<p>Hello all,
I'm hoping to start an open discussion here on how to improve on an NFL sponsored oratory skills, (PF, LD, humorous interpretation, etc.) </p>
<p>Personally, I would love more discussion on public forum, because that's the format I have concentrated the most on, and would likely continue to concentrate on. </p>
<p>I am currently a sophomore, but the year is almost over anyways. I did debate in my school since freshman year, but I really didn't do much in freshman year. I tried to participate in the district tournament this year, but stupidly missed the sign up deadline, (asked the coach a day before, she refused). </p>
<p>I know that to improve in debate, you can participate in an intensive training camp, but that option is a no-go for me this summer as I cannot afford it.</p>
<p>Is it still possible for me to win a national qualifier? And regardless of that, what are some methods for sharpening my oratory skills over the summer and in my free time?</p>
<p>Here's my NFL stats:
National Ranking 82599 of 98147
State Ranking 546 of 674
District 471 of 822</p>
<p>Well, first there is a big difference between Speech and Debate events. I imagine you want to pursue Debate so I’l discuss that. From what I understand, one major thing about PFD is simply having time commitment, that is, researching the monthly topic well and building a strong case. If you know the topic and your case very well, then you will be more comfortable debating other teams. Another aspect is who you’re partnering with? Again, from what I understand, PFD is in teams of two so who your partner is will make a big difference. Right now, do you have a good partner that you regularly compete with? All in all, it is Definitely possible for you to qualify for nationals as long as you put time into it.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot for the quick reply,
My partner this year is different from my partner from last year. This year my partner is my long term childhood friend; known each other since pre-K. </p>
<p>It was her first year debating this year, so there was a slight experience gap between the two of us. There really isn’t much an issue; the problem is I doubt she is as enthusiastic about debate as I am, and I am not sure if she is as willing to invest as much time as me. </p>
<p>For example, I tried to partner with her for the District Tournament, but she was like; “Sorry, I have an SAT prep class on Saturday”.</p>
<p>But, on the other hand, I still want to hone MY skills somehow someway. I feel that the best way to improve in debate is to debate more. I missed the district tournament in my state, but are there any other PF opportunities for me? (Could I participate in the district tournaments in neighboring states?)</p>
<p>I’m also hoping to branch out into other oratory formats, I’m hoping to do something more performance based. Considering prose. Any suggestions?</p>
<p>How did you get your rankings? I’m in congressional debate and we never got rankings. What type of debate are you in?</p>
<p>for ld just spread dat ■■■■ dawg</p>
<p>Why don’t you do forensics if you want to improve on oratory skills. They even have a category called Oratory where you give a persuasive speech. </p>
<p>I’m pretty sure that for the most part, tournaments are generally over this year. I’d recommend starting next year, qualifying for Districts first (in my state at least you have to qualify) in PFD. Then, you can double or trip enter in locals in events you are considering (there’s really a massive variety of events, but I suppose you could try out interp/oratory/reading). Does your state have “group discussion” (kind of a joke but…)? All that being said, I’m still not sure what you mean by branching out. Do you mean you want to switch events or do both PFD and something else? I’ll be honest with you and say that in PFD, good/top debaters generally do not cross over into Speech very often.</p>