Persuasion, Communication and Debate.
We exist to build people up as mature and powerful communicators. Communication is a discipline, not just a skill. Our training teaches students the discipline it takes to master communication. Ethos combines natural persuasion habits and methods, statistical data on communication techniques, and modern psychology. Join us in the timeless journey of rhetoric. We also teach collegiate and high school debate.
Latest posts
It’s Time To Stop Losing Rounds As Affirmative
Affirmatives, you need to wake up. How did you divide your research time during the last few seasons? If you’re like most people, you wrote the 1AC early, gradually built your Aff Backup throughout the entire year, but dedicated every other waking moment to expanding...
Purposes of Debate pt. 1: The Goals and Anti-Goals of Debate
Government team: “The purpose of debate is to have civil discussions about the topics before us.” Opposition team: “No, the primary purpose of competitive debate should be fair competition.” And so I listened as the teams spent chunks of the debate trying to debate...
In Defense of Topical Counterplans
A few months ago, for the first time in my Team Policy career, I wrote a Negative brief which centered around a topical counterplan. Having never attempted this before, I had to sit down for a good while and think through the theoretical justifications for such...
Answering Points of Information – Part 2
This is the second installment in a two part series about answering points of information. The first two rules can be found here. Last article we discussed how to setup points of information through transitioning and when to reject points of information. In this post...
Extemp Prep: The First 5 Minutes
“Speaker 4, 5 minutes remaining.” I glance nervously down at my card. My card stares obstinately back up at me. Both of our expressions are blank. Distressed, I pick up my pen and scratch as many words as possible into the 3" by 5" piece of paper. Just as my time...
Why You Need to Rethink the Judging Philosophy
A critical aspect of marketing is understanding the consumer. While it may not seem like it at first glance, debate has everything to do with marketing. You present the judge with a case, and you must prove that your case, or “product,” is better than your opponent’s....
A Better Way to Give 1ARs
I completely understand people who hate 1AR’s. In a poll of over 150 Team Policy debaters of all experience levels, over sixty percent responded that they thought the 1AR was the hardest speech in the entire debate round. Not only is the 1AR speaker forced to spend...
Answering Points of Information – Part 1
"Point of information."*stops mid-sentence* "um I'll uh take your point." As I stuttered through my first ever answer to a point of information in parliamentary debate, I noticed that points of information are nothing like cross-examination. They're daunting, they're...
You’re Probably “Asking the Question Too Far”
Let's suppose I'm a prosecutor trying to convince a jury to convict the defendant in a murder case. Let's call the defendant "Albert" and the victim "Buddy." Albert is on the stand and I'm cross-examining him. You might imagine that it would go something like this:...
Keys to Persuasion
One of my favorite books of all time is entitled "Made to Stick", by Dan and Chip Heath. Throughout the book, they explain what makes certain ideas stick in people's minds. They explore everything from societal-changing advertisements to folk tales that won't go away....
Guidelines to Dropped Arguments – Part 2
In the previous article, we discussed how you should "Give Your Opponent the Benefit of the Doubt" when it comes to dropped arguments and treat your point being unrefuted as "Additional Support, Not Standalone Proof". In this article, we'll be discussing three more...
Guidelines to Dropped Arguments – Part 1
In my second year of speech and debate, I had a favorite phrase: "My opponent dropped my argument." Whenever my opponent ignored the slightest bit of my analysis, I harped on it and even made it a voting issue. I wrote an elaborate script that I'd give every time my...
Make the Most Of Your Time in Speech and Debate – Diversify Events
"I wish I could come back just one more year." After Covid-19 cancelled the debate season, I heard that phrase countless times from my senior high school friends. "If only I had one more year." I've come to realize that the years you have in speech & debate are...
The Number One Way to Boost Consistency – Tagging
"No way I should've lost that round; I won every argument on the flow." "How did I lose? The judge ignored my most important argument!" "It's not my fault I lost; my logic was perfect." You've likely heard people justify their losses in these ways. Thoughts along...
The Complete Guide to Running a Debate Club Remotely: Post-Apocalypse Edition
[I recently received a request by a friend in Stoa to talk about my experience with running clubs virtually. Below is my response.] Gone are the days of lugging storage boxes brimming with evidence, spare practice rooms in the church basement, and sitting with speech...
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