News

SpeechGeek has published under the International Serial Standard Number 1545-9209 since the publication launched in 2003. To better assist coaches and competitors, we have registered each SpeechGeek issue with an ISBN number.  Such number removes any question on “publication” questions by the National Forensic League, Catholic Forensic League, and state organizations. These numbers will begin making their way into newly printed editions of the scripts later this year.  If you are a previous customer of SpeechGeek, you can present this documentation should any questions arise.

SpeechGeek has also submitted a modified version of our digital editions to the National Forensic League for approval under the coming season's guidelines for digital edition certification.  We are pleased with this development and look forward to continuing to provide interp scripts in digital form at the lowest prices available to teams.

SpeechGeek Season One: Fall 2003

978-1-61387-000-6

SpeechGeek Season Two: Fall 2004

978-1-61387-001-3

SpeechGeek Season Two: Winter 2005

978-1-61387-002-0

SpeechGeek Season Three: Fall 2005

978-1-61387-004-4

SpeechGeek Season Three: Winter 2006

978-1-61387-005-1

SpeechGeek Season Three: Spring 2006

978-1-61387-006-8

SpeechGeek Season Four: Fall 2006

978-1-61387-008-2

SpeechGeek Season Four: Winter 2007

978-1-61387-009-9

SpeechGeek Season Four: Spring 2007

978-1-61387-010-5

SpeechGeek Season Four: Nationals 2007

978-1-61387-011-2

SpeechGeek Season Five: Fall 2007

978-1-61387-012-9

SpeechGeek Season Five: Winter 2008

978-1-61387-013-6

SpeechGeek Season Five: Spring 2008

978-1-61387-014-3

SpeechGeek Season Five: Nationals 2008

978-1-61387-015-0

SpeechGeek Season Five: Anniversary

978-1-61387-016-7

SpeechGeek Season Six: Fall 2008

978-1-61387-017-4

SpeechGeek Season Six: Winter 2009

978-1-61387-018-1

SpeechGeek Season Six: Spring 2009

978-1-61387-019-8

SpeechGeek Season Six: Nationals 2009

978-1-61387-020-4

SpeechGeek Season Seven: Fall 2009

978-1-61387-021-1

SpeechGeek Season Seven: Winter 2010

978-1-61387-022-8

SpeechGeek Season Seven: Spring 2010

978-1-61387-023-5

SpeechGeek Season Seven: Nationals 2010

978-1-61387-024-2

SpeechGeek Season Eight: Fall 2010

978-1-61387-025-9

SpeechGeek Season Eight: Winter 2011

978-1-61387-026-6

SpeechGeek Season Nine: Fall 2011

978-1-61387-027-3

SpeechGeek Season Nine: Winter 2012

978-1-61387-028-0

SpeechGeek Presents: Female/Female Duos, Vol. 1

978-1-61387-029-7

SpeechGeek Presents: Female/Female Duos, Vol. 2

978-1-61387-032-7

SpeechGeek Presents: Female/Female Duos, Vol. 3

978-1-61387-033-4

SpeechGeek Presents: Junior, Vol. 1

978-1-61387-034-1

SpeechGeek Presents: Junior, Vol. 2

978-1-61387-035-8

SpeechGeek Presents: Junior, Vol. 3

978-1-61387-036-5

SpeechGeek Presents: Junior, Vol. 4

978-1-61387-037-2

The following statement was released yesterday from CDE Debate. 

CDE Subscribers,

As you heard from Mr. Bennett, Foundation Briefs has partnered with CDE Debate. We are extremely excited to continue to build the partnership between the two companies. We have a deep appreciation for the length and quality of relationships many of you have had with Mr. Bennett and we will seek to uphold those fine traditions of quality and customer service.

Going forward, all of the products offered by CDE will continue to be offered at least through the end of the season. Similarly, all prior commitments will be honored. Beyond simply distributing our new and improved brief to you, we have partnered with CDE to modernize and update everything from the website to the product line so please be ready for those changes. As we go through that process, we will rely on you for feedback as this company always has been, and will continue to be, all about the customer.  This is your chance to tell us what you want to see from the CDE/Foundation Briefs partnership. 

With regards to debate briefs, CDE and Foundation Briefs have come together to create the best possible brief. While the briefs you will be receiving will be branded as Foundation Briefs, they will be sure to include the long-standing tradition of high quality evidence that CDE stands for. In addition, Foundation Briefs will bring creativity, innovation and a greater breadth of evidence to the briefs. Again, to ensure that this partnership produces the best possible briefs, your input on everything from type to distribution of evidence is paramount.

While the debate briefs will be branded as Foundation Briefs, CDE will remain the publisher of the textbooks. This renewed focus will allow CDE to update many of its best textbooks as well as produce new material to ensure CDE Textbooks are the best on the market. 

From this point forward, please direct all communications to this new email (cdedebate@gmail.com). The old email that most of you are accustomed to using (bennett@cdedebate.com) will be phased out as part of the website update that will be occurring shortly. This will allow CDE to better communicate with customers and avoid restraints imposed by the old webmail provider. 

Should you have any comments or concerns, do not hesitate to email us at this address. We understand that this will be a significant change for CDE and want to ensure the highest possible degree of customer satisfaction. Indeed, better customer satisfaction is the reason for this partnership. This will allow Foundation Briefs to continue making the best briefs on the market and delivering them to a wider audience while CDE will be freed up to focus on textbooks, which we believe serve an important role in developing skills in speech and debate. 

Thank you for your continued patronage.

Best,
CDE Speech and Debate Team

With the start of a new season comes several fresh faces to SpeechGeek Market.  Take a moment to check out these companies and their services.

PFDebate -- Publisher of the weekly Crossfire Briefs in, you guessed it, Public Forum Debate.

The RFD Files -- Briefs in both UIL and NFL Lincoln-Douglas Debate.

The "How to" of Debate -- Accessible and useful textbook for novice policy debaters and coaches.

The Market now numbers over twenty vendors with products for every forensics event.  If there's some resource we don't offer that you'd like to see, let us know!

This policy debate textbook takes students from complete beginners to knowledgeable intermediates in 15 easy chapters (124 pages + full index). 

The book begins with a non-threatening introduction to basic skills, such as flowing, speaking, and researching. Beginners will learn the core idea of parametrics theory in the chapters on cases and plans. 

Building on this foundation, novices will easily see the logic of each negative position (CP, DA, K, T). Intermediate debaters will find the checklists of affirmative responses to each position invaluable "cheat sheets". 

The final chapters give guidance for judge adaptation, working with a partner, and getting the most out of practice rounds. The style of this book is readable, using proper terminology without excess jargon. 

The author, Russell Hanes, was an eight-year policy debater and has been coaching debate for the last decade.

Pick up your digital copy today for only $10.

The National Forensics League has released its 10 potential resolutions for 2011-2012:

1. Resolved: The United States ought to extend to non-citizens accused of terrorism the same constitutional due process protections it grants to citizens.
2. Resolved: It is morally permissible for victims to use deadly force as a deliberate response to repeated domestic violence.
3. Resolved: In the United States, possession of handguns ought not be an individual right.
4. Resolved: The use of eminent domain for private economic development is just.
5. Resolved: Estate taxes are just.
6. Resolved: A government has the obligation to lessen the economic gap between its rich and poor citizens.
7. Resolved: A just society ought to prioritize environmental concerns over the production of energy.
8. Resolved: In the United States, law enforcement ought to be required to have probable cause to search data an individual has stored on remote servers.
9. Resolved: Targeted killing is a morally permissible foreign policy tool.
10. Resolved: Individuals have a moral obligation to assist people in need.
    
    

NFL Executive Director Scott Wunn sent the following message to coaches last week prior to the start of the 2011 National Tournament in Dallas.  There are lots of things going on in Texas this week and even a few ways for alumni, students, and coaches to connect even if they're not at Nationals.

Dear Coaches,

We are gearing up for an awesome national tournament, and we hope you are, too! This week, we want to highlight a few things that you will want to take advantage of during the tournament.

Registration and Vending Expo
We look forward to seeing everyone during Tournament Registration at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel & Conference Center on Monday, June 13, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Lone Star Ballroom A1-4 (located on the 2nd floor of the conference center). The Vending Expo will be in Lone Star Ballroom B. There is a Sky Bridge that connects the hotel to the conference center on the 2nd floor.

College Preparation Seminars
In conjunction with Revolution Prep, a leading test prep company, the NFL is proud to provide completely free seminars for students preparing for the SAT and ACT. These seminars will occur adjacent to registration throughout the day on Monday, June 13. To learn more about these seminars, click here.

Fundraising Opportunity
Revolution Prep has also created an excellent fundraising opportunity for our schools where 100% of the proceeds go directly to your program. Be sure to attend their Monday afternoon session in Austin Ballroom 3 (adjacent to registration) to find out more about how you can make thousands of dollars for your team!

National Service Projects
This year, NFL members will have a variety of ways to participate in National Service Projects at nationals. Projects will occur throughout the week, including judging at the NJFL National Tournament, pledging to Spread the Word to End the Word, contributing to a Virtual Food Drive to benefit the North Texas Food Bank, and donating blood or volunteering to work at the American Red Cross Blood Drive. To learn more about these service opportunities, visit us online at http://NFLnationals.org/national-service-project.

Livestream and Updates
For parents, family members, and all of those other supporters of your team who won’t be in Dallas this year, let them know that they can watch the finals all day on Friday and Saturday from our Facebook page ( http://www.facebook.com/NationalForensicLeague) or from any of our websites. Live coverage from the tournament will occur exclusively at http://NFLNationals.org throughout the week.

LFG / NFL Disaster Relief Fund
In Spring 2011, a series of natural disasters devastated communities across the United States. Flooding along the Mississippi River and deadly storms in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi—and now Minnesota, Kansas, and Missouri—created an urgent need to rebuild communities and lives.

In response, the NFL has launched the Lincoln Financial Group / National Forensic League Disaster Relief Fund, which provides financial support for speech and debate programs affected by disasters. The first grant recipient from this fund will be Joplin High School, which was destroyed by a deadly tornado on May 23, 2011.

Opportunities will exist at the 2011 National Tournament to give to the LFG / NFL Disaster Relief Fund. In addition, Lincoln Financial Group has graciously agreed to match every dollar contributed to the fund throughout the week. Visit http://NFLnationals.org/disaster-relief-fund to donate online today, or stop by our booth in the Internet Café outside the Lone Star Ballroom to learn more.

Please give to the LFG / NFL Disaster Relief Fund. Together, we can help schools in need regain their voice.

Sincerely,

J. Scott Wunn
Executive Director

As most readers are aware, United States Extemp and International Extemp break to top sixty after preliminary rounds at the NFL National Tournament.  Some readers might be confident that they will reach the octofinal round, but it never hurts to be prepared for your supplemental events.  SpeechGeek has two products that might interest extempers, a brief for Extemp Commentary that is written by Logan Scisco, and a brief to assist extempers who might be entered in supplemental debate, which was introduced at last year’s NFL.  Click on the headings below to access these briefs from the SpeechGeek Market online store.  The Extemp Commentary brief is only $10 and is available for download.  The Supplemental Debate brief is $15 and is available for pre-order.

Extemp Commentary Brief Overview

Logan Scisco, 2003 NFL United States Extemporaneous Speaking Final Round National Champion and Extemp Central founder, breaks down the ten topic areas for Extemp Commentary in this exclusive NFL Extemp Commentary brief for DebateChamps.  Logan describes the issues that commentators may face during the tournament and provides some tips to ensure success for this unique supplemental event.

Supplemental Debate Brief Overview

Hate getting stuck with just one case option? No worries! The files contain multiple plan text options to suit your needs. Each plan text is accompanied by advantage/contention outlines as well as detailed links to outside research, making Nationals preparation quick and easy. On the Negative? We’ve got you covered. The briefs contains both generic and case specific disadvantages and case turns to make prepping on the negative easier. Nationals is stressful. Make prepping simple.

Tyler Fabbri was last year’s NFL national champion in United States Extemporaneous Speaking and was a finalist in 2009.  He provides some tips in this piece for extempers who will be competing at the 2011 NFL National Tournament in less than two weeks in Dallas, Texas. The following excerpted article appears on DebateChamps' sister website Extemp Central.  We think it's great advice for not only limited prepers at NFL Nats but all competitors as well.

by Tyler Fabbri.

With NFL Nationals creeping around the corner, I expect the anxiety is mounting a bit for everyone. Whether Dallas is your first or fourth NFL tournament, there are a few basic things to keep in mind to make this year’s trip the best it can be. This may be an incoherent rambling, but take from it what you can!

First of all, don’t waste all of your energy on pre-tournament preparation. Yes, making sure you are ready is good, but spending 8 hours a day on extemp is torture. Make sure you still have the enthusiasm you need come tournament time instead of burning out before you even get to Texas. So, look over the topic areas that the NFL releases, think those over (I think Extemp Central does a solid breakdown of these), and see what type of research you’ll need. Work until you’re comfortable with what you have done, and then try relaxing.

Second, and generally this is obvious, you need to make sure you pack what clothes you need. Obviously you need the clothing, but make sure you have the shoes, belts, and other necessities. Appearances are important, so look professional. Also meaning, make sure everything is appropriate. Mickey Mouse ties are cool for coaches, but stick with something more conservative. And bowties are for weddings and proms, so try to be taken seriously.

Anyway, now to the real stuff. You need to warm up before the first rounds of the day. Remember, this is probably the judge’s first round too, so if you can look sharp right out of the gate, the judge will appreciate it. Say some tongue twisters, do some vocal exercises, or anything to get you loose and ready to go. If your speech is your first time talking that day, I guarantee that it will show. Obviously, stay loose during the long breaks between rounds, too.

Read the full article.

Speech and Debate: Oprah's Gateway to Success

"You are your own best thing."

This was the message that defined the twenty-five years of The Oprah Show, which aired its final broadcast Wednesday night. But these words -- while important -- are not unique or revolutionary. So what was it about Oprah saying them that spurred a multi-million dollar media phenomenon that includes a talk show, a magazine, and now a television network?

This weekend, I will join thousands of high school students in Washington, D.C. for the national speech and debate tournament. Oprah attended this same national tournament almost forty years ago -- an experience she claims made the difference between a quiet, personal idea and a resounding message that was broadcast around the world for 25 years.

A high school activity with the power to change lives

Read the full essay...