Content that does not require a membership
The following is adapted from Lasting Impact’s 2/19/19 Online Apol Meeting, taught by Matthew Harper. If you are looking or searching for growth… it’s not too late to join our second semester club. The Online Club meets every other week, building apologetics skills. Students do not need to be competing to join. Below, is what was covered week one. Meetings are recorded.
Continue reading “The Ways Apologetics Speakers Learn from Apollos by: Matthew Harper”
Eric is hosting a Second Semester Online TP Club. To hear all of his great teaching, like the article below, sign up to be a part of the group. Sessions are recorded, and he’s giving away a free personalized coaching session- so what do you have to lose?!?!
…. You’re in out rounds and your opponent has just pulled out a new case and is expertly explaining the details of an organization you have never even heard of and why it needs to change to a panel of judges who probably know more about it than you do at this point. You’re panicking. You’re tournament life is on the line and you don’t have a single piece of evidence that even mentions the AFF case. Even still, throwing in the towel isn’t an option so you start thinking creatively…
We all know how much fun a Speech and Debate Tournament can be. And we know how learning the skills we practice in a classroom setting will give us opportunities to enhance our future as better communicators. But have you ever considered how practicing and participating in Apologetics could enhance or effect someone else’s life? For the past five or so years, Lasting Impact has come together on Tuesday nights to grow and build students and families up in the journey of Apologetics. This semester, starting tomorrow night, another group will begin (for more information CLICK HERE). Matthew Harper, one of our group leaders, shares his experience why participating in Apologetics is time well spent….
Continue reading “Apologetics: How to Speak Beyond the Competition Room by: Matthew Harper”
Lasting Impact! is excited to announce another coaching expert for your coaching needs… Schedule a one on one coaching session with Chris Baldacci, watch his Moot Court Recorded Video Workshop or join his 4 Week Moot Court Seminar … STARTS MoNDAY! If you can’t make all of them- they will be recorded!
Chris Baldacci was a two-time national champion in collegiate Moot Court and the top individual speaker at the national championship in 2018. He is the only orator in American Moot Court Association history to win three titles. He was also the runner-up in last year’s national brief-writing competition. Chris has competed on the varsity Moot Court team for four years at Patrick Henry College and has been active in coaching underclassmen and serving as a volunteer judge. He will attend law school in the fall.
To check out the Recorded Moot Court Workshop CLICK HERE.https://lastingimpact.info/product/moot-court-online-workshop-with-chris-baldacci/
To sign up for the Moot Court Seminar CLICK HERE.https://lastingimpact.info/register/4-week-moot-court-seminar/
How cool is it, we live in an age where we can meet people all over the country from the comfort of our homes? How awesome is it, that your students can receive solid coaching and instruction from experienced instructors? Lasting Impact! is dedicated to helping you and your students, in your Speech and Debate journey, with the guidance you are looking for by offering online classes, clubs, and workshops. Sign up for our Second Semester Clubs NOW…
4 Week Moot Court Seminar
Start Date: Feb. 18, 2019 8:00-9:00pm CT (meets weekly)
Instructor: Chris Baldacci
Cost: $45 member/$65 nonmember
This four-week course will give beginners a strong foundation in moot court and help experienced students separate themselves from the competition with advanced techniques. The four classes will cover the fundamentals of constitutional law, how to prepare arguments like a lawyer, argument building for both the 2nd and 5th Amendment issues, and improving your answers to judge questions. Students will also receive individual feedback on their arguments and presentation styles to make them more confident and professional. All sessions will be recorded.
Second Semester Online Apologetics (Stoa and NCFCA)
Start Date: Feb. 19, 8:00-9:00pm CT (every other week)
Cost: $40 members/$50 nonmembers
Instructors: Matthew Harper and Kirsten Erickson
Are you competing in apologetics in NCFCA or Stoa? Interested in trying the category but unsure where to start? Or simply looking to gain a deeper understanding of Christianity and how to defend it? If so, Lasting Impact’s online apologetics club is for you! Aimed at helping students prepare throughout the semester and stay engaged between tournaments, meetings occur twice a month, alternating between apologetics teaching and speech coaching. All meetings are recorded, so you can review previous sessions if you miss a week or would like to review a lesson. All experience levels are welcome; whether you’ve competed in apologetics for years or are trying it for the first time, you will be encouraged and equipped!
Second Semester Team Policy Debate Club (NCFCA)
When: Starting Wed. Feb. 13
Time: Approx. 1 hour/ 8:00-9:00pm CT
Instructor: Eric Meinerding
Cost: $50 per member/ $75 per non-member
Looking for additional Team Policy support for the competition season? Well you’re in luck! Eric Meinerding is hosting a second semester TP debate club exclusively through Lasting Impact. He’ll be meeting with students weekly for 8 weeks, all across the NCFCA nation to work through strategies against the popular cases, find the best arguments in the current climate, go over ballots, discuss debate theory, advanced impacting, and a host of other topics. Included with your enrollment is a free coaching session with Eric at any point during the season to get direct, personalized feedback tailored directly to your team’s needs. So whether you are without a club for the season, looking to go above and beyond, or are looking for innovative strategies, this seminar will provide what you’re looking for.
LD (NCFCA) Club for Intermediate/Advanced Students
Instructor: Joel Erickson
When: Feb. 12, 8:00-9:00pm CT (meets weekly for 8 weeks)
Cost: $50 per member/$75 non member
We’ll be studying advanced strategy and drilling techniques, deconstructing cases, and collaborating on briefs. The club will be recorded weekly.
To SIGN UP for any one of these awesome opportunities… CLICK HERE
Do you ever get those competition jitters? I always did when I competed, and it sometimes got me in a lot of trouble!
Continue reading “5 Ways to Prepare Yourself Before Competition by: Isabelle Clausen”
There are two opportunities this week for digging deeper in the debate realm of Speech and Debate… specifically for our NCFCA friends (don’t worry Stoa friends… we are working on it)! If you want a little more guidance and direction come join one of the Debate Workshops or Second Semester Clubs start in February. Until then, here is how you can become an expert in Debate (video recordings HERE- https://lastingimpact.info/product-category/recorded-workshops/).
LD (NCFCA) Mid-Season Workshop
Instructors: Joel Erickson and Hillary Kollsak
When: Tuesday Jan. 29, 8:00-9:00pm CT
Cost: $5 members/$20 non-members
We’ll overview the current debate landscape and discuss the different kinds of LD cases circulating in the league and explain various tactics for engaging the framework debate and practical applications. Additionally, we’ll look at ways to differentiate your argumentation from many of the pitfalls that plague current cases.
Joel has competed for five years in speech events, LD, parliamentary debate, and mock trial. He currently studies philosophy at Wheaton College with the intent to pursue graduate studies in philosophy or attend law school (or both, if his parents will let him). As a coach, Joel can’t wait to immerse you in the big ideas of politics, philosophy, and economics. He’s passionate about communication psychology and elegant organization, and wants everyone to understand that forensic competition is not about the accolades one achieves, but the person one becomes. Joel has coached hundreds of students in speech and debate through summer camps, private coaching, and local clubs, many of whom qualified to Nationals, won tournaments, or advanced to elimination rounds for the very first time. He is the founder of and head coach for Aspire Debate Camps and also coaches for Ethos Debate.
Hillary Kollsak has been a speech and debate mom for many years. She coaches LD for EverReady Debate Club outside of Chicago. She is excited about this years resolution and wants to bring clarity to your cases.
LD (NCFCA) Club for Intermediate/Advanced Club
Instructor: Joel Erickson
When: Feb. 12 8:00-9:00pm CT (meets weekly for 8 weeks)
Cost: $50 per member/$75 non member
We’ll be studying advanced strategy and drilling techniques, deconstructing cases, and collaborating on briefs. The club will be recorded weekly.
Click HERE for more information. https://lastingimpact.info/online-workshops/
Team Policy Mid-Season Workshop (NCFCA)
When: Wednesday Jan. 30 7:30pm-9:00pm CT
Instructor: Eric Meinerding
Cost: $5 members/$20 non-members
Competition season is upon us! That crazy time of year where you forget what day of the week it is, whether or not pizza is an acceptable breakfast, and any sense of a routine. You may have weeks where you are gone for an entire weekend, get back Monday, and start another tournament Thursday or Friday. It’s busy, but it’s some of the most fun you’ll ever have. However, you are investing a considerable amount of time and money into these tournaments so making the most of your time is crucial!!
Join Eric on Jan. 30 where he will hold a mid-season workshop on how to survive and thrive during your tournament season as a team policy debater. Wondering if you should write an extra brief, change your aff case between tournaments, memorize your 1AC, or just do practice debates until you’re blue in the face? Well, as someone who once did four tournaments in two weeks, traveling over 2,000 miles in the process, Eric Meinerding knows or a thing or two about making the most of this hectic time, and will help navigate these questions during the workshop. Hope to see you all there!
Second Semester Team Policy Debate Club (NCFCA)
Dates: Starting Wed. Feb. 13 (all calls will be recorded)
Time: Approx. 1 hour/ 8:00-9:00pm CT
Instructor: Eric Meinerding
Cost: $50 per member/ $75 per non-member
Looking for additional Team Policy support for the competition season? Well you’re in luck! Eric Meinerding is hosting a second semester TP debate club exclusively through Lasting Impact. He’ll be meeting with students weekly for 8 weeks, all across the NCFCA nation to work through strategies against the popular cases, find the best arguments in the current climate, go over ballots, discuss debate theory, advanced impacting, and a host of other topics. Included with your enrollment is a free coaching session with Eric at any point during the season to get direct, personalized feedback tailored directly to your team’s needs. So whether you are without a club for the season, looking to go above and beyond, or are looking for innovative strategies, this club will provide what you’re looking for.
Click HERE for more information.
Eric is studying Policy and Law at Liberty University. He competed in the NCFCA for six years focusing mostly on limited preparation events and both styles of debate, qualifying to nationals in both TP and LD his senior year, along with multiple speech events. Eric competed on Liberty’s Policy Debate Team for three semesters at both the junior varsity and varsity levels. Eric sees competitive forensics as way to develop one’s communication and argumentation skills to use in all facets life. Eric loves looking at debate from the perspective of a game, meaning he wants to help debaters process and execute the most strategic arguments and preparation methods for all styles of debate, along with effective rhetorical skills to present those arguments in debate rounds as well as forensics categories.
When – Saturday Jan. 26, 2019
Time – 10:00am – 11:00am CT (approximately 1 hour)
Cost: $5 members/$20 non-members
Are you looking to enhance your Moot Court skills?
Come join Chris Baldacci as he will cover both how to prepare and execute college-level moot court arguments. We will discuss how to understand and memorize caselaw efficiently, how to use precedent more effectively in arguments, and how to think about your arguments before a round. Then we will talk about formulas for responding to certain types of questions, the unique way to make moot court arguments impactful, and how to set yourself apart on respondent and in rebuttal.
Sign Up HERE
Chris Baldacci was a two-time national champion in collegiate Moot Court and the top individual speaker at the national championship in 2018. He is the only orator in American Moot Court Association history to win three titles. He was also the runner-up in last year’s national brief-writing competition. Chris has competed on the varsity Moot Court team for four years at Patrick Henry College and has been active in coaching underclassmen and serving as a volunteer judge. He will attend law school in the fall.
Humor, when used correctly, can be a huge asset in a debate round, a great tool for your debate toolbox. When used incorrectly, humor can damage your credibility and/or likability. In my opinion, those who have truly mastered debate are able to incorporate humor in seamlessly in an engaging and relevant way.
In this video I’ll be talking about how to use humor in debate: telling some pretty cringeworthy stories of my attempts at humor, giving some examples of funny quotes to use, and some do’s and don’ts…
Catherine graduated high school this past year and is taking a gap year to do a business internship through the program “Praxis.” After that, she is not sure if she will go to college or pursue other career paths, but she is interested in business, politics, and loves cooking, biking, and traveling. As a coach, she is passionate about helping debaters actually understand the arguments they are running, and focusing on quality over quantity of arguments. Catherine competed in TP with NCFCA for 5 years, and qualified to Nationals all 4 years of high school, finishing first in at-large her junior and senior years. She enjoyed partnering with both her older sister and younger brother, both of whom taught her very different skills. She won four debate tournaments over the years and was honored to get a 4th place speaker award at Nationals in 2015.
“I’m walking on sunshine (Wow!)
I’m walking on sunshine (Wow!)
I’m walking on sunshine (Wow!)
And don’t it feel good”
Why, you ask, did I start this blog post out with the chorus to, “Walking on Sunshine”, by Katrina and the Waves. Well, besides the fact that it is a great song, we sometimes have to be reminded to walk like we are on sunshine.
Have you ever felt “meh”, “ugh”, or even “ew” while at a speech and debate tournament? I’m here to tell you that we have all been there; from the seniors who are pros, to the beginner twelve year olds. Don’t forget sleep deprived moms, grumpy siblings, and coffee-needing judges. Sometimes, just once in a while, someone might say, “I wish I wasn’t at this speech and debate tournament!” I know, blasphemous. But true!
Despite all the fun that goes on at a speech and debate tournament we have to remember that a tournament is going to drain us. No matter how much coffee we drink, or monsters we chug, or mini power naps we take we are going to feel that “meh” slipping into our system. And judges can pick up on those less than chipper vibes. So, I’m going to challenge you to do the seemingly impossible….do not let it affect your performance. Just being aware that you are in a “meh” mood can help you prevent it from deterring from your experience.
Here are some suggestions of things you can do to relieve stress while at a tournament:
1. Put in some headphones and listen to music. Tune out to get you tuned into doing your speech. But be careful not to tune others around you out.
2. Make conversation with fellow competitors in the hallway, but remember to do it quietly. Getting to know others can maybe calm your nerves. Maybe you will meet someone who is just as nervous or someone willing to pray with you.
3. Go to the bathroom, look yourself in the mirror, and strike a power pose. I know it sounds weird but scientifically it should make you feel like you are ready to roll!
4. Don’t be afraid to inform others about your mood. Maybe some mom will have an essential oil on hand. (Hehe) No, but really, there are often new competitors that may feel “a little nervous” or “blah” too. If you had a bad round, talking about it, and then moving on is the best approach. One bad round will just make you stronger.
5. If nothing else, find small things to make yourself smile through the day. Play cards with friends, do a spontaneous photo shoot, or go watch speech and debate rounds (just be sure you don’t have somewhere to be).
Another competitor had this advice-
1. The first thing you can do that really helps, is to set aside 10 or more minutes to run through your speech before you go into your room. Find an empty room, hallway, or wall, and run through your speech like you are going to in the room. Might I suggest that you do this by yourself, because friends can be distracting and you should be doing your speech like you are going to in competition.
2. The second really helpful thing that you can do, especially if you are really nervous, is to talk to people. Find someone that you don’t know very well, and just engage them in a conversation. Talk about something that you both enjoy! Talk about sports, movies, anything that will get your mind off of speech! I find this really helpful, especially right before I go into the room to give my speech.
3. The last and most important thing that you can do before you go into your room is to pray. Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Paul is saying that when you are nervous, anxious, or excited about something, anything, pray to God about it. Pray by yourself, pray with friends, pray with your family, communications staff, which you will find to be extremely friendly, and anyone who you can find before the round. Trust me when I say that praying before each round and even before every tournament is extremely helpful. Now, don’t go in thinking, “I’m gonna pray that I will win the tournament”. Go in thinking, “I’m going to pray that whatever happens in the tournament, God will be glorified.” Try to pray for people as well. I have found that when I pray with and for other people, it helps me to calm down before I go do my speeches.
I have personally found all three of these things to be helpful while I’m at a tournament. I try to run through my speech before every single round to keep it fresh in my head, I am usually pretty social, so for me, talking to people is no problem, and I always make it a goal to pray by myself and with as many people as possible before every single round.
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Now with this advice I hope you don’t think I’m telling you to act like everything is rainbows and unicorns and leprechauns at a tournament. It’s the fact that things do get exhausting and dramatic that we need ways to relieve stress in order to function properly before going into competition. I have used these techniques in the past to get myself through a round. I hope they prove to be successful for you too so you can go into your room like you’re walking on sunshine. 😉
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