We all love our Red/Blue book, our coaches, Wikipedia, Fox News, our Black's Law Dictionary, our briefcase. We own twenty different pens each and can't live without our folders, notecards, and highlighters for evidence.
But there's more. A whole new world (I swear I won't start singing) of speech and debate awesome.
I love using all sort of different weird things to supplement my personal quest of ultimate speechanddebateism. Here are some of my favorites.
1. Pinterest
There are two ways you can use Pinterest for speech and debate.
The first is to create boards of evidence for debate or extemp, or even quotes from movies/books/etc for Mars Hill ideas to then copy down in your notebook. This is for the serious people.
The second is to pin hilarious s/d related memes that make you laugh. Or make you want sit on the internet just five more hours and pin more #thestruggleisreal. Shameless advertising: This is a link to my Speech and Debate Pinterest board, which includes mostly funny things but also some good, serious quotes.
2. Youtube
Just type in "Humorous Interp" and prepare to be amazed.
Pros: Seeing amazing speeches from the past and getting ideas, being entertained, becoming awed and inspired. About ninety percent of my youtube history is watching nationally ranked speeches. The rest is Rhett and Link rap battles, Bad Lip Readings, and AVBite musicals.
Another thing I like to do on YouTube for debate is watch recorded debate rounds. I watch the first affirmative constructive, or only AC is it's LD, flowing all the while. Then I pause the video, give myself prep time, and deliver my 'rebuttal' to my phone, which records my voice. Then I play the video and compare the 'real' rebuttal to mine, figuring out what I did and didn't like about both. This is especially helpful for Parli. Recording my voice is so I can listen to it afterwards and rank my own speaks. That way I can say stuff like, "Hey, I didn't realize I sound so robotic when reading my tags. I'll work on that."
Cons: Horrible interps from your newbie years that somebody decided to videotape and now haunt you via the internet. Please, for the love of impact, don't ever look me up on Youtube.
3. Blogs
Yep. Hopefully this one has given you lots of brilliant ideas. I've got more listed in the column to the right listed something like 'Great S/D Resources'. I've also found writing a blog gets my enthusiasm up and the creative juices flowing.
4. Texting
I know, I'm one of those uber annoying stereotypical female teenaged extroverts who things texting is so totally fetch.
Haha, no. All you cynics, listen up, because I'm about to tell you how texting can actually help your debate skills.
You know when you're in semi-finals? No, I don't mean literally breaking to semis, but going to watch semis. Because chances are if you're not in them you're watching them. If not willingly, your coach will probably make you.
Anyway, you have this amazing argument against the neg's third contention that you're mad the aff isn't bringing up (isn't everything so much clearer when you're NOT at the podium?). You have three options. A. You could keep it to yourself and let it die in the recesses of your mind, or maybe maybe maybe but probably not re-read your flow (because you're totally flowing like your coach told you to...) and add it to a brief. B. You could be that really annoying obnoxious person who whispers to the guy next to you during the round. More on the do's and don'ts of whispering in a round in this post.
Or, C. Text back and forth with you're debate partner of BFF who's probably watching, too. It's super fun and non-distracting.
5. Camera Phones
This is gaining popularity like Passenger did after he released "Let Her Go". (#Hipstermoment: I loved them/him--he went solo and kept the name--before that and have every single album).
For non-music-addicts, it's spreading like crazy. The idea is to take a picture of postings so you have your order number or side, room number, floor number, and opponent(s) name(s) at the palm of your hand. If you're like me, you have to stare at postings for five solid minutes and mutter under your breathe all the way there to effectively remember. Even then, sometimes I have to check a third or forth time. Camera phone solves all that.
6. Non-Consumable Travel Coffee Mugs
This can hold:
1. Coffee (duh)
2. Hot tea
3. Soup for on-the-go.
These are amazing to carry around tournie and eat/drink while talking, reciting, judging juniors, or just hanging out listening to that one guy who brought a guitar. There is nothing more boring than sitting by yourself eating soup out of a bowl waiting for breaks.
7. Doubled-Sided Sticky Notes
Never, ever, go to a tournie or a club meeting or anywhere without these. They are self-explanatory.
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