Whether your preparing for NITOC or for next year… come learn more about this AWESOME Speech Category with the one and only, Camille Floyd. Sign up for her two night Workshop May 19 and 21. The sessions will be recorded. See the link below… In the mean time read Camille’s perspective on why Mars Hill is one of the most important Speech Categories…
Have you ever sat down with a stranger and talked to them about their anxiety? Have you ever told a random person about the power of forgiveness?
Yeah, ok. Probably not. I know I wouldn’t be comfortable in those conversations and we can all imagine how uncomfortable the other person would be. But those conversations are important, right? And sharing with people the information we have about our faith and our purpose in life is what we are called to do?
Lasting Impact! is going to run a new series in 2021 called Impact Tips! Today’s tip comes from Caleb Sampson. He’s running an LD Workshop next week to help you bring your A-game to your Lincoln Douglas Debate. The workshop will discuss the relevance of this year’s NCFCA resolution and the proper use of philosophy, legislation, case law, historic examples, logic, and analogies. This is a Workshop LDers don’t want to miss! In fact, if you sign up now, we will throw in the Lasting Impact! LD Guide FREE. Sign up HERE or keep reading to see his Impact Tip!
What is the most essential yet underappreciated application in Lincoln Douglas Debate?
In 1858, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas faced off in a series of 7 debates about the issue of slavery in the United States. While both men were esteemed politicians and policy makers, these Lincoln Douglas debates didn’t focus on the intricate details of legislation or the ins and outs of constitutional law. Fundamentally, these debates focused on the values of Americans and the underlying philosophies that led the American People to those value systems.
The most essential yet underappreciated application in Lincoln-Douglas Debate is philosophy…
Happy New Year! Now is the time to keep moving forward!! That’s right- if you sign up for one of our Winter Warm Up Workshops today or tomorrow- you will receive a FREE Coaching Session with the coach of your choice! Choose from…
More Winter Workshops may be added in the weeks to come- but now is the opportunity to jump on this offer! Simply order a Winter Workshp and you will receive a FREE Coaching Session (coaching session must take place this winter/spring 2021 season). Go to the SHOP under OnLine Classes to sign up, or click HERe, or click the links above. Remember, Workshops are recorded at no additional charge.
As is usually the case with me, it wasn’t my idea to compete in Apologetics. It was one of those things that I was cool observing from a distance but didn’t want to participate in myself. My mother had other ideas though and decided that it would ‘be good for me.’ Oh, how I hated those words. It was only my second year in Speech and Debate and I was absolutely terrified. Apologetics sounded complicated and scary. Apologetics was going to be miserable, and I was going to make a fool of myself…
You may not want to hear it, but online communication is here to stay. It’s not going anywhere! While it seems as if it came abruptly in March of 2020, because of COVID, Lasting Impact! has been connecting with thousands of people across the country, even the world over the last five years! I have coached National Speech and Debate Champions, an Olympian, Fortune 500 Business owners, as well as students who want to be better communicators overall or simply want to enjoy the art of communication. And guess what? I have done this mostly online!! I have even directed a virtual play, as well four national online speech and debate tournaments, all within the that six months.
While all of us prefer to communicate in person and can’t wait to be together again, there is much to learn in the online environment. I believe communication, connection, and engagement can happen virtually. Until the day when we can be together, I will embrace, learn, grow, and adapt. There is much to learn!
This is why after our recent practice tournament, we decided we wanted to share with you the tips and tricks you can use to help you be a better virtual communicator. The Lasting Impact! Team will be offering an online workshop on how to prep for virtual tournaments. There are so many more elements to think through than just doing your speech or debating (in your bedroom) online. By now, you have been in an online meeting, where the presenter is back lit, or just the opposite and the sun is glaring in their eyes. We will address multiple items to get you thinking about how you want your online presentation to be, whether it be for speech or debate. I look forward to sharing what we have learned to help you prepare for the online world ahead. I hope you will join us Dec. 28 at 6:30pm CT
Learn about…
Online Tournament Tips
How to create an online environment
Lighting
Microphones and sound
Connecting online
Sitting vs standing
Movement and space
And more!
Cost – Only $10 per member family/$25 non member families*
Lasting Impact! exists to train and educate students to build their communication skills so they can be effective ambassadors for Christ in all areas of life. We are often told that practice makes perfect. In the case of online communication and this “don’t miss” Workshop, we believe practice will equal prepared! We hope to see you soon!
Have you seen Lasting Impact’s summer line up of online classes? (Check them out here– https://lastingimpact.info/product-category/online-classes/ ). We have a plethora of options for your students age 10-college bound to explore! All of our classes take place in the comfort of your home, by experienced coaches, teachers, and educators. The classes meet weekly. Questions you may be wondering….
This Sunday evening – Feb. 23, 2020, is Lasting Impact!’s mid-season apologetics workshop. It is focused on providing resources to competitors in the middle of the season (or an early jump start for next year) to equip and motivate them. We know it is a busy time and you may see a workshop as another burdensome item to add to the checklist that never seems to end. You may have also noticed, however, that this workshop is unique in that its focus is to wash attendees in Scripture. The entire two hours will be an intentional journey through what Scripture has to say about apologetics topics.
Why focus on Scripture in general? Growing in your knowledge of Scripture helps to draw you closer to Christ and focus your motivations for participating in apologetics and public speaking. Knowing more of God’s Word directly prepares you to fight temptations in your personal life, take comfort in difficult seasons, and share your faith in conversation with others as the Holy Spirit works to bring those references to mind. Scripture is the most powerful and appropriate outside resource to include when you share what you believe with others. My hope is that this workshop’s focus will benefit you by helping you to re-center your heart and emotions. My prayer is that you will be more excited to study God’s word outside of apologetics prep and get a glimpse of the treasures that wait for you.
Why focus on Scripture once the season has already begun? In case you’re still hesitant, I want to remind you that the amount of time you have to write and edit new cards will only continue to decrease as the season picks up and the other demands on your time increase. Having large quantities of Scripture passages at your fingertips allows you to not only quickly bulk up all your cards, but also directs and organizes your other content and can reduce any prep time panic.
How exactly will this workshop provide Scripture resources? You’ll be guided through carefully prepared slides that provide Scripture passages and how they could be used not only in specific topics but also with specific points that you could then elaborate on in the moment. Let’s look at an example! There are several topics that ask you to articulate the attributes of God. Each attribute provides the opportunity for you to share passages of Scripture that shed light on who God is. While we’ll be touching every apologetics topic at least by brushing past similar topics, this workshop will make sure you are prepared to fill your speeches with specific resources. For example, when explaining the meaning and significance of God’s omnipotence, the words of Scripture can shape your organization and content for each point.
Job 42:1-2 shows us the attitude we should take towards God’s omnipotence, which is one of both confidence and humility. “Then Job answered the Lord and said: “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.”
Isaiah 14:27 chimes in “For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?”
Daniel 4:35 draws a comparison between our power as humans and our inability to question the work of God. “All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”
Ephesians 1:18-19 provides specific encouragement to believers for the eternal hope the all-powerful God has promised in salvation “having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might.”
Here’s a final example (we could have looked at many more) of a verse that helps articulate the magnitude of God’s omnipotence. Colossians 1:17 sums up the breadth and impact of God’s power. “And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
This is the process we’ll be walking through on Sunday, and I really hope you’ll join me! Sign up here for Sunday night’s apologetics resource workshop. Click HERE to sign up.
If someone asked me to give a one-liner that captures what will be happening for two hours on the evening of February 23rd, I’d probably blurt out something like “nearly 100 Bible verses you can use in apologetics right now to help you feel more prepared and grow in your faith.” That doesn’t sound very professional, so you might want to read the rest of this article, but if you’re convinced this intensive is for you, feel free to skip the article and sign up HERE.
Although the competition season has begun, it is not too late to accumulate resources for apologetics and grow in your passion for both God’s word and this speech event. You can expect this intensive to be fast-paced and motivational! While I’ll be facilitating the evening and running the carefully prepared slides (which you will have access to after the intensive), you won’t be hearing many of my own words. Instead, you’ll have the chance to meditate with me on the divinely inspired words of God. I’ll be pushing well past the passages of Scripture you’re probably using already to challenge you with less familiar passages drawn from less familiar places in the Bible.
If you’ve participated in Lasting Impact!’s online apologetics club or workshops in the past, you’ve probably heard me or another coach explain the importance of familiarizing yourself with the broader categories and sub-categories that make up each league’s topic list. In this intensive, we’ll be moving systematically through the categories and sub-categories you will encounter and looking at Scriptures that will help you provide a deeper and stronger answer. Here are just a few examples of what we’ll be covering:
Verses that show both God’s transcendence and immanence
Verses that refute works-based salvation
Verses that proclaim Christ’s divinity and humanity
Verses that build confidence in the trustworthiness of the Bible
Verses that specifically refute deism, pantheism, and reincarnation
After this intensive, you’ll have lots of resources that can be immediately transferred to cards so that you can confidently walk into your next tournament prepared to share the power and truths of Scripture! I hope to see you on February 23rd!
This week we have a full line up waiting for you! Why workshops? I am always telling students in order to walk down a path the more you explore and understand what you are getting into the better! This is the same with Speech and Debate! You have the opportunity to get your feet wet before jumping in!! Each of the workshops provides a skilled coach prepared to equip you with the tools for your tool box. As always, workshops are only $5 for members. We use an online tool called Zoom to connect our students from across the country. Some workshops will turn into Recorded Workshops, but unless you purchase the workshop, there is no guarantee! Sign up NOW…
Thomas Jefferson once said, “If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed.” How can we make that happen? For our students, I believe the answer is through Speech and Debate. More specifically, more students need to study current events (through a Biblical Worldview). And the way they can practice and apply what they are learning is through the speech event – Extemporaneous. It is through this event where so much value takes place…
Expanding knowledge.
Analysis of the news.
The ability to make informed decisions.
Purposeful discussions.
Critical thinking skills.
Understanding cultural literacy.
Responsible citizenship.
I think we can all agree that learning and studying current events can be quite beneficial, but where do we start or how do we begin this journey? The answer is simple – We need to start and to have practice! And there is no better place to start – join an online group! Lasting Impact! has TWO Extemp opportunities coming up…
Hope Rawlson, the reigning Extemp Champ and Lasting Impact! team member, says, “The most common thing said about extemp is that it’s boringgg. And it’s true!! Extemp can be insanely, extremely boring to listen to, sometimes I’m even bored. But my goal is to bring life into this event through the gathering of students, ideas, and learning together! We need break down the stigmas that Extemp is only for the ultra smart or boring competitors. I will teach you that Extemp is fascinating and we will make it entertaining and interesting. Our goals will include to go from giving good speeches to great speeches. And just being more interesting automatically boosts your ranking up!! This Wednesday I’m going to go over how being interesting is way easier than you think and more ways to go from good to great in Extemp!!”
Hope is passionate about current events and Extemp! We hope you jump in and explore this with her.
Kaitlyn Butts is one of Lasting Impact’s Apologetics’s Coaches. She is passionate about the speech category. But not just as a speech category, for life! Lasting Impact! continues to reach students all across the nation to help them gain skills that they will use for life. Speech and Debate is not just about the competition! Here is what the Lord put on Kaitlyn’s heart on WHY students should learn Apologetics…
Two more opportunities this week to learn from a seasoned pro! Kaitlyn Butts is excited to talk about getting the most out of Speech and Debate by competing in Apologetics, as well as how to use the skills you are learning to advance your college career and beyond. These online workshops will be recorded through our online forum called Zoom, however there is no guarantee they will make it into our Recorded Workshops. So, be sure to sign up! Recordings will be sent to the email registered and remember- Workshops are only $5-$10 for members! Sign up NOW! Or keep reading to see what Kaitlyn has to say…
