Communication and Rhetoric
Platform Perfection: Standing Out
We hear coaches (and judges) discuss the need to “stand out from the competition.” Point well taken. Just one question: What does this mean for writing, blocking, and performing our platforms? If you have ever asked or thought of a similar question, you are not alone....
Appreciating the Judge in Front of you
During my years in the league, I’ve heard a LOT of complaining, and been a part of more than I’d care to admit. It’s easy to see a problem when the tournament runs behind, when there are kids all over the hallways, or when your judge simply refuses to see things from...
The Importance of Tagging Warrants
The judge literally didn’t write anything about our disadvantages on the ballot! I don’t understand, they were our most important arguments. The Aff completely dropped them and they were impacted out and everything! Ugh. Sometimes it can be hard to get the...
Conversational Team Policy
Earlier this season, I received a ballot from a judge who was thoroughly and absolutely confused. At the base of her puzzlement was the solitary word: inherency. My partner and I had argued that the affirmative plan had essentially already been passed, and thus...
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:...
Figures of Speech: A Handout
Recently, Thaddeus Tague dug up an old document that Ethos has used for coaching: a figures of speech handout. “Figure of speech” broadly refers to deliberate patterns or abnormalities in language with a goal of producing some effect in the audience; it includes...
Why You Should Be Friends With Your Rivals
Endless searching and continuing education are a part of any good debater’s appetite. Learning new things, for data is a really healthy mental diet to exercise. One way to do this is through podcasts. Podcasts are unique because you can Listen - and do other things!...
Debate in College
College Debate is in many ways, like other college sports. The competition is intense, the rivals are merciless, the preparation for big tournaments is blistering. Many colleges offer scholarships for various forms of debate! This list is not comprehensive, and really...
Speed Tip Series: Making Speeches Speakable
Simpler is better. I don’t know why it took me five years to figure this out. After all, our nation was basically founded on the imperative “Never use two words when one will do.” Right? So why did I, an accomplished speaker, still stumble over phrases in my 1AC or...
Question and Answer With a College Debater
Last year, Ethos brought on Jadon Buzzard as a coach and sourcebook writer. From the beginning, Jadon showed a real knack for grasping Ethos’ core mission and teaching it to his students. Today - we sit down with Jadon and talk about his debate career, and...
Four Years Later: Lessons From Debate, Part 1
I’ve been out of the debate scene for a while. After my last tournament in 2015 and the small amount of writing/coaching I did subsequently, the sport was relegated to the same spot as a lot of things I did in high school – important in the sense of my own personal...
Steelmanning
Author Robin Sloan described attending debates sponsored by the Long Now Foundation. He was struck by the debate format, writing, “The first time I saw one of these debates, it blew my mind.” Why were these debates so revolutionary? Sloan gives some context: “Our...
Communication Breakdown
“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...
When Your Life Is A Catchphrase
“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...
Patterns, Not Problems
No matter how you’re involved in the speech/debate scene, at some point you’ll probably be asked to give feedback to help other people improve. This post aims to make that feedback better. “Fix patterns, not problems.” - Tracy Wilk, former Google executive, quoting...