Speech and Rhetorical Studies Commons^™

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 …

Novice Competitors And Public Address Preparation, Jessica Samens

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

In a time when forensics is trying to maintain traditions while not getting stuck in a performance rut, teaching incoming students competition norms can be a very sticky situation. The community is being constantly criticized for crediting students who follow the spoken and unspoken rules of competition. This can leave little room for individuality and can also make it very difficult to prepare incoming students for competition. Prepping new students in college events becomes a balancing act, trying to teach events, norms, and policies in a short amount of time to help prepare the student to be "tournament ready." While …

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 …

Conference Proceedings: National Developmental Conference On Individual Events 2010, Daniel Cronn-Mills, Larry Schnoor

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

The Fifth NDC-IE was hosted two years later in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the summer of 2010. A total of 90 participants presented papers discussing public speaking events, limited preparation events, oral interpretation events, forensic leadership issues, forensics and service learning and tournament assessment.

Conference Proceedings: National Developmental Conference On Individual Events, Daniel Cronn-Mills

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

The Fourth NDC-IE conference occurred eleven years later in Peoria, Illinois. It was hosted by Bradley University in the summer of 2008. This NDC-IE included the largest attendance ever with a total of 93 participants. The topics discussed included: research, the role of a DOF, growth of programs, ethics in forensics, tournament administration, education/competitive duality, growth of the activity and debate and IE relationships.

Conference Proceedings: Third National Developmental Conference On Individual Events: Addressing Individual Events, Nfa Lincoln-Douglas Debate, & Npda Parliamentary Debate, Rice University, Houston, Texas, August 13-16, 1997, Shawnalee A. Whitney

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

The Third NDC-IE conference occurred seven years later in Houston, Texas. It was hosted by Rice University and Tyler Junior College in the summer of 1997. A total of 40 participants met and addressed key issues such as judge training and tournament management. In addition, this NDC-IE was also marked by timely discussion of NPDA and NFA-LD.

Conference Proceedings Of The Second National Developmental Conference On Individual Events, Larry Schnoor, Vicki Karns

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

The Second NDC-IE conference occurred two years later in Mankato, Minnesota in the summer of 1990. A total of 81 participants met to discuss topics such as new coaches, judge training, recruitment, community college programs, the AFA-NIET qualification process and ethical uses of evidence.

Exploring The Impacts Of An Open Door Policy And A Mindfulness Room At The Intercollegiate Speech (Individual Events) Tournament, C. Austin Mcdonald Ii, Samantha Burke

Speaker & Gavel

Two distinct tournament features were offered at a regional intercollegiate individual events swing: 1.) an open door policy for all competition rounds and 2.) a mindfulness room for students. A 16-item survey (with both qualitative and quantitative prompts) was administered at the conclusion of the swing to gain a sense of participants’ perceptions of past tournament experiences and experiences with the newly implemented features. Seventy-one (n=71) respondents participated (competitors, coaches, tournament staff, and hired judges). Analysis of the data revealed: 40% of participants had felt the need to leave a round in the past (a disproportionate 80% of which were …

When A Global Pandemic Gives You Lemons You Dig Deep And Find A Way To Make Lemonade Better, Todd Holm

Speaker & Gavel

So far, the year 2020 has been fraught with obstacles. Australian brush fires burned over 18 million hectares of land, thousands of buildings, and killed hundreds of people. Indonesia, Japan, Puerto Rico, and parts of the continental US saw massive flooding. The Taal Volcano in the Philippines erupted and caused the evacuation of more than 300,000 people. There have been 45 earthquakes over 6 magnitudes in Turkey, The Caribbean, China, Iran, Russia, Philippines, India, and other countries. Algae blooms in Antarctica have caused the snow to turn green, and there are literally swarms of locus in parts India, Asia, and …

Speaker And Gavel Call For Submissions: Forensics Administration And Practice In The Age Of Covid-19, Stephanie Wideman

Speaker & Gavel

Speaker and Gavel invites authors to submit manuscripts for an upcoming special edition focused on scholarship, pedagogy, research, competition, and administration in competitive and non-competitive speech and debate practices within and post the global Covid-19 pandemic. We welcome submissions from forensic coaches, communication scholars, and students (undergraduate and graduate).

An Empirical Analysis Of Individual Events In Collegiate Forensics, Jordan Duffin Wong

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Anecdotally, it is a widely accepted notion in the United States’ collegiate competitive speech and debate community that a competitor’s strong record of competitive performance in the activity at the high school level is a powerful predictor of similar success in the activity at the collegiate level. However, no evidence has been brought to bear supporting this claim. This paper uses the universe of American Forensic Association National Individual Events Tournament results from 2013 to 2018 and links collegiate competitors to their respective high school performance data. I demonstrate evidence that high school experience does, in fact, appear to play …

An Empirical Analysis Of Individual Events In Collegiate Forensics, Jordan Wong

UCARE: Research Products

Anecdotally, it is a widely accepted notion in the United States’ collegiate competitive speech and debate community that a competitor’s strong record of competitive performance in the activity at the high school level is a powerful predictor of similar success in the activity at the collegiate level. However, no evidence has been brought to bear supporting this claim. This paper uses the universe of American Forensic Association National Individual Events Tournament results from 2013 to 2018 and links collegiate competitors to their respective high school performance data. I demonstrate evidence that high school experience does, in fact, appear to play …

Assessing Competitive Oral Interpretation Speakers: What We Expect Students To Learn, Kelsey Johnson

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Forensic coaches believe and argue oral interpretation events are educational in nature and provide robust learning opportunities for the competitors who participate in oral interpretation. However, while many scholars claim oral interpretation events are educational, learning outcomes (LOs) do not exist to measure what is learned. Therefore, to measure if oral interpretation competitors are learning, I led focus groups consisting of North Dakota speech coaches to determine what we can expect competitors to learn by participating in the oral interpretation events sanctioned by the North Dakota High School Activities Association (NDHSAA). Using thematic analysis of the focus groups, I illuminated …

Using Bourdieu In Communication And Forensics Research, Stephen P. Hagan

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

As norms in the forensics community are often unspoken and have few identifiable starting points, habitus and Bourdieu seems an apt place to begin an analysis. Further, such analysis can serve as a potential case study for broader applications of Bourdieu to communication studies. Thus, my goal is to provide an overview of Bourdieu’s work through his interconnecting ideas of habitus, field, and cultural capital and use those concepts to discuss college forensics as a case study of how communicative norms and attitudes are shaped in small collective social structures such as forensics. Building from that application, I explore ways …

Chris Vein: What Forensics Did For Me, Chris Vein

Speaker & Gavel

ALUMNI CORNER: The forensic community is filled with alumni who will tout the benefits they received through their participation in intercollegiate speech and debate activities. As directors of forensics programs face battles for budgets and sometimes for their program’s very existence, having a collection of published testimonies about the positive influence of forensics can be a tremendous help. To that end, Speaker & Gavel is setting aside space in each issue for our alumni to talk about how forensics has helped them in their professional life. These are our alumni’s stories.

Tyson Carter: What Forensics Did For Me, Tyson Carter

Speaker & Gavel

No abstract provided.

Fighting The Formula: Adherence To Unspoken Rules Limit The Value Of Individual Events, Eric Mishne

Speaker & Gavel

Forensics is one of the most valuable activities in which college students can be involved. However, the strict adherence to formula and unspoken rules diminishes the educational benefits. This article explores an extensive body of literature highlighting the concerns of formulaic practices in collegiate forensics. The author asserts that authenticity, genuine learning, transferability of skills, innovation, and high quality speaking are the biggest victims of stringent adherence to the forensic formula. Specific recommendations for competitors, judges, coaches, and organizing bodies are given, suggesting that there are alternatives which can mitigate growing concerns.

A Letter From The Dsr-Tka President, Mary Moore, Mike Edmonds

Speaker & Gavel

A letter from the President of DSR-TKA announcing the dissolution of Delta Sigma Rho-Tau Kappa Alpha (DSR-TKA).

Student Service To The High School Forensics Community: Insights Gained From Hosting The Annual Singletary Speech And Debate Tournament, Kelsey Bruce

Student Engagement Posters

Kelsey Bruce discusses student engagement at Linfield College with regard to hosting the annual Singletary Speech and Debate Tournament.