By René Schiltz There is a need out there. A need for people with a vision and people willing to serve. You do not need business skills or an MBA (certainly not). You don’t need to have a marketing degree or a communications degree. You do not need a degree at all. You simply need a prayer and if the Lord says go, you need a “Yes”. In 2014, our very large speech and debate club was, well, large. And there was the very difficult decision to consider splitting - which was qu

I would like to share some feedback with all of you. It’s a situation I think clubs should be aware of and perhaps have conversations with members regarding tournament debate finals and the message we are sending to the judges recruited for finals. A parent recruited a debate finals judge and wrote the following about the experience: “About two months before the Regional Championships I asked my friend if he would consider judging a finals round for LD. He is a highly decora

By René Schiltz Interp practices at club provide so many options. When people ask me, “What is the best method for practicing and coaching interps at club?” I usually respond with something like, “Which month of the year?” This may sound like a silly answer, but like all speech categories, interps begin with early adaptations and progress as feedback is given and weekly practice results in the final piece ready for the first tournament. The first thing I will say is that al

By René Schiltz There are various ways to participate in a speech & debate league. One might say the simplest and hardest is as an independent affiliate. It is simpler to not have to commit to a day out each week and not have club deadlines for assignments, but it is harder to know if you are on the right track in debate or to get consistent feedback on your progress writing and delivering speeches. And the kids miss seeing friends weekly. But one could say that being in a

By René Schiltz I hope by now you have viewed the June interview I did with RIch Swingle. If not I encourage you to watch it - bring the parents along as they will enjoy it too! I want to ask you, students, a question. Why does the Christian league you participate in value interps as a competitive speech category? Now hold that thought. Interps have been around forever in speech and debate leagues and are often some of the most popular events to watch when you find yoursel

How to begin. The writer’s age-old question. In the past and possibly now as well, publishers would read only the first page of an author’s work to determine whether it was worth turning the page to read on. Hundreds of potential call numbers waiting to be assigned so they could someday be found on the shelves at libraries and in bookstores…were tossed into the bin each day to become the ashes of forgotten dreams. Sounds dramatically disappointing, right? Now the orator’s

Lincoln-Douglas and Team Policy Debate - 2026 Foundations The new year of debate has begun! Wait, you say, it’s July and I’m on summer break. Yes, you are, and you should enjoy some vacation time and family activities! A well-balanced life must include rest and relaxation. But you do have quite a bit of free time - think about it and you will realize that you do have far more free time than during the school year. Why not put that to good use and build a strong foundation

Hello speech and debate students and families! In this article I would like to share how my family went from participating in theater to speech and debate. I am a Professor of Theater and Music by trade. I received my undergraduate BA in Theater from Evangel University in Missouri and my MFA in Acting from York University in Toronto, Canada. I have taught acting and directed numerous musicals at the university level. In addition, I have directed many community theater p

By René Schiltz Matthew 5: 14-16 says, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” This beautiful analogy follows the Beatitudes, the name given to the part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount refl

Platform speaking gets its name from the fact that speakers generally stand upon some kind of raised platform or stage to speak from. This is so that the speaker can not only be seen by the audience, but also so that they can be heard. I have memories of my 6th grade Civics class textbook with its pictures of early American political candidates standing upon the platforms of train cars to speak to townsfolk as they traversed the country. We have come quite a distance in the

by René Schiltz Lincoln-Douglas Debate is a style of debate that follows the pattern of the famous debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas. According to Brittanica.com, these debates were, a "...series of seven debates between the Democratic senator Stephen A. Douglas and Republican challenger Abraham Lincoln during the 1858 Illinois senatorial campaign, largely concerning the issue of slavery extension into the territories." (Britannica editors) Lincoln-Dougla

As I began to think about names for our business, I knew I wanted it to reflect the goal of what we are trying to do here. Live and in person public speaking is becoming a lost art. As we move more and more into the digital world, we lose the opportunity to hear live speakers who really know how to effectively inform or persuade a live audience. With the exception of attending Sunday morning church service, the average American interacts via digital screens to watch an

You are new to the NCFCA and you want your student to compete in Apologetics. Of course you do! Every parent wants their child to be able to defend his or her faith. I wanted that and I began teaching my kids apologetics as part of our homeschool curricula. And yet - when it came to competition - my kids said, "No thanks, Mom." At first I was surprised, perhaps maybe a little more disappointed. The truth is, competing in apologetics can be pretty intimidating once younger

Now that regionals is over, quite a few of you are preparing for the NCFCA National Championships. You are pouring over your speeches to see if there is still room for improvement before script submission is due. While a few minor tweaks may be in order, I want to talk about an area that can always be improved - the use of the human voice. Your voice is unique, people recognize your voice hearing it from another room or on the phone. It is a part of the uniqueness that