by Anna Johansen | Jun 27, 2019 | Communication/Rhetoric, From Novice to Intermediate, Speaking
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...
by Joshua Anumolu | May 1, 2019 | Communication/Rhetoric, Soapbox, Speaking, Technique
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...
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...
