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 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 Catherine Alles | Nov 2, 2018 | Communication/Rhetoric, Extemporaneous, Speech Events
Extemporaneous is an intimidating speech category, but it is also one of the most rewarding. Competing in Extemp builds your critical thinking skills, makes you a more informed citizen, and is an incredible opportunity to share your opinion on important issues with... 
by Thaddeus Tague | Jul 30, 2018 | Basics, Communication/Rhetoric, Debate, Speech Events, Uncategorized
Passion can be a cornerstone for an effective or persuasive speech. Many speeches on certain subjects don’t need it, but many do. It’s a hard delineation to find. If you’ve ever seen a speaker with too much passion, you know how easy it is to become... 
by Anna Johansen | Mar 7, 2018 | Speech Events, Technique, Top Drills
Welcome to our Speed Tip Series—snapshots of common issues faced by debaters, paired with quick tips to remedy them. Let us know if there’s a particular topic you’d like to see covered in a Speed Tip! Everyone knows about filler words: the perfidious little invaders... 
by Joshua Anumolu | Jan 17, 2018 | Communication/Rhetoric, Debate, Speech Events, Strategy
In my last post, I covered Reciprocity, the first “principle of persuasion” examined by Dr. Cialdini in his book Influence. In this post, I will discuss the contrast principle, another essential point covered by Cialdini. The contrast principle says that perception is...