Communication Commons^™

Retention, Retention, Retention: Keeping Our Colleagues In The Trenches, Joel Hefling

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

Over a period of years (thirty or more, probably), a number of coaches have left forensics. Some have retired from education. Some have retired from coaching. Some have left coaching to pursue other academic interests. Some of those individuals have returned to positions that are solely teaching positions. Others have moved into administrative positions, at a departmental level, or at a college or university level. Invariably, those individuals have left "holes" to be filled. Filling the positions is not necessarily a concern or a problem.

Positions can and have been filled by competent coaches and educators. The "natural" attrition provides …

The Pitfalls, Perils, And Promise To Increasing Forensic Research, Daniel Cronn-Mills

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

Based on the above statement by Harris, Kropp, and Rosenthal (1986), I feel compelled to qualify my opening sentence to this article. I opened by stating "Research, in fact, provides the foundation for all we do in forensics." A more truthful statement is that "research should provide the foundation for all we do in forensics." I am not convinced this is the case.

Overcoming Obstacles To Scholarly Engagement, Edward A. Hinck

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

This paper reaffirms the idea that scholarship is essential to advancing the professional and knowledge based identity of the forensic community. To develop a vision for future scholarly activity, the paper outlines some possible areas for consideration in developing writing and research programs, reviews some of the obstacles that stand in the way of a more active community of forensic scholars, and offers solutions that hold promise for advancing the mission of scholarship in the intercollegiate forensic community.

Table Of Contents For The 2008 National Developmental Conference On Individual Events, Daniel Cronn-Mills

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

Table of contents for Conference Proceedings: National Developmental Conference on Individual Events 2008.

Nce-Ie 2010 Participants, Daniel Cronn-Mills, Larry Schnoor

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

List of participants for the 2010 National Developmental Conference on Individual Events.

Resolutions, Daniel Cronn-Mills, Larry Schnoor

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

Includes:

• What are Our Goals as Forensics Educators for the Public Speaking Events?
• Overview of Director of Forensics and Burnout
• A Pedagogical Reframing of the Ballot
• Changing the structure of the ballot
• Scheduling Tournaments
• Lincoln Douglas Scheduling
• Redistricting the AFA-NIET
• Culture of Qualification for the AFA-NIET
• Forensics and Service Learning and Community
• Service Learning
• Forensics/Assessment
• Community
• What are Our Goals as Forensics Educators for the Oral Interpretation Events?
• Resolved: The performance of literature events be re-categorized as follows
• Forensic Leadership
• Possible Assessment Tools

Assessment In Forensics: It's A Dirty Job But We Need To Do It!, Kittie Grace

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

Cognitive, affective, and behavioral assessment are all necessary measures to understanding the effectiveness of any collegiate major or forensics team. As the Director of Forensics at Hastings College, I use all three measures to assess the strength of the current program and to track trends regarding the team. This discussion focuses on presenting different ways to assess your programs to increase depart-mental and institutional support for your forensics pro-grams.

Justifying Forensic Programs To Administrations Using Humanistic Outcomes, Chad Kuyper

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

This paper will review literature concerning forensic learning outcomes, drawing a distinction between traditional "academic" learning outcomes and more "humanistic" out-comes that function at an intra- and interpersonal level. This paper will also examine avenues coaches can use to defend the most beneficial aspects of their programs to administrators.

Founding Practice: Examining Intercollegiate Competition As Assessment, Brendan B. Kelly

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

Intercollegiate forensics is, at its core, a form of teaching. Like other pedagogical elements within higher education, the practice is now, and will increasingly be, subject to institutional assessment requirements in higher education. The conventional argument that the evaluation processes inherent in intercollegiate forensics competition will demonstrate the effectiveness of teaching and learning in forensics pedagogy is false. The assessment practices within the frame-work of competitions are part of the teaching processes. Forensics pedagogy, therefore, must align itself with institutional assessment components. This essay argues for the roots of that alignment to be tied to an academic learning compact that …

Forensics Leadership: An Isocratean Vision, R. Randolph Richardson, Kathy Brittain Richardson

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

Contemporary forensic students and educators owe much to the leaders of the latter half of the twentieth century who rediscovered the educational benefits of speech competition, founded several collegiate programs and professional organizations, and established numerous tournaments and perfect-ed their management in a time of great technological change and challenge. A long list of noteworthy women and men who sacrificed inordinate amounts of time, money, often careers and professional standing, and more, for the benefit of forensic activity deserve recognition, appreciation and honor. The spirit of sacrifice that characterized the founding generation of leaders and those who immediately followed is …

Advocating High School Speech Communication Education: Sowing Stronger Seeds For The Future, Adam J. Jacobi

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

This paper presents a case for the necessity of speech communication as part of the core curriculum for secondary schools in the United States. In considering research-based pedagogical practices, as well as outcomes-based assessment, communication education focuses students’ critical thinking and competency in the two most overlooked zones of literacy: listening and speaking. To that end, the National Communication Association (NCA) and its special interest organizations, such as those focused on forensics are urged to support efforts to require speech communication as a graduation requirement, to require those courses be taught by teachers certified in communication, and to encourage NCA …

The Bloomington Recommendations: Improving Forensic Leadership By Continuing The Conversation On Evaluating The Forensics Professional, Michael Dreher

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

This paper seeks to both provide structure and formalization to the process of assessment, as well as to answer the question, "Is it possible to run a 'successful' program that’s not based in competitive success?" These recommendations serve both as a companion document and as an expansion of the recommendations previously made with regard to promotion and tenure (Dreher, 2010). The Peoria Recommendations dealt with questions to be asked of all forensic educators, documentation of teaching, research, and service, and questions to be asked by internal and external reviewers, and are summarized in appendix 1. This paper will provide further …

Student Research As A Method For Developing New Forensics Leaders, Ben Walker

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

For years, a call for more forensic research has echoed across the nation. While some respond to the continued challenge, many others have not. Numerous programs have disappeared from the collegiate forensic map over the years, with the questioned legitimacy and effectiveness of forensic programs and forensic professionals cited as the reason for their disappearance. In order to maintain a strong participation of programs, students, and coaches, we must develop strong leaders who, through research, will promote and stabilize forensics in the collegiate scene. As forensic leaders, it is our responsibility to nurture students into leadership positions where they, through …

Helping Out The "Newbies": A Call For Broader-Based Professional Development In Forensics, Christopher J. Fenner

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

Many Directors of Forensics follow a clear path from student competitor to graduate coaching assistant before holding a professional position. Often this traditional route rep-resents the full training a future DOF may receive. While this experience is invaluable, as a primary means of education it does not account for those starting programs without such a background, or those taking on a director position at an institution with a significantly different emphasis or philosophy than encountered in their training. This paper posits that a focus on training & mentoring is needed at the national level in order to facilitate a broader …

Should Collegiate Forensics Parent Organizations Take The Lead In Recruiting New Schools To The Speech Activity?, Scott Wells, Jessica Samens

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

This paper argues that the health of college forensics could be greatly strengthened with increased membership. This paper also posits that forensics parent organizations on the state, regional, and national level are uniquely positioned to recruit new schools to the speech activity. Finally, this essay details plausible approaches for enticing and fostering new programs.

A Proposal For The Re-Categorization Of Interpretation Events, Leah White

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

began to seriously consider the need for this proposal in 2009 when the AFA-NIET National Committee was faced with evaluating a potential violation of the rules related to Dramatic Interpretation (http://www.mnsu.edu/cmst/niet/minutes/November09.htm). The violation centered on differing interpretations of what texts are included within the parameters of the event description. In response to the controversy, many called for a revision of the Dramatic Interpretation event description in hopes of making it more specific, thus preventing future disputes. My assessment of this, as well as other more regional controversies, has led me to believe that many of the concerns related …

What Are We Doing?: An Argument To Change A Name, Ryan Lauth

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

Despite years of heated debate over the relevance and future of the oral interpretation events, our performances have evolved to an extent that the definition of oral interpretation no longer applies. In an effort to address the necessity of a change in the name of the largest genre of events, this paper details the separation of title and practice in interpretation before offering a solution.

Breaking The Formula: Integrating Performance Studies Into Interpretation Preparation, David Brennan

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

Forensic educators and students spend much of their time trying to perfect a new definition of "good performance" without appreciating said performance or participating in the exchange process. While many studies have examined the most common interpretation ballot comments, the results and suggestions of those studies have not changed how students perform interpretation. This is where performance studies research may come into play. The author proposes ways to incorporate performance studies research into interpretation event practice and performance. Additionally, the author also suggests several new coaching techniques to bring an educational appreciation for interpretation performances.

Thoughts On Limited Prep: Problems And Solutions, Ryan Lauth

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

The formulaic nature of the limited preparation events is keeping many of our students from accomplishing the learning objectives of public speaking. Simply changing judging paradigms will likely fail to prevent these formulas from winning in the future because, to some extent, they are based on applying sound practices in a simple way. However, the abuse of these formulas is leading many students to learn detrimental speaking habits. This paper attempts to discover new ways of approaching the limited prep events in order to develop methods for better educating students through the most commonly applicable speech genre.

Thinking Outside The Can: Restoring The Value, Teaching And Practice Of Limited Preparation In Limited-Prepartin Events, R. Randolph Richardson

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

It usually takes more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech. - Mark Twain

The humor in Twain's often-referenced quotation is more readily apparent to those outside of the forensics community than to those within. Ironically, a student addressing this quotation in competition would likely disagree with the quotation, because, well, it seems like one should. Two "arguments" would ensue—one trumpeting the importance of preparation, and a second reaffirming the value of free speech. After hearing these truisms "supported" by Festinger's Theory of Cognitive Dissonance, the Dalai Lama's new PR strategy of emptiness, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, and …

A Case For Limited Preparation: It's Not As Easy As You Think, Janis Crawford, Mae Pierce

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

Limited preparation events are useful tools that offer students many transferable skills. Because of these skills, we feel that limited preparation events should be the cornerstone of any forensics program. We also believe that repeated exposure to limited preparation events leads to a reduction in communication anxiety. We will examine the current climate of limited preparation events, the many benefits of limited preparation events and the way limited preparation can be incorporated into the educational environment. We hope to convince others of the critical role limited preparation events play in creating a well-rounded speaker.

Accreditation Criteria And Forensics: Essential Principles For Directors Of Forensics, Deano Pape

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

Assessment pressures abound for all institutions of higher learning. During her tenure as Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings frequently called for transparency and greater accountability in our colleges and universities. This paper review each of the criteria for accreditation established by the Higher Learning Commission, putting our teams and events to the test to determine our activity's ability to meet each of the criteria and contribute to our academic mission, vision, and objectives. The skills and knowledge derived from forensics, in particular the limited preparation events, provide evidence of engaging and challenging our students and creating effective learning environments for …

Unleashing The Power Of The Millennials: Adapting Forensic Extemporaneous Speaking To Make Positive Use Of Communication Technology In A Digital Age, Mark Hickman

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

Like all forensics events, Extemporaneous Speaking has evolved over the last 40 years to reflect changes in the larger societal culture as well as in the culture of the forensics community. The last 15 years or so, especially, have seen changes at an accelerated pace as natives to the digital age have risen from undergraduate competitors to become graduate assistant coaches and program directors. This changing of the guard has resulted in significant changes that have altered the event in ways that reflect the culture of this so called "millennial generation." However, some of these changes have done little to …

Rationale For The Event, "Teaching", Michael Steudeman, Lisa Roth

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

Our paper intends to introduce a new limited preparation event called "teaching" to the forensics community. By combining traditional rhetoric with the modern art of teaching, our proposal seeks to shed light on a rhetorical vision of education. We want to move beyond conventional teaching styles to emphasize a greater understanding and comprehension between the teacher and the student. Now, more than ever, education needs rhetoric. Rather than learning a specific piece of knowledge, students should have access to a rhetoric-based education that involves critical thinking and productive arguing. The activity of forensics is rooted in rhetorical education, and consequently …

Finding A Prescription For What Ails The Forensics Comunity: A Deeper Examination Of Burnout Of Directors Of Forensics, Bethany Piety

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

The researcher wanted to have a better understanding of the various obstacles that create an atmosphere of burnout, in an attempt to find some solutions to the problem. Thus, the type of research used for this study was qualitative, as the interview process provides a more multifaceted view of some of the issues DOFs have to cope with professionally and interpersonally. Interviewing DOFs in the forensics community would not only shed light on the current concerns, but it would also allow the interviewer to ask participants to disclose more deeply about specific issues related to the community. The questions posited …

Rummaging Through Cumes: What Existing Results Data For Ld At The Nfa National Tournament Can Tell Us About Tournament Design, Joseph Dudek

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

The top seeded LD competitor entering out-round competition has lost their first out-round in each of the last two NFA National Tournaments. This anecdote highlights the immensely dynamic nature of the event and, perhaps, begins to question the sanctity of out-round seeding. In order to better understand the nature of preliminary rounds, their importance in deciding who will advance to out-rounds, and how many of them are actually necessary, it is imperative that we dissect the results from recent tournaments and work toward creating a more fair and competitive tournament. In this paper, I use results data from the 2009 …

"I Got All Stupid Judges:" A Pedagogical Reframing Of The Ballot As Friend, Not Foe, Michael Chouinard

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

This paper will focus on ballots as pedagogical tools and discuss how we (and our students) can get the most out of them. It is easy for many students to become overwhelmed by the varied and disagreeable comments—or lack thereof ("Good job! 5-18")—they receive from judges, leading them to argue with ballots, rather than engage in constructive dialogue with them. This paper does not ask students to literally talk to their ballots; rather, it seeks to enable us to better serve our students by helping them find a more healthy and productive understanding of the ballot, its intended purpose, and …

Back To The Beginning - Rethinking The Afa-Niet Qualification System, Justin Rudnick

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

On July 31, 2008, Professor Dan West (Director of Forensics at Ohio University) presented a paper at the 4th National Developmental Conference on Individual Events, in which he called our attention to the "Culture of Qualifying". West (2008) explained that this obsession with qualifying for the AFA-NIET results in three problems: pulling events from the circuit after qualifying, "hunting" for legs in order to qualify for the NIET, and a decrease in the quality of regular season tournaments. He further contended that the AFA-NIET qualification system needs to be replaced – not modified, but replaced – by a method that …

Towards A Novel Tournament Scheduling Algorithm And Statistical Measure Of Team Equity In Large Scale Forensic Tournaments, Mark Kokoska

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

Business items raised at recent national forensics tournaments regarding scheduling seem to be based around issues of an increased number of competitors and a trend for some schools to have a disproportionate amount of competitors in a single event. This paper examines the stated goals in scheduling a tournament as a device that measures the ability of competitors. Stemming from these goals, this paper proposes a novel random scheduling algorithm capable of scheduling a large number of competitors in an individual event. After implementing this algorithm, its performance is measured in relation to its ability to schedule a tournament comparable …

Ballots: A New, Comprehensive And Educational Approach For Evaluating Forensic Competitors, Bradford Wakefield

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

There has been much talk in the forensic community about frustration with events and progression of the activity. The National Forensic Association National Tournament student meeting discussed irritation with the Impromptu event saying that it has been stagnant and not providing the skills needed for application in a world outside forensics. I propose a new ballot that promotes the source and intention of the event while at the same time giving a basis for "real world" application. This would not only remind competitors and judges what the intent of the event is supposed to be but also with the constant …