by Anna Johansen | Apr 10, 2019 | From Novice to Intermediate, Soapbox, Speaking
This is for every scared debater out there. I know how you feel. Confidence: Fake It Til You Make It Lessons From An Impostor: The Psychology of...
by Thaddeus Tague | Apr 5, 2019 | Communication/Rhetoric, Soapbox, Speaking, Speech Events, Technique
“What you write will never be more important than how you write it.” —Andrew Pudewa, Institute for Excellence in Writing The apparent disconnect between these two essential questions—“what” versus “how”—is nowhere more prevalent than the largest space for...
by Anna Johansen | Mar 20, 2019 | Communication/Rhetoric, From Intermediate to Advanced, From Novice to Intermediate, Speaking
“Everybody here? Great. Anna, would you pray for us before we get started?” “Oh. Me? Oh. Yeah, sure! Um. Okay.” You know that moment when you’re handed something completely unexpected? When you’re strolling along a sunny lane and then a giant iguana shows up out of...
by Anna Johansen | Jan 11, 2019 | Communication/Rhetoric, Speaking, Top Drills
Have you ever played Mousetrap? You know, the game with the epic contraption: you turn the crank, which pulls back a sign, that slams into a bucket, that sets loose a marble, that slides down a pipe, that jostles a pole, that drops a marble, that flips a diver, that...
by Thaddeus Tague | Dec 26, 2018 | Apologetics, Communication/Rhetoric, Extemporaneous, Soapbox, Speaking, Speech Events
Speakers who surprise, educate, and impress their audiences (by definition) keep their audience’s attention. If you’ve ever listened to a cool story or listened to a speech about a favorite subject, it is harder than normal to distract you. Bad speeches tend to cause...
by Thaddeus Tague | Dec 7, 2018 | Speaking, Technique
Have you ever listened to a presentation or speech, where the speaker is clearly not confident in themselves? It’s very awkward. Listeners and audience members can sense confidence almost better than sharks can smell blood. Confidence, or a lack thereof, bleeds out...