Speech and Debate (Period 6) Assignments

Some Thoughts for Your Consideration (and reasons to be glad to be in the course/program):

Why Competitive Speech?

 

"A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver." This proverb of King Solomon perfectly describes the joy that comes from a well-delivered speech. Public speaking is an art form in which the solid gold of form and content is enhanced by the silver of eloquence and elocution. Human beings are powerfully impacted by the effect of the spoken word and drawn to the beauty of well-woven communication. (As I Was Saying..., Thane Rehn)

 

 

Debate is the activity that brings the art of reading, thinking and speaking together in one place. When medieval scholars set out to establish the curriculum of the world’s first universities, they considered three liberal arts essential for leadership and promotion of the best ideas: grammar, logic, and rhetoric (reading, thinking, speaking). When they sought to test the depth to which these skills had sunk in, medieval faculty demanded students participate not in exams or papers, but in disputations—in other words, debates. Although much has changed in the world since the 19th century, scholars laid out these basic elements of the artium baccalaureus degree. The ability to conceive, articulate, and evaluate arguments remains not only the lifeblood of democracy and society, but essential to the development of an engaged and ethical individual living in contemporary technological democratic society.

In line with that history, reflect upon these foundational reasons for the existence of and participation in our Speech and Debate program:

-Debate skills are essential to public life. Today in the 21st century, the ability to create, present, and evaluate ideas remains essential to democracy and commerce in modern societies. A debate program fosters these traits.
-Debate programs are transformational experiences for students. In a debate program, students engage voluntarily in a social activity that reaps significant intellectual benefits, and rewards academic skills: quick thinking, sound argument, and confident speaking. There are few college spaces where intellectual and social goals align so well to inform a young citizen. And for those who observe debates, they see citizens reasoning, articulating, listening, responding, and ultimately respecting one another.
-Debate programs create leaders. Leading requires intelligence, vision, empathy, efficiency, and resolve. Participating in and studying debate cultivates these essential leadership skills in young women and men. In a world in which incorrect information and unjustified ideas are abundant, debate creates the sort of confident leaders who can direct public thinking toward moral and prosperous decisions.
(University of Washington, Department of Communication)

And this commentary from an educator and forensic coach:

"High school debate did more to prepare me for the rigors of college than any class, activity, or leadership position. It taught me how to think critically about any issue. It taught me how to organize my thoughts. It taught me how to present my ideas in a compelling manner. It taught me how to communicate effectively with others.

College debate had a tremendous impact on preparing me for the workforce and professional life. Debate taught me how to see multiple perspectives. It helped me understand the perspective of others. It taught me to respect those perspectives. It helped me to see how multiple lines of reasoning can be combined into a coherent picture in order to pursue a better course of action."
(Why Debate, Shawn Briscoe)