Have you ever wanted to share your views on aspects of speech and debate with an audience? To tell others about a drill you found really effective for practicing? To help debaters overall take their debating to the next level?
Personally, I loved sharing my thoughts about debate theory with others—and I frequently did so with my clubmates. But while club discussion and banter was fun, I wanted a broader audience. Thus, about three and a half years ago, I approached Isaiah McPeak with an idea for an article about impact calculus plants, even though I didn’t have any serious writing experience outside of classes. Now, with about 40 published articles under my belt, I am the chief editor of the Ethos blog. I’ve gotten to see the blog grow and the team change over the years with the addition of new talent.
Having started a new academic year, we are again looking for that next wave of talent to share their thoughts/knowledge/experience about speech and debate—regardless of what league or even what format you compete in (this includes speech events, mock trial, model UN, Congress, etc.).
Major benefits of contributing
Our authors are unpaid, but there are some substantial non-monetary benefits:
- This can be great for your college applications and/or resume, cover letter, interviews, etc.—especially given how important communication is in the academic and professional world.
- As noted, this is an opportunity for you to teach and/or otherwise help your readers (or just share your perspective about various topics).
- This gives you a platform to practice your teamwork, communication, and analytical skills (again, all of which are highly valued in many workplaces).
- Engage with a team of other writers/coaches who have their own perspectives on a variety of issues (who doesn’t enjoy the occasional “Topical counterplans: yes/no” debate?).
Expectations:
We generally have a flexible schedule: content expectations are usually about 1-2 articles (around 1,000 words each) per month (although you can contribute more articles!). You normally will need to come up with ideas for article topics, although we can occasionally provide some ideas/inspiration if you don’t know what to write on.
How to apply
As noted, you don’t have to have any professional writing experience; rather, you just need to be interested in writing and open to review by editors. Thus, to apply, first email us at contact@ethosdebate.com just to let us know you are interested, then we will follow up, most likely requesting things such as a writing sample and description of relevant experience (including debate experience, previous writing experience if applicable, and/or a resume if you have created one).
Ultimately, even if you don’t think you personally will apply, I encourage you to share this with people you know who might be interested (or just in your club generally); especially with the experience I have had, I would hate to have missed this opportunity!