Category: Speech

One and Done Speech?

Posted on by Heather Neumann

You think you have a good speech... No it's going to be a great speech! You have big plans for this speech, you can't wait to sink your teeth into it. It's going to be the most epic speech ever! You get sick, or something else unexpected happens (it's called life), and you don't have as much time as you originally thought. The Speech Tournament is just around the corner. Ahhhh! Panic begins to set in. You don't get as much time as you want to work on your speech. You head to The Speech Tournament with wishful thinking.... But the speech falls flat, you stumble through it, it doesn't go as planned... You don't break. You want to give up. Do you forget all the plans you had for it? Will this be a one and done speech? I think you know by now, what my answer is...

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Embracing Open Interpretation

Posted on by Kristi Eskelund

Open Interpretation - it’s an event in which competitors are always trying to second guess how to line themselves up in the competition room:

“No, I can’t go in with my humorous piece after you made the judges all cry!”

“Well I’m not going in after your funny piece and just depress them all either!”

It’s also one of the last events to get filled with judges:

“It’s just so…so…open.”

Let me tell you exactly why I love all that ‘openness’ in this event.

Interpretation is really about story telling at its most basic level, and stories run the full emotional gamut of things we feel as people.  We love to laugh with good old belly laughs.  We need to be moved at the deepest level to tears.  But there is a LOT of space between those two extremes where most of us operate most of the time.  The Open Interpretation strikes there, at that mid-zone along the emotional spectrum...

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More thoughts on Biblical Presentation

Posted on by Heather Neumann

It's Thursday and so far I have coached SEVEN Biblical Presentations this week! It's going to be a great year! God is revealing some great stuff to these kids! Biblical Presentation is in it's second year with NCFCA. Let me remind my readers with a short recap of what a Biblical Presentation is...

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T’was the Night Before Our First Tournament…

Posted on by Heather Neumann

My dear friend, Prasanta Anamulu, wrote a version of this for Regionals one year. I think we can all relate…

Twas the Night Before Our First Tournament

Twas the night before our first tournament
And all through the house
Not a creature was sleeping–
With laptops open and clicking of mouse

Evidence was investigated
Suit-coats pressed with care
Printers, humming with briefs
churning out everywhere!

We’re packing our meals
We’re all out of paper and ink
Our washers are still running
And parents are on the brink
(of… excitement. Yes. That’s it.)

Debate boxes are crammed
Speech books are packed
Menus are planned, and our
minivans are stacked
(full of luggage and coolers. And debate boxes.)

“Am I topical, inherent,
significant, solvent?
I’ll find the logical fallacy
in that argument!”

Finally all competitors
Are tucked snugly in their beds
With visions of killer speeches
dancing in their heads.

Each of these students is precious
(And some can talk really fast!)
We’re humble and thankful
and have an absolute blast!

We love these tournaments
They are stressful, but fun
Three days go by quickly
All too soon, it’ll be over and done.

“Thank you for judging. Thank you for timing.”
Their ready for the journey
with speeches, and debate boxes…

On to the first tourney!

Good luck to those competing! We are lifting you and your families up!

~Lasting Impact!

 

NEW! More Videos Added!

Posted on by Heather Neumann

Lasting Impact! is super excited to announce we now have MORE videos added to our Video Gallery!

AJ Neumann

1. What kind of videos do you have on your site?

We try to put videos on our site that students, parents, and coaches will learn from. We also provide comments so you can specifically see what it is we feel you can glean from the video. Presently, we have over 20 videos on our site… More coming soon!

2. Why do you only allow members access?

Some of our friends, who have granted us access/permission to their videos, would prefer not to put them on YouTube. However, they have blessed us by allowing us to put them on our secure site. Having access to the Video Gallery is one of the benefits of being a member of Lasting Impact. We have already spent the time and energy providing you with some amazing videos that you don’t have to search the web for.

3. Why do you charge for membership to your videos?

Unfortunately, everything comes with a cost. After we are are given a video,  it has to go through a process in order to get it on the website. This process takes time and money. We clean up each and every video, so it is a higher quality (we won’t put a blurry video on our site). We also edit our videos (the editing software costs money) some have to be flipped, some needs to have the time shaved off the beginning or end. This saves you, the viewer valuable time. Also, it takes a vast amount of storage to put videos on our site. Storage also costs money.

4. How do I get my video on your site?

We are always looking for more videos.  For more info: Contact: admin@lastingimpact.info

Duo Interpretation- Tips from AJ Neumann

Posted on by Heather Neumann

In honor of our new release- The Ultimate Duo Handbook... An Essential Guide to Duo Interpretation. Here is an excerpt of the book...

AJ Neumann participated in Speech and Debate for five years. Each of those years he participated in Duo Interpretation. It was one of favorite Speech categories. Four out of the five years, he had FOUR different duo partners. He qualified to the National Championship in Duo Interpretation four years in a row, with three of those four partners.

AJ describes his Duo partnerships, how they came to be, and what valuable lessons he learned through each one of them...

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Perspective on your Persuasive

Posted on by Heather Neumann

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Being persuasive is an art. When writing persuasively, it is important to explain your thoughts clearly and make sure you have your thoughts supported by facts. I believe that the Persuasive Speech category is one of the most difficult to master. Here are my reasons why, and what you can do to master this speech...

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Creating Unforgettable Characters

Posted on by Heather Neumann

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If you are competing in any Interpretive Speech, creating believable characters is fundamental. Characterization is the vessel for demonstrating your interpretive skills. Our Character Worksheet can help you analyze each individual character. As you create your characters, there are a few specific aspects you should develop. Remember, although there may be a whole book written on your character, you have a time limit. Also, your creativity in the development of characters is ultimately up to you! Have fun! Get to know these people… You're going to spending a lot of time with them! Remember the goal is to make your characters memorable so your judges can tell them apart, as well remember them. Here are some things to consider...

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Biographical Narrative – A Chance to Inspire

Posted on by Kristi Eskelund

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Does anyone remember Paul Harvey and “…the rest of the story?”  For years Paul Harvey’s broadcast gave us a look at the inspiring accomplishments of ordinary people – who sometimes but not always turned out to be famous when we heard “the rest of the story.”  This was biographical narrative at its best!  Paul Harvey examined people.  He looked at their challenges and motivations, but mostly he showed us how they chose deliberately to rise above the many various obstacles they faced to be  doers of good deeds and to become men and women of real character, creativity, or accomplishment.

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