Think public speaking skills are only important for presentations and competitions? Think again. President Barack Obama addressed heightening tension in the Middle East during his speech to the United Nations General Assembly today. The video feed (via PBS Newshour) is posted below.  The Guardian has made a full-text transcript of the speech available here.

 I always wondered how debaters (and deep-in-thought limited preppers) were able to spin their pens without sending them flying across the room. (Well, there were a *few* rogue writing instruments that would ricochet across rounds.) Now I'm starting to wonder if someone didn't travel across the world to study at the Thaispinner club and return to the forensics community to pass the skill along. 

 Interpers are no strangers to making strange noises. When you're forced to perform without stages or props, you have to get creative to get your audience engaged. We've all certainly heard our fair share of odd sounds coming from classrooms.

Bleep Blap Boop is a charming short film that turns sound effects into a battle of the sexes. With a variety of prompts, the filmmakers ask people to do their best to replicate the sounds. They're not professionals, but they certainly try their best. 

Which team do you think did a better job at making sound effects? What was the most creative sound effect you've heard in a performance?

If you've been following the upcoming presidential election, then the past two weeks have been bursting with noteworthy events. With the Republican and Democratic National Conventions having wrapped up, Obama/Biden and Romney/Ryan have been officially nominated by their respective parties. More notable than the nominations, however, were the speeches. 

So we're wondering, what if this were a tournament? I mean, sure, based on Bill Clinton's 49 minute speech, it would be a very, very, long round. But if you were handed a ballot and asked to rank the following six individuals based on the speeches they gave at their respective conventions, who would you award first place? 

Barack Obama
Mitt Romney
Bill Clinton
Paul Ryan
Michelle Obama
Ann Romney

Join the conversation on Twitter and at Facebook. 

Image via Hollywood Reporter.

Memorizing a new piece or speech is one of the least glamorous parts of forensics (next to waking up at 5 a.m. on a Saturday). People have different methods. Some folks record themselves reading it aloud and listen to it on repeat. Others try writing lines over and over until it sticks. Memorizing smaller sections then adding new ones on is another strategy. 

If you're lucky, memorizing lines comes quickly and easily to you. However, that doesn't mean some of us don't struggle with remembering tricky lines of poetry or certain statistics in an oratory. That's why this list of strategies to improve memory can be really helpful early in the season. From self affirmations, associations, and grouping to proper nutrition, mental exercises, and breathing techniques - there are plenty of ideas on how to make more room in your brain for your events.

Happy memorizing everyone!