by Rebecca Frazer | Sep 16, 2015 | Coaching, Soapbox, Tournaments
Picture us both holding a mug of tea, sitting on a comfy couch, and having a nice chat about your fears and insecurities. You share with me—as many, many students have—that “judges are out to get me: they just hate me for no reason.” Then picture me, ever so kindly,...
by Clare Downing | Aug 24, 2015 | Coaching, Technique
Dear Aggressive Female Debater (Katherine), Unfortunately the battle you have ahead of you will take a bigger armory than just verbal ethos. You need to have non-verbal credibility on your side as well. Debate rounds are won and lost in the margins. Oftentimes there...
by Clare Downing | Aug 14, 2015 | Coaching, Technique
Dear Aggressive Female Debater (Katherine), I was you once. The frustration of being perceived as angry, bitter, or mean is one that I am familiar with. You are a round peg in a square hole. Chances are, you’ve tried to soften your image and have received ballot...
by Clare Downing | Aug 4, 2015 | Parliamentary, Technique, Top Drills
Word conservation shows maturity in argumentation. If you’re willing to stop talking, it shows that you trust your words and logic to accomplish their intended purpose. If you’re looking to master word conservation, then this is the drill for you. Step 1: Find your...
by Isaiah McPeak | Jul 8, 2015 | Coaching a Club
So you were the one voluntold to form or take over leadership of a debate club? Bless you. I’ve been on the leadership and admin team of 4 clubs, and consulted around 20 over the last 10 years. Here are some lessons learned about four different models, and...
by Isaiah McPeak | Jun 29, 2015 | From Intermediate to Advanced, Research Tips, Stoa
argghhh! You didn’t win nationals! Actually, that’s not precise… more like, “I lost at X point, and that was FRUSTRATING.” And so you’re aiming your frustration at some pre-pre-pre-season research. I get that. This will help your...
