by Patrick McDonald | Mar 14, 2023 | Speaking, Technique
In every sentence, some words are more important than others. Each word is necessary to make the sentence meaningful, but particular words carry more meaning than others. Consider the sentence: “Some time ago, I went to the zoo and saw a gorilla with a spatula.” Each...
by Nathanael Morgan | Mar 7, 2023 | Concept Analysis, NCFCA, Negative, Speaking, Stoa, Strategy, Team Policy, Technique, Thinking Strategically
Source: Pixabay When I was just getting a good grip on how to debate well, I struggled with winning the judges over. Oftentimes the ballots blamed this on my aggressiveness, but looking back on it now, I realize that that was only one facet of the problem....
by Patrick McDonald | Feb 13, 2023 | Limited Prep, Platform, Speaking
Throughout my time in NCFCA, I would fairly consistently receive the same comment: “Slow down!” Whenever I got this comment, I would smirk and think, “Aw c’mon…you can understand what I’m saying!” Throughout my five years in speech and debate, this was my mantra. I...
by Patrick McDonald | Dec 7, 2022 | Speaking, Technique
I have said elsewhere that one of the cardinal rules of forensics is to “never assume that the judge knows everything you do about a topic.” This is an essential rule because being on the same page with your judge is a prerequisite to persuading or informing them. If...
by Patrick McDonald | May 20, 2022 | From Intermediate to Advanced, Soapbox, Speaking, Technique
Now I’ve done it. If I was “rough around the edges” before, I’m practically Ebeneezer Scrooge now—and that’s before the ghosts paid him a visit. But hear me out on this one. My Problem With The Question™ “How are you doing...
by Joel Erickson | May 9, 2022 | Best Resources, From Novice to Intermediate, Impromptu, Speaking, Speech Events, Strategy
Image Credit: merlinlightpainting / Pixabay Last year, Ben wrote a superb piece on impromptu with a takeaway you should immediately incorporate into your Nationals prep regimen: strategically accumulate potential speech material related to adversity and personal...
