This year, I'm feeling extremely privileged as I work with some new students who are actively pursuing what I like to call the "honest process." When I said those words to one of the moms, she asked, "What does that mean, exactly?" For me, the honest process is something original and organic and student driven. I'll reference some of the conversations I've had with students....
I spent a lot a of time and research on this article. One might think... Kristi and Heather and the Lasting Impact! Team just come up with random articles to write about and then poof, we write! Nope, sometimes God lays something on our hearts that we need to research or look for answers or look to the "experts."
I know many of us struggle with the fear of public speaking! Whether you are a new student, a returning student, or parent - getting up in front of an audience is hard! So - I did my research - I spent hours looking up the best ways to deal with "stage fright". Then I did the next best thing- asked our amazing coaches, how they combated their fears. Here is what I found...
Are you thinking of competing in Oratorical Interp? Still weighing out the pros and cons? Here are some thoughts and tips from Kristi Eskelund and Heather Neumann at Lasting Impact! Recently, I sat in on the Oratorical Workshop, and wow- this helped shed some light on the new NCFCA interpretive category...
Mars Hill Impromptu is one of those events that can sneak up on you! If you don’t plan accordingly, and unfortunately your speeches can fall flat, even if you put your whole heart into it. Although Mars Hill Impromptu is all about letting the Holy Spirit speak through you and your topic, you must prepare so that you can share the Holy Spirit in the most effective and clear way as possible.
We have been told over and over "the hook" is one of the most important elements of your platform speech. I've even heard it say that the first 45 seconds will determine whether or not your audience will be drawn in. Now I grew up in Wisconsin in a hunting and fishing family. When I first heard about "the hook", I thought well, that's funny... because when I used to go fishing with my dad, it was kind of boring?! You cast, and you wait... and wait... and wait. And more times than not, there was a lot of sitting. You see, what you put on your hook will determine how long you wait. We don't want to make your audience wait too long.
Recently, I was reminded about a certain type of fishing my dad did in Northern Wisconsin- musky fishing!! You cast, and your reel it in, you cast and your reel it back in... did you catch anything? Ah-ha! That's it! We want to be musky fishermen when we are speaking. We want to hook our audience... and reel them in.
I know that many students think of interp events as uncomfortable or even just plain goofy - events for those dramatic types only. I have to say a resounding, "NOT SO" to that. In fact, I think there are solid reasons why every single student should at least try the art of interpretation.
The importance of a theme is something I state often.
As my good friend, NCFCA TP Champion and coach, Rebecca Frazer said, "Good communication is practically always thematic. Your favorite movies are your favorite movies because they leave you with strong, central feelings. Every round strategy–aff or neg–must be centered around a strong theme. Stating a value in a case does not make it thematic, nor does stating a negative philosophy. Some of the best values I have ever seen in debate are so obvious that they don’t even need to be labeled–every argument the team makes ties back to a clear idea that they value. Please don’t let your judge leave the debate round wondering, “Hmm, so I wonder what was really important to them?”
The same is true for Speech. You want your audience to remember you- as well as what you have said, or performed. How?! This can be done by having a theme! A theme can be an underlying topic or recurring idea in your speech. Your memory is powered by your brain, which is full of emotions. Those emotions can be triggered by impacting the audience through a theme. Think about it- a judge will listen to 8 students give a speech for 10 minutes each... That's 80 minutes of speeches! You want to be sure they remember you! How can that be done?
If you have been to one of my camps or workshops, I sometimes have my own little ways of saying things- "a Heather Neumann-ism." ;) Needless to say, I have coined the phrase, "The So What? Factor." Students have ideas all the time for their speeches, but does their idea have the "so what?" factor? What is the "so what? factor"? Can your idea go the distance? Here are some questions you can ask yourself when you are flushing out an idea for a speech to make sure it has "The So What Factor". Today, we will specifically be going through the so what factor with Platform Speeches and while there is overlap, in the next couple of weeks we will tackle the so what factor with Interps...
The Speech and Debate season is officially started - clubs have begun to meet, students are meeting with their coaches, preparations for the upcoming season are underway, and while competitions may seem far, far away to you right now, these next couple of months are actually critical time for the students who arrive at that first competition invested and ready. So, how to begin? Where to start? How do you decide what events you are going to do?
Kristi Eskelund has been coaching students a long time! She has seen categories come and go. In this article, she explores the new 2018-2019 NCFCA category of Oratorical...
Being a club leader is hard! You are an unsung hero! You organize, you coach, you lead... the list could go on and on! If you are a small or newer club, your role could also include promotions and marketing. Here are a few ideas that can help your club grow...
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