A new speech and debate season is exciting. New resolutions. New speeches. New events. New goals. Maybe even a brand-new league, club, or coach. But it can also feel a little overwhelming. Where do you start?
Whether this is your first year in speech and debate or your fifth, the beginning of the season is an important time. It’s tempting to jump immediately into writing cases, choosing scripts, researching topics, or thinking about tournaments. Those things are important, but before you race ahead, take some time to build your foundation.
Read on to to learn more about building your foundation or to see our BIG 2026 LABOR DAY SALE click HERE…
You Don’t Have to Know Everything Yet
One of the things we love most about speech and debate is that there is ALWAYS more to learn. The best competitors aren’t necessarily the students who knew the most when they started. They’re the ones who kept learning. They asked questions, listened to feedback, watched other competitors, found great coaches and mentors, and practiced. And then they practiced some more.
So if you’re looking around at the beginning of the season and thinking everyone else knows more than you do, that’s okay! Start where you are. You don’t have to have everything figured out in September. In fact, you shouldn’t. That’s what the season is for.
Learn the Fundamentals
Before worrying about advanced strategies, make sure you understand the basics of your event. If you’re a debater, learn the purpose of each speech, how to flow, and how to build and respond to an argument. If you’re competing in Interpretation, learn about characterization, blocking, cutting, and how to bring a script to life. If you’re writing a Platform speech, learn how to structure your ideas, communicate a clear message, and connect with your audience. If you’re competing in Limited Prep, begin developing the skills to think, organize, and communicate under pressure.
Strong competitors build strong foundations. It can be tempting to skip ahead to the exciting stuff, but understanding the fundamentals gives you something to build on for the rest of the season—and for years to come.
Find People Who Help You Grow
Speech and debate may look like an individual activity when someone stands alone in front of a judge, but nobody becomes great alone. Surround yourself with people you can learn from. Find coaches, parents, teammates, older students, alumni, judges, and mentors who will challenge you, encourage you, and give you honest feedback.
Sometimes the most valuable thing someone can tell you isn’t, “That was great!” It’s, “Here’s what you can do better next time.” Learning to hear that feedback, apply it, and try again is one of the most valuable skills speech and debate can teach.
And don’t underestimate the importance of community. Having people around you who understand what you’re working toward, who will practice with you, challenge your arguments, listen to your speech one more time, or simply encourage you after a difficult round can make a tremendous difference. Do you know who you are working with? Who are you learning from? Don’t be afraid to ask questions!
Give Yourself Permission to Grow
You don’t need a National Championship speech in September. You don’t need your affirmative case perfected at your first club meeting. You don’t need to know every answer, understand every argument, or have your entire season mapped out.
Your goal right now isn’t to be finished. Your goal is to get started.
The students who improve the most aren’t necessarily the ones who begin the season ahead of everyone else. They’re the ones willing to learn something, try something, get feedback, make changes, and try again. A great speech and debate season isn’t built in one tournament. It’s built one small improvement at a time.
Get Equipped
At Lasting Impact!, we’ve spent more than a decade helping speech and debate students do exactly that. We’ve worked with thousands of competitors—from students walking into their very first club meeting to National Champions—as well as parents, coaches, judges, and leaders throughout the speech and debate community.
And we’ve learned something along the way: the right resource at the right time can make a BIG difference.
Sometimes that’s a coach who explains something in a way that finally clicks. Sometimes it’s a club that gives you another opportunity to practice and receive feedback. Sometimes it’s a book that sits beside you all season, answering questions as they come up.
That’s why we’ve created resources for students at every stage of the speech and debate journey. An Introduction to Team Policy – A Guide can help a new debater understand the fundamentals and begin building a solid foundation. Elements of Lincoln-Douglas: A Debate Handbook for Students & Coaches, along with our 2026–27 NCFCA Resolution Companion, helps LD competitors understand both the event and this year’s resolution. The Ultimate Guide to Interpretive Speech helps students dig deeper into characterization, cutting, performance, and storytelling. Speech Grab & Go gives students, parents, and coaches practical lessons and activities, while our Limited Prep Resource helps competitors develop the ability to think—and speak—on their feet. Check out ALL of our RESOURCES in the SHOP – https://lastingimpact.info/shop/
And sometimes the best resource isn’t a book at all. It’s another opportunity to learn from someone else. That’s why we’re offering 12 online Clubs & Intensives this fall, covering Team Policy, Lincoln-Douglas, Extemp, Impromptu, Platform, Interpretation, Apologetics, and more. Check out the dozen Fall Clubs we will be hosting this season HERE.
Start Somewhere
You don’t need to do everything this week. But do something. Pick up a resource. Join a club. Ask a question. Find a mentor. Write the first draft. Give a speech. Get the feedback. Then take what you learn and GROW. Speech and debate offers an incredible opportunity to grow—not only as a competitor, but as a thinker, communicator, leader, and person. Don’t be so focused on where you want to be at the end of the season that you miss the value of where you are right now.
Start where you are. Build the foundation. And keep growing.
Labor Day Only — Save $26!
We’re celebrating 2026 with $26 OFF at Lasting Impact!
For ONE DAY ONLY, we’re taking $26 off ALL of our online Clubs & Intensives, plus FIVE of our favorite speech and debate resources: An Introduction to Team Policy – A Guide, Elements of Lincoln-Douglas and the 2026–27 NCFCA Resolution Companion, The Ultimate Guide to Interpretive Speech, Speech Grab & Go, and our Limited Prep Resource.
No coupon. No code. Just look for the sale items!
Shop our books and resources:
https://lastingimpact.info/product-category/books/
Explore our Fall Clubs & Intensives:
https://lastingimpact.info/product-category/clubs/
2026 = $26 OFF at Lasting Impact! But don’t wait. When Labor Day ends, so does the sale.
Here’s to learning, growing, and making an impact in 2026–2027!