to use it in a debate round. For instance, in the first section, definitions, there is an explanation of why definitions are important and how to argue them in a debate round. Following this summary is a brief of the most credible definitions we could find on the most important terms for this resolution. The same structure is used for the other sections, a summary of the topic and then a brief. 

For experienced debaters: 

In this resource, we have compiled a multitude of credible research and arguments for this resolution. The definitions brief has the most credible definitions for this resolution that we could find, the contentions briefs have scholarly evidence justifying and condemning each principle, the applications section has seventeen examples, more than you’ll use all year. In short, we want this resource to be beneficial and worthwhile. In addition to the summaries and descriptions, LD theory is also included. 

Head to the SHOP, and go to BOOKS to purchase your LD Guide today!

Reasons Why You Need To Buy The Lasting Impact! TP Sourcebook

Posted on by Heather Neumann

We are excited to announce the release of the 2021-2022 Lasting Impact! Team Policy Sourcebook! If you know you want it – purchase it HERE. But perhaps you have questions – Why this Sourcebook? What does it cover? Why Lasting Impact? In order to introduce it, the authors will answer questions about why it was written, and what we hope you can gain from it…

Continue reading “Reasons Why You Need To Buy The Lasting Impact! TP Sourcebook” →