Have you ever wished you could improve as a debater, but aren’t sure how? Have you thought about getting outside help or coaching, but you have some reservations? This post addresses some of the common objections that bar students from taking the next step in growing their skills as a communicator.
Coaching is too expensive
Whether you’re a family on a budget, or you think coaching should just be more affordable, we totally understand. Ethos is run by individuals who dedicate the time they have in addition to having full-time jobs, or being full-time students. In order to keep up our staff and pay for general overhead, Ethos only charges what allows us to pay our coaches, and endeavor to grow our product (which helps each student directly).
Coaching won’t help me get better, because I am already good at debate
I think most reasonable people can see what is wrong with this statement. If you’re dedicated to growing in communication and character, the insight of other people is vital. At Ethos, you have coaches with years and years of experience in multiple debate formats and styles. Go ahead and TRY to get better at least.
Ethos is just a bunch of high school and college students, and I want someone older coaching my kid
Prima Facie, this is just not true. Thaddeus Tague, the head coach, graduated in 2016, and now (married) lives in San Diego, CA, working for a large established insurance firm. While many of our coaches are ex-competitors or current college students, the insinuation here is that the veracity of the coach is questionable because the questioner has a predisposed bias – rendering all college students as naive or less-than-preferable mentors. I would encourage you to try out our coaching, or ask someone who has received Ethos coaching!
Isaiah left Ethos
While Isaiah stepped down from leading Ethos on the day to day, he is still coaching with us and is still invested in the Ethos model.
I can get better coaching from other coaches
Really? While we don’t deny that other really good coaches are out there, and they can help you, Ethos has several advantages those other coaches don’t.
- Over ten years of developed and perfected curriculum that has helped multiple national class debaters reach their peak.
- Debaters like Ryan Collins, Josiah McPeak, Rebecca Frazer, Drew Chambers, and a whole host of others.
- Real world application. Ethos can help you win debate rounds, sure, but we can also give you the keys to the metaphorical communication kingdom. Future job skills, how to communicate persuasively with non-verbals, humor, etc.
Ethos is anti-speed n’ spread, and they don’t like debaters with a killer instinct
This is misplaced on so many levels. Ethos teaches communication habits that transfer easily into the real world. Spreading is a legitimate tactic that utilizes the time constraints to overwhelm your opponent and force them to drop several arguments. Ethos isn’t against using these strategies. However, you will never see anyone attempt to spread in day-to-day conversation, or during a corporate presentation. On the second count? We love debaters with a killer instinct, and what’s more, we love to help our students win lots of debate rounds. We have a proven track record of doing so.
We have a club coach, and all our kids went to a camp already
If you’ve ever run a club or taught in any capacity, you know that it’s close to impossible to give each student the attention they need to flourish. You can provide a certain level of feedback and coaching, but to really thrive, students need more. One-on-one coaching is vital for continued growth. Camps have a similar weakness: they’re limited in scope. Due to time constraints, you can only cover so much material during camp, and then they’re done. They provide a good base, but they don’t continue to push students throughout the year. Individual coaching and outside of club practice are two things that help make a good debater great.
Debate is a recreational exercise, and coaching isn’t necessary
This could be true, if indeed you think debate is only fun recreation. But debate teaches communication and expression in a way no recreation can. It teaches life skills and critical thinking that will stay with the debater the rest of their lives.
We’ve had a bad experience with Ethos in the past
As with all established companies, bad experiences can happen, or random stories (true or untrue) are spread. Ethos operates off of individuals and coaches, and sometimes people give off a bad impression of who Ethos really is. We recognize this and we own up to it! Go ahead and send us an email detailing your thoughts, and we’d love to see what we can do to make it up to you!
Yes, I understand that coaching is valuable, but WHAT EXACTLY do I get if I sign up for it?
Great question! The concrete, assured things you can count on after you purchase Ethos coaching, are
- Weekly meetings with a coach
- Helpful drills, practice rounds, speaking drills, and debate oriented drilling in general
- Helpful topic lectures
- Helpful research assistance on the topic(s)
- Critical thinking drills
- Goal setting, and horizon planning
- Tournament/performance review/breakdown
Interested in taking your skills to the next level? Check out our coaching page for more info. We’d love to talk with you!