Speech and Rhetorical Studies Commons^™

Ethical Considerations For Forensics Educators, Sheryl A. Friedley

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

In 1984, the Ethics of Advocacy Committee at the National Developmental Conference on Forensics defined forensics as primarily an educational activity. In addition, that same Committee defined "ethical behavior" as that which promotes the educational goals of the activity while "unethical behavior" hinders such educational goals (Parson, 1984, p. 14). With this educational perspective as the focus of this discussion, I will posit three specific ethical responsibilities to which I believe forensic educators should aspire. While these ethical responsibilities do not dictate specific policy, they do provide an educationally-based philosophy from which specific ethical policy may be formed.

Re-Examining Competition And Education In Collegiate Forensics: Establishing The Need For A Pedagogical Prerogative Perspective, Randy Richardson, Brendan B. Kelly

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

The authors examine the dominant metaphors used to guide collegiate forensics practice during the last four decades. The interplay between education and competition serve as a focus for the analysis. The authors establish the need for a pedagogical prerogative perspective as a means of enhancing the educational value of intercollegiate individual events.

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 …

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 …

Playing It Safe As Pedagogy: Finding The Conventional Wisdom In Convention, Dawn Lowry

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

As forensic educators, I know we are supposed to love all events equally, but one event escapes my comprehension. Rhetorical criticism is like rhythmic gymnastics to me; I can appreciate its verbal dexterity but I always feel like I am missing something. So when a successful coach of the event let me in on a secret, I was grateful. Explain the tenets so people feel like they understand something; don’t shy away from complicated terminology but relate it to concrete examples easily grasped. Explanation through comparison a la Aristotle, this made sense. Yet when I suggested this technique to a …

Arrangement: Understanding The Ubiquity Of Problem, Cause, Solution In The Persuasive Speech, Matthew Warner

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

There is, in certain Christian circles, an old joke. In a Sun-day morning Sunday School class the teacher asks the following question: "What has short fur, a long bushy tail, climbs trees, and collects nuts?" The students immediately answer: "Jesus!"

Of course, this answer is ridiculous. Immediately following the question the class may think "squirrel!" or perhaps – the creative ones, "chipmunk!" However, before they can convince themselves to speak up and correctly answer the question, they think of the context. This is church; the answer must be "Jesus!"

Now, this paper is about Individual Events Competition, more specifically, "Arrangement: …

Escaping The "Uncanny Valley": Humanizing Forensic Address Through Public Narrative, R. Randolph Richardson

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

The negative reaction of sports writers to Tiger Woods' February 19, 2010 comeback press conference echoed three terms: "insincere," "coached" and "robotic." In fact, the latter criticism caught on with the online public to the extent that a "Tiger Woods is a Robot" fan page is featured on Facebook, while an episode of "Tiger Woods Robot Theatre" can be viewed on Youtube. Tiger's press conference media accounts, a performance analysis of Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign, and an overview of the latest business presentational texts suggest that nothing will disengage an audience more quickly than a robotic delivery style. Perhaps …

Rhetorical Criticism In The Classroom Vs. In Competition: A Consideration Of The Impact Of Context On Student Scholarship, Richard E. Paine

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

A battle has long waged in forensics between those who would define it as an "educational activity" and those who see it first and foremost as a "competitive game." Others have asserted that this dichotomy is a false one, and responded to the question by conflating the two concepts, arguing that competition automatically produces learning while learning paves the road to success. This paper argues that both of these perspectives are flawed, and asserts instead the image of a continuum of choice which is anchored at one end by "pure competition" and at the other by "pure learning." This view …