How To Coach National Forensic League

Transcription

1 Fall Release:September15,2011 Version#:6.0.0 CoachingGuide:DirectingSpeechandDebateActivities NationalForensicLeague Ourcoachesmatter.YourworkasanNFLcoachwillchallenge,motivate,andinspirestudentstoseetheworldasnever before.alongtheway,you'lltestyourskillsandbroadenyourhorizons andlearnafewthingsyourself. Thiscoachguidewasdesignedtohelpyoumanageyourteamsuccessfully.Betweenitscovers,you llfindeverythingyou needtojumpstartyourteam,fromanoverviewoftheactivityitself,totheprocessesofmanagingannflchapter,to administeringandbuildingyourprogramingeneral.we veevenincludedaglossaryofspeechanddebateterms. Additionalresourcesarealsoavailableonourwebsite, w w w. N F L o n l i n e. o r g

2 TableofContents PurposeoftheNationalForensicLeague 3 StartingUp:ACoachToolkit 4 TournamentsforNewbies 10 RunninganNFLChapter 11 CompetitiveEventsOffered 11 TypesofNFLSchool(Chapter)Membership 12 BasicNFLTerminology 13 FrequentlyAskedQuestions 14 EarningCompetitionPoints 15 MembershipandDegrees,andService 16 ViewingandRecordingPoints 18 ParticipatinginNFLTournaments 22 PartnerPrograms 23 BuildingYourProgram 24 GettingParentsInvolved 31 ProfitableFundraising 34 TournamentCompetitionGlossary 35 Appendices 39 A.ProgramPolicySamples 39 B.SampleHealthCertificate 44 C.SamplesofTravelForms 45 D.JudgeTraining 47 ContactingtheNationalOffice 50 ChangeLog 50 O N L I N E YourStartingPoint: ResourcesandCommunity: Fundraising: InstructionalVideos: Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow. RalphWaldoEmerson 2011 NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 2

3 PurposeoftheNationalForensicLeague TheNFLpromotesinterscholasticdebate,oratory,publicspeaking,andinterpretationofliterature byencouragingaspiritoffellowshipandconferringupondeservingcandidatesaworthybadgeof distinction.anationwidenetworkofcompetitivetournamentshonorsstudentsfortheir achievements,culminatingwiththenationalspeechanddebatetournamentinjune. Theleaguealsoservesasanhonorarysociety,promotingsecondaryandmiddlelevelspeechanddebate activitiesandinterscholasticcompetitionasameanstodevelopastudent slifelongskillsandvalues,aswellas thepublic sawarenessofthevalueofcommunicationeducation.tothisend,thenflservesasthecentral agentforcoordinationandfacilitationofheightenedpublicawarenessofthevalueofspeechcommunication skills,developmentofeducationalinitiativesforstudentandteachertraining,excellenceininterscholastic competition,andthepromotionofhonorsocietyideals. Asanorganization,theNationalForensicLeagueembracesdiversity,interconnection,andvisionary leadership.weempowerstudentstobecomeeffectivecommunicators,ethicalindividuals,criticalthinkers, andleadersinademocraticsociety. BenefitsofMembership Weofferseveralservicesandopportunitiesforforensicsprograms,including: Membershipintheonlynationwideeducationalsocietyforspeechanddebate.Collegesanduniversities considernflmembershiptobeabadgeofacademichonoranddistinction. Asubscriptiontothemonthlyeducationalmagazine,Rostrum.Completewithonlinearchives,Rostrumis themostcomprehensivepublicationforsecondaryschoolspeechanddebate. Anextensivevehicleforhonoringmembersofyourprogram.Studentsreceivecertificates,seals,andother handsomeinsigniaasrecognitionoftheiraccomplishmentsinforensics. InvitationtoparticipateinDistrictcompetition,whichcouldqualifystudentstotheNFLnational tournamentandanopportunitytoearnsomeofthe$200,000incollegescholarshipsawarded. Onlinefundraisingportalexclusivetomembers,allowingdonorstochooseprojectstogiveto. Weofferseveralcoachtraining/professionaldevelopmentinitiatives,whichinclude: Hundredsofcoachingresourcesincludinglessonplans,fundraisingideas,drills,managementandteambuildingexercisesandanonlinecommunityforcoachesandstudents. Accesstoanextensiveonlinevideoportal,trainingallareasofforensics,aswellasannualcomplimentary DVDsoffinalroundperformancesinHumorous,Dramatic,andDuoInterpretation.Publicationinformation andauthorsofall600interpretationselectionsperformedatseveralpastnationaltournaments. Local,regionalandnationalcoachclinicsandworkshopscholarships,onlineprofessionaldevelopment tutorialcourseforcontinuingeducationunits(ceus)orgraduatecredit,schoolfacultyseminars,aswellas coachmentoring. Professionalcoach/educatoraccreditationtohonorexpertiseandexperience. Onlinestoreofmementos,supplies,books,videosandothermerchandisetosupportyoursquad NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 3

4 StartingUp:ACoachToolkit NFLfounderBrunoE.Jacob(picturedatright)oftenexpressedthestrongconvictionthat individualstudentmembershipwasthecornerstoneofthenationalforensicleague.this meansthatregardlessofcompetitivesuccess,participationisthemostvaluableaspectofthe forensicexperience. The Journey is the Reward. Timeline&ChecklistfortheYear Summer/BeforeSchoolBegins Directorsofspeechanddebateprogramsserveasbothadministrators(managing logisticalresponsibilities)andcoaches(educatingandguidingstudents).insome schoolsandstates,speechanddebatehasacurriculumandisofferedasaclass.more traditionallyandmoreoften,itissimplyanextracurricularactivity. 1. ContactyourNFLdistrictchair(ontheNFLwebsite,clickon DistrictContacts fromthe Districts section)tolearnwhenlocalareacoachmeetings,clinics/workshopsandtournamentsareheld.s/healso maydirectyoutostateleaguewebsitesforcalendarsandrulebooks.manystatesofferadditionalspeaking eventsnotheldbythenfl,butthatcanearnstudentsnflmeritpointsforparticipation.yourdistrict chairshouldbeabletoidentifyanexperiencedcoachintheareawhocanserveasamentor. 2. Setupmeetingswiththeschooladministrator(s),athletic/activitiesdirectorandbookkeeper. Understandingschool/districtpoliciesandpaperworkforinterscholasticconduct,knowingwhereyou standwithyourbudget,obtainingappropriatefinancialforms(suchascheckrequests),arranging transportation,determiningifandhowyouwillraisefunds,andbeingclearonlegalpoliciesandliabilities areallcriticalbeforeyouevenstartworkingwithstudents.itpaystoknowwhatyourrightsand responsibilitiesare,sinceyouwillbetraveling(sometimesovernight),handlingmoney,andworkingoneon onewithstudents. 3. Organizestudentleadership.Ifyouareinheritingaprogram,findoutwhoexistingofficers/captainsare, andmeetwiththem.notonlydosuchrolesteachstudentsvaluablelessonsofleadership,butyoucan delegatecertaintaskssuchaspeercoaching.ashrewdcoachisawareofpersonalityconflicts,andrallies theirstudentleadershiparoundasharedvisionandchargesthemwithbringingthattotheteamatlarge.if youarestartinganewprogram,perhapsinitiatearecommendationprocessbywhichteachersprovide feedbackonstudentleadercandidates. 4. Deviseapracticeschedule,tournamentcalendarandprogrampolicies.Youmayseekstudentinputfor thecalendarifthereareoptions,butstartwithwhatyoufeelyoucanhandle.nothingisworsethan bitingoffmorethanyoucanchew whenyou renew.alwayshaveanadministratorand/oryour activities/athleticdirector(andperhapsschool/districtattorney)reviewwhatyouputtogetherforlegality, sotheyareneversurprisedtohearfromaparentaboutsomething.samplesofsuchmaterialsareinthe Appendix. 5. Createabulletinboardand/orwebsiteorplacewherestudentscanfind informationaboutupcomingmeets,whenformsaredue,etc.gettheminthehabit ofcheckingthisoften! 2011 NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 4

5 Summer/BeforeSchoolBegins(continued) 6. Investigateestablishingaparentboosterclub.Sometimes,theseexistatschoolsasblanketorganizations tosupportallfineartsoractivities,soalwaysworkwithintheframeworkthatbestrespectsthecultureof yourbuilding(makefriends,notenemies).regardless,havingaparentcommitteetohelpplantrips,judge (ifparentjudgesarecommoninyourarea),helpruntournaments,raisefunds,etc.isinvaluable.formore informationandsuggestions,pleaseseethesectionofthisguideon GettingParentsInvolved. 7. Determinewhatsuppliesyouneed,anduseschoolchannelstopurchase,orprioritizethemtopurchase onceadequatefundsareraised.suggestionsforsuppliesfollowsthischecklist. 8. Listpotentialjudges.Whenyouregisterforatournament,youarerequiredtobringacertainnumberof judges,usuallybasedonhowmanyentriesyoubring.yourcontactwithyournfldistrictchairand/orlocal leaguescanhelpyouunderstandtheprevailingrules,includingwhetherschoolsusuallyhireteachers, businessprofessionals,formercompetitors,and/ormembersofthecommunity, suchasparents.dependingontheexpertiseandexperienceofjudgesand regionalnorms,judgesmaybeaskedtovolunteer,ormaybemodestly remuneratedfortheirtime.it simportanttounderstandtheproceduresfor handlingthis someschools/districtsevenrequirejudgestocompletepayrolland federalw 2andI 9forms. 9. Makesurejudgesaretrained.Regardlessoftheexpertiseandbackgroundofjudges,thevariousNFLand localstandardsandrulesforeventsincludeseveraltechnicalitiesandconventionsthatchangeperiodically (astheyareupdatedbycoachcommittees).additionally,notalljudgesrealizetheimportanceofwriting specificandconstructivecriticismswhentheyevaluatecontestants.what smore,acknowledginghuman biasandethicalissuesisanimportantconsiderationwhenjudging.somestateshavetrainingprograms andclinics,soyou llwanttobeawareoftheseandcommunicatethemtoyourjudgesasearlyaspossible. AnoverviewandbasicjudgetrainingmaterialsareincludedintheAppendixofthisguide. 10. Createasystemforcommunicatingwithjudges.Giveyourjudgesacalendaroftournamentsandask themtosharetheiravailabilitywithyou.then,asyouknowhowmanystudentsyou reregistering and consequently,howmanyjudgesyouwillneed youcancontactthosejudgeswhoareavailable.themore noticeyoucangivejudgesastowhetheryouneedthemornotisappreciatedandgoesalongwaytoward cementingaloyal,reliablejudgecorps. BeginningoftheSchoolYear/Season 11. Promoteyourprogramwithintheschool(seethesectiononRecruitment)andadvertiseaninformational meeting.ifthere sanactivityfair,setupabooth! 12. Holdaninformationalmeetingwhereyougivestudentsabriefoverviewofwhat forensics is,the benefitsofparticipatingandwhattheycananticipateasamemberofyourprogram.keepthemeeting positive,butmakeyourexpectationsclear.youmaywishtohavestudentleadersassistwithrunningthis meeting,butcommunicatewiththemaheadoftime,sotheyunderstandtheimportanceofstayingon messageandexpressingyoursharedvisionfortheprogram.havecopiesofthepracticeschedule, tournamentcalendar,teampolicies,parentletter,andstudentcontact/medical/permissionformsready todistributetostudentsatthismeeting.parentsappreciateacoachwhoisorganizedandprepared.ifthe schoolassessesateam/participationfee(oryouareallowedtoassessoneexpresslyforforensics),and/or ifyourequirefundraising,beupfrontandexplainexpectations/quotas NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 5

6 RunningPractices 13. Beclearaboutyourexpectations,whichshouldbestatedinwritingwithmaterialsdistributedatthe informationalmeeting.considerfrequencyanddurationofpracticesofferedandhowmanystudents shouldattendeachweek.decidehowyouwillhandleconflicts(manystudentsareinvolvedinother activities,suchasdrama,music,athletics,parttimejobs,etc.). 14. Determinewhatresourcesareatyourdisposal(computers,printingcapabilities,library,etc.)andany schoolpoliciesregardingreservingspaceandresources). 15. Establishastructure howwillstudentsusetheirtime(andyours)andshareresourceswhentheyareata practicesession?makingsuretheyareproductive,workingcollaboratively(theyareonateam,afterall), andpreparedisessential.pre season,practicefocusesontheoriesof presentation,formationofspeeches,casesandliterarypieces, researchandsubsequentfiling;whereas,duringtheseason,practice becomesmoreaboutdevelopingtechnique,honingfluency,and fixingflaws. Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect. - Vince Lombardi 16. Askcolleagueteachersforlightassistance.Englishteachersaregreatatproofingspeeches,socialstudies teachersaregreatatreviewingdebatecasesorcongresslegislation,scienceteachersaregreatat providingideasforscience relateddebatetopics.byreachingacrossdisciplines,youalsobuildrespectfor yourprogramasenhancingstudentlearninginthoseareas. 17. Watchvideoofsuccessfulpresentationstoofferstudentsaperspectiveofwhatittakestobesuccessful. TheNFLoffersitsShowcaseDVDset,aswellasarobustlibraryoffinalroundvideoandaudioarchives, whichyoucanorder,andinsomecases,evenloan(consulttheorderformsthatcamewithyour membershipmaterials). 18. Encouragepeercoaching.Whenstudentsareempoweredtoconstructivelyevaluatetheir teammates,theybegintohaveamorecriticaleyeandearfortheirownwork,and appreciatethevalueofcriticism.actualpracticesessionscanrunasdetail orientedstopand gopresentations,which surgically fixindividualflawswhentheyhappen,ortheycan becontinuous run throughs, wherefeedbackisgivenafterthepresentationfinishes, muchasinactualcompetition. 19. Recordvideooraudioofpresentations.Withcomputers,thishasbecomeeasierthan ever.acomputerwithanembeddedcameraand/ormicrophonewillallowstudentstoseeandheartheir performancefromtheperspectiveofaspectator. 20. Alwaysbeawareofwhatyourstudentsarepresenting.Contentreflectsyouandtheschool. 21. Invitejudges,parentsandalumnitohelpobserveandevaluatepresentations.Someschoolshavea night offorensics priortotheseasontogivestudentsapre tournamenteventtobereadytodebate,speakor performat.addrefreshments,andyou vegotamemorableteam buildingoccasionthatbuildsexcitement andmotivationfortheseasonahead! 22. Havingapublicshowcase,presentingatacommunity,youthorseniorcenter,orholdingapublicdebate withacivicorganizationisagreatwaytobuildpublicawarenessofyourprogram,whilegivingyour studentspracticalexperience.theycanalsoearnnfl ServiceSpeaking meritpoints.thereareseveral referencesthroughoutthisguidetoadditionalnflpartnershipopportunitieswherestudentscanengage thecommunityinthismanner. 23. Coachesoftenhaveafolderorbindersystemwherestudentskeepjudgeevaluations,goal settingsheets, competitiverecordandevenjournalreflectivelyabouttheirgrowth NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 6

7 WhenTournamentSeasonStarts 24. Pre seasonworkshops/clinicsarecommoninmanylocales,soinvestigatewhat soffered,andmakesure yourstudentsareawareofthisopportunity. 25. Watchforinvitations.ManyNFLdistricts,stateorganizationsandinvitationalsposttournament informationandregistrationformsonlineorvia ,whileothersstillmailoutinformation.makesure youareontheappropriat inglists(postalorvirtual). 26. Arrangetransportationinthemannermostappropriateforyourschoolandregion.While manyareascharterschoolbusses,someschoolsrequirecoachestoreserveanddrive vans,whilestillothersrequirefamiliestofindtheirownwaytotournaments.withtransportation,there areoftenseveralliabilityissues,sobeabsolutelyclearonyourschool spolicies. Regardless,makesurethesearrangementsaremadewellinadvanceofthe tournamentsyouattend. 27. Ifyouaretravelingadistancetoatournament,youmustalsoconsiderbookinglodgingandothermodes oftransportation,suchasairfare.this,ofcourse,requiresadditionaladvanceplanningandmeticulous organization,suchascommunicatingdetailstoparents.sampleformsfortravel relatedpurposeshave beenincludedintheappendix.ifyourstudentsarefortunateenoughtoqualifytothenflnational Tournament,thentravelisassuredlyaconsideration,andyoushouldtalktoyouradministrationabout supportingthisendeavor.thenflnationaltournamentisoneoftheoldestsupportedactivitiesbythe NationalAssociationofSecondarySchoolPrincipals,andmanyschools/districtwillcoveratleastpartofa team sexpenses,sincethenationaltournamentistheterminuslevelofcompetitionforthisacademic sport. 28. Registerpromptlyandaccurately.Manycoachesrequirestudentstosignupforeachtournament,to indicatetheiravailabilityandreadiness.ifclasscreditisinvolved,there softena contract oragreement thatparentssign,acknowledgingthatattendanceatacertainnumberoftournamentsisattachedtothe student sgrade.tournamentshaveregistrationdeadlines oftenatleastaweekprior,andearlierfor largertournaments.schoolswhohosttournamentsplanmuchinthesamewayasforawedding:ordering foodforparticipantsandcoaches/judges,determininguseofrooms,orderingawards,makingsureenough custodialstaffisavailable,etc.anytimecoachesarelateorinaccuratewithregistration,theycontributeto degradingtheefficiencyofthewholetournament.pleasebeateamplayerwithyourcolleagues.readthe specialproceduresandrulesforeachparticulartournamentandfollowinstructionscarefully. 29. Makesureyourschoolissuesacheckforthetournamentpromptly.Manytournamentsrequirepayment whenyouenter;somerequireitwhenyouarrivewithyourstudents. 30. Confirmwiththejudgesyouneedforthistournament,andmakesureyousharelogisticalinformation (whentheyshouldarrive),aswellasanyrulesparticulartothattournament. 31. Remindstudentsandverifytheirintenttoattendeachtournament.Justasyoudowithjudges,sharethe essentiallogisticalinformation,aswellasspecialrules.ifstudentscancelparticipation,communicatethese drops tothehostingschoolimmediately. 32. Confirmwithyourbuscompanyortransportation,andmakesureyoubuildinsomeextratime.It sbetter toarriveearlyandhaveadditionaltimetopractice,thantoarrivelatebecauseofaweatherissueorother mitigatingcircumstance.thisalsomodelsresponsiblebehaviorforyoungpeopleontheimportanceof promptness.tournamentswillusuallyhaveascheduleintheinvitation;planwithneededtraveltimeto arriveatthebeginningoftheregistrationperiod NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 7

8 TournamentDay(Consulttheglossaryattheendofthisguideforspecifictournamentlingo). 33. Prepareanattendancerosterofstudentsandtheirevents(youcanalsousethistotracktheir achievementforafterthetournament).makesureyouhavemedicalformsandanyother essentialpaperworkwithyoubeforeyouleaveforthetournament.ifstudentsaremissingany classes,besuretosharetheattendancelistwiththeoffice/faculty,soteachersareaware thosestudentswillbeoutofthebuilding. 34. Besurestudentsbringappropriatematerials,includingevidencetubs,literarypieces,visualaids,timing devices,etc. 35. Whenyouarriveatthetournament,youwilllikelyregisteryourstudents,andreceivesuchmaterialsas judgeassignments,schedules,mapsoftheschoolandschematics.remindyourstudentstoabidebyboth yourownschool sandteam srules,aswellasthehostschool sintermsofrespectingspace,andreturn anymovedfurnituretowhereitwaswhenyouarrive.don tforgettosharejudgeassignmentswiththose whomyouhired! 36. Attendthegeneralmeetingforcontestants,judgesand/orcoaches(ifapplicable). 37. Coacheshavevaryingresponsibilitieswhileatatournament.Theyareoftenaskedtojudge,sometimes askedtohelpcomputeresults(tabulate,or tab forshort),theymayfollowtheirstudentsaroundand offeradviceonperformance,andtheymaysocialize.asanewercoach,donotdiscountthevalueof networkingsociallyattournaments.aseducators,mostcoacheslovetosharetheirtechniquesandthe moreenthusiasticanovicecoachis,themorelikelyanexperiencedcoachistosharethewealthoftheir knowledge.often,tournamentshavea lounge orhospitalityareafortheadults thisiswhereyouwill meetpeopleandlearnaboutthevariousleagues,rules,standards/conventions,methods/techniques,etc. 38. Attheawardsassembly,remindyourstudentstorepresentyourschoolwithdecorumandappropriate conduct.losingwithdignityisanimportantskilltofoster.neverallowstudentstospeakillofstudents, judgesorcoachesfromotherschools untilyou rebackatyourownschool.evenaschoolbuswithopen windowsoranairplanecanattractunsuspectedlisteners. 39. Beforeyouleave,youwillbeissuedacopyofthetournament sresultsandstudentevaluationsheets. Makesureyourstudentsretrieveanymaterialstheybrought aswellaspersonaleffects(whichinvariably getforgotten).makesurestudentscleanthebusbeforeleaving. AftertheTournament 40. Studentsarequicktoblamejudgesfortheirweakperformances.Remindstudentsthatjudgesareunique humanbeings,whoeachbringtheirownbackgroundsandperspectivestoassessingstudents performances.askthestudenttoanalyzehowtheycan winover aparticularjudge,giventhatjudge s comments.ifajudge scommentsareincompleteorincoherent,chalkthatuptohumanerror afterall, chancesarethatjudgeshowedthesamelackofcourtesytoallthecontestantsthatday.dependingonthe cultureofyourlocalleague,itmaybeacceptabletobringaproblematicjudgetotheattentionofthe coachwhohiredhim/her,ortothetournamenthost.alwayscheckwithexperiencedcolleaguestosee whatthepreferredprotocolisinthatcase. 41. Sendthankyounotestothetournamenthostandjudges,ifnecessary. 42. RecordNFLmeritpoints(unlessitistheNFLDistrictorNationalTournament).Seethe HowtoRecordNFLPoints sectionofthisguide. 43. Publicizesuccesses(seemoreonthatintheprogram buildingsection) NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 8

9 WrappingUptheSeason/Year 44. Investigatesummeropportunitiesfortrainingforbothyouandyourstudents.Thereareseveral scholarshipsavailable(includingthenflcoachscholarshipprogramdescribedonp.24),sothesooneryou investigatethis,thebetter. 45. Appointcaptainsand/orhavestudentselectnewofficersforthefollowingseason.Meetwithcurrentand newofficerstoensureatransferofknowledge/experienceandexpectations. 46. Planaseason sendbanquettocelebrateaccomplishments,tosend offseniors,andto thankparents,judges,administrators,sponsorsandothersfortheirsupportofyour program.thenflsellsseveralmementos,suchassilverlapelpins,chenilleletterjacket patchesandhandsomegraduationhonorcords. 47. Reflectonhowthingswentthisyearandre toolfornextseason!plantoattendanylocal coachconventionsorclinicsattheendoftheyear.seeifyoucanattendthenflnationaltournamentin June(ifnoneofyourstudentsqualified)toseethenation sbestandbrightestcompete. ChecklistofMaterials Generalsupplies:writingutensils(multi coloredpensfordebate),paper (copy/printaswellaslined),notecards,scissors,tape,binderthatfits5½"x 8½" half sheets (picturedatleft)fororalinterpretationscripts,three hole punch,cardstocktoprintliterarypieceson(orhalf sizesheetprotectors), plastictubsforevidence,filefolders. Periodicalsforreference,whichareparticularlyusefulforExtemporaneous Speaking,CongressandPublicForum. Books:literatureforinterpretiveevents,referencefordebate.Telleveryone youknowthatyouwilltakeanymaterialstheydiscard! CompetitionDress&Appearance Animportantaspectofcommunicationisthecredibilityofthesource,andyoungpeopleinspeechanddebate advocateforserious,matureissues.aspartofthisprofessionalendeavor,itiscustomaryforstudentstowear dressclothing,with businesscasual. Coachesoftenhearstudents bellyache aboutbuyingorwearingsuch clothes,fromthesamestudentswhoalsoownnamebrandathleticshoesanddesignerjeansworthtwicethe valueofasimpledressoutfit!coachescaneducatestudentsandtheirparentsabouttheinvestmentthat havingaprofessionaloutfitrepresents(suchasforinterviews,specialoccasions, etc.).additionally,severalteamshave hand me down programs,and/orshopat localthriftandconsignmentstores. Forcompetitivesuccess,suitsarethemostuniversaloutfit,andusuallydarkcolors (black,charcoalornavy)arethecustomarychoiceofattorneysandinvestment bankers theadultdecision makers.inspeechevents,suchasoratoryand interpretation,boldcolors(suchasred)oftengrabattention.theideaistolook conservative,sotheemphasisisonthecontentanddeliveryofthemessage,andnot adistractingaspectofastudent sappearance NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 9

10 TournamentsforNewbies* *becausethatyellowbookseriesusesaderogatoryterm Thissectionisintendedforthenewcoachorstudentalike.Aspeechordebatecontestislikeathree ring circus,withseveraleventshappeningatonce,withaseaofteenagersactingouthysterics(becauseacharacter intheirinterpretivepiececallsforit,becausetheyarehavingacrisiswiththeirsignificantother,becausethey areanxiousaboutabigpaper,orbecausetheyarenervousaboutcompetition).ah,suchisthebeautyof workingwithyoungpeople! Notwotournamentsarealike.Somearesmallanextremelylocal,oftenhappeningafterschoolforafew hours,whilesomehavemorethanathousandcontestantsfromseveralstates,spanningseveraldays.geta senseofthenormfortournamentsfromanexperiencedcoachinyour area,soyouaren toverwhelmed.psycheyourkidsoutinapositive manner.familiarizeyourselfwiththeterminology(foundinthe glossaryonp.36). Therearesomeuniversalfacetstoeverytournament:theyusually havestudentspresentacoupletimesbeforedifferentjudges(and usuallydifferentopposingcontestants,dependingonhowmanyenter inthatparticularevent).judgesevaluatetheperformanceofstudents (indebate,awardingawinorloss;andinspeechandcongress, awardingranksorratings/points).somecontestsofferteamorsquad awards(oftencalledsweepstakes),whicharehigh stakesschool awards,whichprincipalslove,whileothercontestsemphasize individualstudentachievement. Hereareafewpearlsofwisdomforthenewbiecoachorstudent: Observeroundswheneveryouhavetheopportunity.Forstudents,thismeanseliminationrounds whentheydon tbreak.watchdifferentevents,especiallyifthey reoutsideyourareaof expertise/comfort.youmaypickupatechniqueyoucanincorporateelsewhere.watchthespecific techniquesofsuccessfulcontestants. Bringhomeworkandothermaterialsforthebusrideorfordowntime.Read,quietlylistentomusic, orcompleteasudokuorcrosswordpuzzle. Eatwellandgetenoughrest.Bothcoachesandstudentsalikeareguiltyofignoringtheirhealthand wellnessinthethroesofcompetition.tournamentsare(unfortunately)knownforjunk/fastfood, becauseit scheapandconvenient.packhigh protein,low carbohydratesnacksandbottledwater. Bottledwaterisalsothehealthiestwayofkeepingyourvoicehydrated,especiallygivenhowoften studentsandcoachestalkattournaments! Don tobsessoveryourrecordasacontestantorcoach.successcomeswithexperience.justhavefun andenjoytheride!themostsuccessfulparticipantsinthisactivityreportthatevenwiththeirlast tournament,theirkeyisthattheyenjoyexpressingthemselves,raisingawarenessofanissuethrough whattheypresent,andengagingwiththeirpeersinthisgreatcommunity NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 10

11 RunninganNFLChapter WhetheryoujustregisteredyourschoolwiththeNationalForensicLeague,oryouinheritedacharterchapter fromanothercoach,youwilllearnabouttheprocessesofchartingpointsyourstudentsearn,thehonor systemsforbothstudentsandcoaches,thespecificnfleventsandtournamentsavailable,andconsidering involvementinoneormoreofourspecialpartnerprograms. CompetitiveEventsOffered BelowaredescribedtheNFL sninemain,fivesupplemental,andtwoconsolationevents.individualstates haveothereventsthatcanearnstudentsnflpoints(seep.15). MainEvents InordertocompeteattheNFLDistrictTournamentandbeeligiblefortheNFLNational Tournament,studentsmustqualifyinoneofthefollowingevents.Theseeventsarealso weightedatapremiumvalueforpointrecordingpurposes. PolicyDebate teamdebatethatevaluatesaproposedresolutiononthe basisofaffirmativeandnegativecases. PublicForumDebate teamdebatethatevaluatesapositionposedbythe resolution.clashofideasmustbecommunicatedinamannerpersuasivetothenon specialistor citizenjudge,i.e.amemberoftheamericanjury. LincolnDouglasDebate one on onedebate,whichexaminesavalueresolution. CongressionalDebate contestantsresearchandwritelegislationthatwill improvesociety,thendebateandsubsequentlyvoteinanassemblyofabout12 24legislators,whichemploysparliamentaryprocedureandastudentpresiding officer. OriginalOratory thecontestantcomposesanoriginalspeechthatdiscussesintelligentlyandwitha degreeoforiginality,inaninterestingmannerandwithsomeprofittohis/heraudiencethetopics/he haschosen. UnitedStatesExtemporaneousSpeaking requiresaspeakertoansweraquestionaboutdomestic subjectsoreventsbysynthesizingpublishednewsmaterial. InternationalExtemporaneousSpeaking requiresaspeakertoansweraquestionaboutinternational eventsbysynthesizingpublishednewsmaterial. DramaticInterpretation contestantrecreatescharactersinadramaticstory,making themseemalivetotheaudience. HumorousInterpretation contestantrecreatescharactersinahumorousstory, makingthemseemalivetotheaudience. DuoInterpretation twocontestantsrecreatecharactersfromadramaticor humorousliterarywork NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 11

12 Topics InPolicyDebate,LincolnDouglasandPublicForum,currentandpastresolutiontopics(andascheduleof releasedates)canbefoundonthenflwebsiteunder Resources>Topics. Supplementalandconsolation eventtopicsforthenationaltournamentalsocanbefoundthere. SupplementalEvents AttheNationalTournament,studentswhosecoacheshavepre registeredthem,andareeliminatedfrom preliminarycompetitioncanre registertocontinueparticipatingintwoofthefollowingevents: Prose expressesthoughtthroughlanguagerecordedinsentencesandparagraphs:fiction(short stories,novels)andnon fiction(articles,essays,journals,biographies). Poetry expressesideas,experience,oremotionthroughcreativearrangementofwordsaccordingto theirsound,theirrhythm,and/ortheirmeaning.poetrymayrelyonverseandstanzaform. ExtemporaneousCommentary contestantsprovideadditionalinsightand opinionsonprescribedtopics. ExpositorySpeaking thecontestantgivesaspeechtoinform.itshoulddescribe, clarify,illustrateordefineanobject,idea,concept,orprocess. SupplementalDebate brief,one on onedebateinwhichthestudentmust respondtopropositionswithlimitedpreparation. ConsolationEvents AttheNationalTournament,studentswhosecoacheshavepre registeredthem,andareeliminatedfrom competitionbywednesdayeveningcanre registertocontinueparticipatinginoneofthefollowingevents: Storytelling asinglepublished,printedstory,anecdote,tale,mythorlegendisretoldwithoutnotes orprops. Impromptu contestantsareaskedtoevaluatepromptsincludingproverbs,abstractwords,events, quotations,andfamouspeople. TypesofNFLSchool(Chapter)Membership ProvisionalChapters ProvisionalchaptersareschoolsthathavenewlyjoinedtheNFL,orreturnedafteralapseinmembershipof morethanfiveyears.provisionalchaptershavedistrictandnationalvotingrightsofone halftheirdegree strength,andcountasone halfofafullcharterchapterindeterminingwhetherornotadistricthasmetthe minimumrequirementof16paidcharterchapters. MemberChapters Memberchaptersareschoolsthathaveeithercompletedthreeyearsofprovisionalmembershipandnotmet theminimumcharteringrequirement,orisreturningasamemberchapterwithinfiveyearsofabsence. Charterchaptersthatdonotmeetcharterrenewalrequirementsoverathree yearperiodarealsomovedto memberchapterstatus.memberchaptershavethesameone halfvotingrightsasprovisionalchapters,but arenotcountedtowardthedistrict'sminimumrequirementof16paidcharterchapters NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 12

13 CharterChapters Charterchaptersarethehighestschoolmembershiphonorintheleague.Aschoolis automaticallychartered(receivingacertificateuponitsinitialcharter;seethesample totheleft),onceithas: Beenaprovisionalormemberchapterforatleastone(1)year;and Metminimumstrengthrequirementof50newmembers/degreesenrolled overtheeyears,or,forschoolswithgrades9 12enrollmentoflessthan500 students,25newmembers/degrees. Ifacharterchapterdoesnotmeetminimumstrengthrequirements,itwillbegiven oneyearoftemporarycharterstatustomeettherequirementbeforemovingto memberchapterstatus.achapterlosesitscharterfornon paymentofdues,butmay returnasasacharterchapterifithasbeenlessthanthreeyearssinceitslast membership,andallpriorinvoices(includingmissingyeardues)arepaidinfull. Suchschoolsmustnotifythenationalofficeastotheirenrollmentstatus. NFLMembershipTerminology NFLPoints awardedwhenstudentsspeakattournaments,festivals,orduringpublicspeaking engagements.pointsarerecordedastheyareearned(seep.18 21);eachround(whetherwinoraloss), countsforaspecificnumberofnflpoints),aswellas servicespeaking engagements(seep.14 15). NFLMembership onceastudentorcoachachieves25points,s/heisenrolledinlifetimeindividual membership.aone time$15feemustbepaidtothenationaloffice(billedtotheschoolnfladvisor). Degree cumulativepointlevelsachieved:25=merit,75=honor,50=excellence,250=distinction, 500=specialdistinction,750=superiordistinction,1000=outstandingdistinction,1500=premierdistinction. Eachdegreeearnedisacknowledgedbyadistinctivesealtobeaffixedtothemembershipcertificate.Seals areautomaticallysentwhenstudentsearnnewdegrees. District EachschoolisplacedinadistrictdependingonitsgeographyrelativetootherNFL schools/districts.allschoolsinadistrict ledbyadistrictchair competeagainsteachotheratthe DistrictTournament(seep.23)todeterminewhichstudentsqualifytotheNationalTournamentinJune. NFLKeyorPin silverforstudents,goldforinstructors jeweledtomarkthedegreea competitorhasattained.purchaseisoptional. CoachDiamond coachesqualifyformembershipandadvanceddegreesaccordingtothesame scheduleprovidedforstudentsandmustapplyandpaythemembershipfee.onattaininga totalof1,500points,theinstructorwillbeentitledtowearadiamond setnflkeyorpin;additional diamondsaccrueat3,000,6,000,10,000andeach3,000pointsthereafter.minimumtimeforeach diamondisfiveyearsasannflmembercoach.aninstructorwhoobtainedmembershipasastudent shouldreportthatfacttothenationaloffice.membershipaswellas1/10ofthepointsearnedasastudent willbetransferredwithoutapplicationorfee. Rostrum thenfl smagazine,publishedmonthlyduringtheschoolyear.itincludesteachingandlearning articles,rulechanges,tournamentresults,districtstandings,aswellasnflnews NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 13

14 FrequentlyAskedQuestions Q:I manewcoach.whomcanicontactaboutstartingateam? A:ExperiencedcoachesareeagertotalktonewNFLcoaches.Youmayuseourcoachingresources,online,for usefuldocumentationonhowtostartyourteamsuccessfully.also,feelfreetocontactadamjacobi, Q:HowcanIfindschoolsinmyareathatcompeteinspeechanddebate? A:NFLcoacheshaveaccesstoreportsthatlistparticipatingschoolsinyourdistrict.Goto: District fromtheoptionsatthetop. Then,click DistrictTournamentReport(Listofschoolsbystrength) andselectyourdistrictnamefrom thedropdownlistandclick Search. Finally,yourstateorganizationmostlikelyhasawebsitethatwillgiveyouascheduleofupcoming tournamentsandalistofschoolsthatparticipatethroughoutyourstate,andyourdistrictchairwillbeable todirectyouthere. Q:CanIjoinNFLmid year? A:Yes!However,wesuggestthatyoujoinquicklytomaximizeeveryopportunitytoparticipate. Q:CanmyformerstudentsgetcreditincollegeforbeingintheNFL? A:Yes!SomeinstitutionsoffercreditorsimplyawardcreditbyexaminationtoNFLalumni.Call thenationalofficeforofficialproofofmembership. Q:IusedtocompeteinNFLyearsago,howcanIfindmyrecord? A:Ifyoucompetedsince1996,yourrecordcanbefoundonline.However,ifyourcompetition daysoccurredbefore1996,callusat or Also,one tenthofyourstudentpointscancounttowardyourcoachingpointrecord. Contactuswithyourgraduationyear,schoolandstate,andnameatgraduation,andwe ll dotherest! Q:Myschoolisburdenedfinancially.Aretheregrantsavailable? A:LincolnFinancialGroupisaproudsponsoroftheNFLandoffersgrantstospeechand/ordebateprograms withfinancialneeds.thegrantconsistsoffreeschoolmembership.contactadamjacobiat Q:Whatisthedifferencebetweena Member and Charter chapter/school? A:SchoolsnewtotheNFL,orwhosemembershiphaslapsedformorethanfiveyearsaregrantedprovisional status,whichallowsthemtocounttowarddistrictstrength/quotarequirements.withinthreeyears,they mustmeetcharterrequirementsbyenrollingatleast50newdegrees(or25newdegreesforaschool whoseenrollmentislessthan500students).anyschoolthatdoesnotmeetthecharterrequirementsafter aperiodofthreeyearsisconsideredamemberchapter,whichdoesnotcounttowarddistrict strength/quotarequirements,orhaveavoteindistrictornationalelectionsfornflleadership. Q:HowdoesmyschoolqualifytoparticipateintheDistrictTournament? A:Youwillreceiveinformationfromyourdistrictchair,howeveritisoursuggestionthatyoucontactyour districtchairandnotifythemofyourinterest.ifyouarehavingproblems,pleasecontactadamjacobiat thenationaloffice.allschoolsareencouragedtoparticipateinthedistricttournament! 2011 NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 14

15 EarningCompetitionPoints Studentsearnpointsatlocal,state,andnationwideopeninvitationalevents. In2010,theNFLintroducedasimpler,moredirectwayofunderstandingitspointstructure. Studentsearnpointsintwoclassifications:forparticipationinNFLmainevents,andfor participationinnon NFL(includingsupplementalandconsolationevents).Therearethreeareasin whichpointsarerecorded:debate,speechandservice,andtherearenocapsinanyareaor event. Debate NFLMainEvents Speech Policy,LincolnDouglas,andPublicForum(incl.IPPF*) Oratory,Extemp,Dramatic/Humorous/DuoInterp Win 6pts. 1stPlaceRank 6pts. Loss/NoDecision 3pts. 2ndPlaceRank 5pts. CongressionalDebate 3rdPlaceRank 4pts. Upto6pts.perspeechorfullhourofpresiding;limit24 4thPlaceRank 3pts. pts.percalendarday;noparticipationpoints. 5th LastPlaceRank 2pts. Debate Non NFLandSupplemental/ConsolationEvents Speech ParliamentaryDebate,MockTrial,SupplementalDebate, Impromptu,Storytelling,Prose,Poetry,Declamation,etc. CIDNI,etc. 1stPlaceRank 5pts. Win 4pts. 2ndPlaceRank 4pts. Loss/NoDecision 2pts. 3rdPlaceRank 3pts. 4thPlaceRank 2pts. 5th LastPlaceRank 1pt. Non CompetitiveContests/Festivals Variousforensicorganizationsholdinterscholasticcontests,wherestudentsareratedwithpoints,ratherthan ranked.thesearerecordedunder Speech (notservice)undertheappropriateeventcategory(e.g.,poetry, Prose,SpecialOccasion,etc.) RoundRating NFLRanktoInput Superior 1 Excellent 2 Good,ExceedsExpectations, A, 20 25or71 100points 3 Fair,MeetsExpectations, B, 15 19or42 70points 4 Average,DoesNotMeetExpectations, C, 10 14or12 41points 5 0 9points(severedeficiency;therefore,notworthanypoints) NoRank Visitwww.NFLonline.org/CoachingResources/RecordingNFLPointstolearnmoreaboutspecificcircumstancesofpoint entry. *CoachesmaynowrecordpointsontheirownfortheInternationalPublicPolicyForumdebateessaycontest.Through partnershipwiththenfl,thiscontestcountsasannflmainevent NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 15

16 MembershipandDegrees AchievingMembershipandAdvancingDegrees Onceastudenthasearned25points withatleast10earnedinhighschoolinterscholasticcompetition he/sheachievesnflmembershipstatus,knownasthemeritdegree(andthecoachmustpaytheone time $15enrollmentfee).Astheyearprogresses,studentscanearndegreesbasedontheirspeechexperiences. ThefollowingexplainsstudentdegreesandtheinsigniajewelsthatmaybeplacedinNFLpinsandkeys,a prestigiousbadgeofhonor: (Nojewel) Meritdegree(basemembership) 25points Emerald Honordegree 75points Sapphire degreeofexcellence 150points Ruby degreeofdistinction 250points DoubleRuby degreeofspecialdistinction 500points TripleRuby degreeofsuperiordistinction 750points QuadrupleRuby degreeofoutstandingdistinction 1000points QuintupleRuby degreeofpremierdistinction 1500points TheNFLKeyorPin Thisawardissilverforstudents,goldforinstructors.Itisjeweledtomarkthedegreea competitororcoachhasattained.purchaseisoptional. COACHESalsoreceivepoints!Coachesreceiveone tenththepointsearnedbytheirstudents,andearn degreesperthescheduleabove.afteraminimumoffiveyearsasannflmember,acoachwhoattains1500 pointsisawardedadiamond;heorshereceivesaseconddiamondfor3000points,athirdfor6000points, andsoon.fiveyearsmustpassbetweeneachdiamond. Service Acommonmistakeamongnewcoachesisthattheyaccidentallyoverlooktheservicepointscategory. RecognizedServiceProjects Aspeechbeforeatleast25adultsoronradio,television,orcable,however, schoolpublicaddress(pa)announcementsarenotallowed. Contestsheldbeforeaudiencesofatleast25adultsoronradio,TV,orcable maybecountedasbothserviceandcompetition. Minimumspeakingtimemustbefour(4)minutes(lengthofindividual participationinapanel/discussionmustbeestimated). StudentswhoholdDegreeofExcellenceonrecordinthenationalofficemayjudgeupto4roundsof novicecompetitionperdayandreceive2pointsperround. Nomorethan4serviceprojectsmayberecordedeachday. TypeofSpeaking MasterofCeremonies Anyspeechorliteraryinterpretation. BookRevieworCommentatingor Sportscasting DebateorDiscussionPanel SalesTalkorSermon TelevisionorRadioAnnouncing PTAMeetingorCivicGroupMeeting OptimistOratoricalContestorAmericanLegion Contests(alsorecordedasaspeechcontest) HSAssembly Nopointsareearnedfor speakingtoastudentaudienceofanykind otherthantheofficialhighschoolassembly,so thisexactterm,"hsassembly,"mustbeused. Suchvagueentriesas"schoolauditorium," "church,"or"school"invalidatetheentry NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 16

17 NationalServiceProjects InternationalPublicPolicyForum seep.23 AmericanLegionOratoricalContest seep.23 Judging AstudentholdingtheDegreeofExcellenceonrecordmaybeawardedtwoservicepointsperroundorsection ofjudginginanoviceormiddleschooltournament,limitof4roundsperday. AllowedAudiences ExceptforNFL sanctionedserviceprojects(describedabove),atleast25adultsmustbepresentina publicaudienceassembled. TheseAudiencesQualify(besuretoidentifythespecificnameofthegroup/assembly): HighSchoolAssembly,Radio/BroadcastTV/CableStation(notecallletters),Broadcast orcabletelevisionstation,rotary,kiwanis,andotherserviceclubs,church Congregation,Adultcommunityorpoliticalorganizations. Iftheaudienceisoneusuallycomposedofyoungpeopleand25adultsarealsopresent, theaudiencemaybedesignatedas"scoutsandparents"or"hi YandAdults." InformationRequiredforReportingService Date:Month,day,andyear. Description:Includeexacttypeofspeaking(seethatsectionabovefordescriptivephrases).Donot includetitleorsubject;theword"service"istoovague. NumberofAdults:Entertheapproximatenumber,atleast25.Onlypersonsbeyondhighschoolage areregardedasadults. ScheduleforAwardingNFLPoints DegreeStanding Non member(lessthan25points) Member(25+pts.) Honor(75+pts.) Excellence(150+pts.) PointsperProject 1pt. 2pts. 3pts. 4pts. AnydegreeofDistinction(250+pts.) 5pts. ToreceivetheextrapointsallowedforAdvancedDegrees,amembermustactuallyhavetheadvanceddegreeson recordinthenationalofficeatthetimeoftheserviceproject. Foraspeakingprojectbeforethehighschoolassemblytheminimumonepointprevailsunlessthereportindicatesthat 25adultswereintheaudience. Ifaninterscholasticdebateorcontestisheldunderconditionsqualifyingitasaserviceproject(over radio/tv/cableorbeforeanadultaudienceorhighschoolassembly),itistobelistedinacompetitivecategory andalsointheservicecategory.pointsaretobeawardedinbothcategories. Astudentmaynotreceivepointsformorethanfourservicespeakingprojectsaday.SummerServicespeaking mayberecorded.

18 OnlinePointsDatabase Startatwww.NFLonline.orgbyclickingthebuttonintheupperright hand cornertitled ClickheretoenterNFLpoints> ViewingRecordsandStandings Anyonecanviewexistingrecordswithoutloggingin.Thesiteoffersseveral reports:contendersforall American(pointleader) honors,schoolswiththe highestnumberofdegrees, etc.toaccessthesereports,selectmembership Reportsfromtheleftmenu.Youmaychoosewhich typeofreportyouwishtoviewbyclickingthecircle nextto:student,coach,school,ordistrict.eachof thesecategoriesoffersdifferentreportlinksinthe Searcharea.Clickthereportyouwishtoview, completerequestedinformation,andclick[search]. Step1:AnnualSchoolMembership Ifyouarealreadyamemberschool,pleaseseethenoteon Renewing. Ifnot,orifyouwishtorenewyour membership,thenfollowthedirectionsbelow: ApplyingOnline ANEWschoolmayjoinwithacreditcardbyclickingApplyOnline. 1. Onthenextscreenclick[Continue]. 2. Next,completealloftheinformationboxes.Note:FillintheAdvisorboxwiththenameofthe headcoachofthespeechanddebateprogramfortheschool. 3. Completebillinginformationrequested(annualduesare$99;thereisa$6creditcardprocessing fee,sothetotalwillbe$105). 4. Click[Apply]afteralltheinformationfieldsarecompleted. AnewschoolmayalsojointheNFLbycheckorpurchaseorder: 1. Click[ApplyOnline]. 2. Onthenextscreen,clickon[SchoolMembershipApplication]. 3. Printtheapplicationandcompletealloftheinformation 4. Mailittothenationalofficealongwiththe$99annualdues. N E W S C H O O L S O N L Y RenewingMembership AschoolthatwasamemberoftheNFLlastyearmayrenewitsmembershiponline: 1. Logontowww.NFLonline.organdaccessingtheschoolprofilepage. 2. Clickthe"redstopsign"ontheschoolprofilepage. 3. MarktheboxforAnnualDues. 4. Completetherequiredinformationatthebottomofthescreen.Acreditcardwillberequiredto renewaschool smembershiponline. Aschoolmayrenewitsmembershipthroughth byaccessingtherenewalformontheNFL website,availableundercoachingresources,gettingstarted.printtheappropriateformandmailto thenationalofficealongwiththeduesandanyoutstandingmoniesowed NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 18

19 Step2:Logon Atthestartofeachyearacoachwhowasthe Advisorlastyearwillbeabletologinwiththesame usernameandpassword.pleasenoteeach subsequentfall,coacheswillnotbeabletologon untilduesandanyoutstandinginvoicesarepaid. Withinaweekofreceivingcompletedpaperwork anddues,coaches accountswillbeenabled.new NFLschooladvisorswillbe edtheirassigned usernameandpassword. Forgotyourpassword? Usernamesandpasswordsarecasesensitive.TheNFL Officedoesnotknowyourpassword,however,wedo haveyourusernameonfile.ifyouforgetyourpassword, click[forgotpassword]ontheloginscreenandfollow theinstructions.youmaykeepthesamepasswordfrom yeartoyear. PreviousUserRights OnlytheNFLadvisorcanactivatecoachesthatwere onlineuserspreviously.todoso,firstclickonthe coach'snameandthenonthepencilbehindthe coach'sname.next,selectwhichpermissionsthe coachshouldhave.[editpoints]allowsthecoachto enterpointsforexistingstudentsaswellasmake correctionstothoseentries.[addmembers]allows thecoachtoaddnewmembers,addpointstonew andexistingmembers,andeditallpoints.finally,you mustmarkthemenabledandclick[submitchanges]. NewCoachesUserRights Tosetupanassistantcoachasanonlineuser,firstselect [Add[Coaches]andcompleteinformationrequestedinthe AddNewsectionandclick[Add].Next,clicktheschoolname atthetopofthescreentoreturntotheschoolprofile.then click[viewnon MemberCoaches]andclickthecoach'sname youwishtogiveonlinerightsto.now,clickthepencilbehind thatcoach'snameandtypethatcoach's address.next, click[assignusername]andtypeausername(whichyouwill needtotellhim/heranditmustbetypedexactly)and assignhim/herapasswordandthenconfirmit(again,itmust beexact).thenclick[managepermissions]tochoosewhich rightsyouwishforthecoachtohave.finally,click[account Enabled],andclick[SubmitChanges]. Step3:Enrollnewmembers 1. Click[AddStudents] andcompletethe informationrequestedintheboxandclick[add]. 2. Newstudents nameswillappearinyourschoolprofileunderviewnon MemberStudents. 3. Thesystemmay,asasafetycheck,respondwithalistofstudentnameswiththesamegraduationyear astheonesyouareentering.scrolldownandchecktobesurethatthestudentyouaddingwasnota studentmemberatapreviousschool. 4. Ifyourstudentdidnotpreviouslycompeteatanotherschool,click[Save]. 5. Ifyourstudent snameappearsbecauseheorshewasannflmemberatapreviousschool,clickon thedotinfrontofthatrecordandclick[save].thiswilltransfertherecordtoyourschool. NOTE:Thenationalofficemustbenotifiedwithin24hoursofaduplicationofastudentrecord. Step4:Managespeechcategories Beforeenteringpointsyouwillneedtosetupyour listofspeechevents.todoso, 1. Ontheschoolprofile,click[Manage SpeechCategories]. 2. Clickonanyeventthatyourschool participatesinandmoveittothecurrent Categoryside.Todothis,holddownthe controlkeyandclickindividualevents. 3. Movethehighlightedeventsbyclickingthearrowstotheright NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 19

20 4. Oncefinished,click[SAVE]. 5. Eachtimeyourecordpoints,youwillonlyseetheseeventsinyourdropdownlist.Thisfeatureis designedtosaveyoufromhavingtoscrollthroughtheentirelistofeventseachtimeyourecord points.atanytime,youmaymakechangestothislistbyaddingorremovingthem. Step5:Enterpoints Youmaychoosetoenterpointseitherbystudentpointsheetorbytournament. ToenterpointsbyStudentPointSheet: 1. Click[ByStudentPointSheet]. 2. Choosethecategoryyouwishtoenterbyclicking nexttodebate,speech,congressorservice. 3. Selectthestudent'snameyouwishtorecord. 4. Next,fillinthedateofthetournamentbytypingin thedateorusethecalendarbehindthebox. 5. Selectacoachtoreceive10%ofthestudent spoints. 6. Completetheremaininginformation. 7. Clickon[AddPoints].Theentryyoumadewillnow appearinthelistofpointentriesforthatstudent. ToenterpointsbyTournament: 1. Click[ByTournament]. 2. Completethetournamentinformation. 3. Choosethefirstcategorytoenter. 4. Next,choosethecoachtoreceivecoachingcredit forthepointsinthiscategory. 5. Selectallstudentswhoparticipatedinthiscategory byclicking/checkingboxesinfrontoftheirnames. 6. Clickon[NEXT]. 7. Completetheresultinformationforeachstudent. 8. Click[AddPoints]. 9. Whenthescreenreplysays"PointsAdded Successfully"youwillclickon[Next]. 10. Choosethenextcategoryandrepeattheabove stepsuntilalleventsforthattournamentare entered. Remember,unlimitedroundsmayberecordedinspeechanddebate(remembertoenterroundsnot ballots),butonly24pointsadaymaybeearnedincongressandonly4serviceprojectsperday. Corrections Tocorrectanerrormadewhenenteringpoints 1. Clickthestudent'sname. 2. Thenclickthepencilinfrontoftheerroneousentry. 3. Changetheinformationthatiswrong. 4. Clickonthediskinfrontoftheentrytosavethecorrection. 5. Todeleteanentry,youwillneedtocompileallinformationabouttheentry,includingentryinformation, schoolname,state,student'snameandcoachrequestingthedeletion,and BillingandFees Topayduesandfees: 2011 NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 20

21 1. Assignpointsfornewstudentsfirst. 2. Clickontheschoolnameatthetopofthepage. 3. Clickontheredstopsignnexttotheschoolname.Thenextscreenwilllistanynewstudentsthatarenot paid.thenationalofficemustbenotifiedwithin24hoursregardinganyduplicatedstudentrecords. ApplyforStudentMembership Whenstudentshaveearned25points,theyareeligibletobecomemembersoftheNFL.Tocompletethe applicationforstudentmembership: 1. Clicktheredstopsignnexttotheschoolname. 2. Atthetopofthebillingscreenclickon[MembershipApplication] 3. Completethedaterangewithstartingandendingdate(MM/DD/YYYY)andclick[Search]. 4. Verifyallnamesandgraduationdates.Onlythestudentswiththerequired25pointstobecomeamember willbelisted.studentswithlessthan25pointsarenotmembersandwillshowontheschoolprofileunder "ViewNon MemberStudents. 5. Printtheapplicationforstudentmembership. 6. Haveyourprincipalsigntheapplicationandretainitinyourchapterrecordbook.Pleasedonotmailthe application. 7. WhentheNFLdatabasereceivesyournewmembers,thenationalofficewillsendyouaninvoicefornew members($15each)inthesameenvelopewiththeirmembershipcardsandhandembossedandsealed NFLstudentcertificates. Note:Theinvoicewillnothavethenamesofthenewstudentsonit.Theinvoicewillsay"four newmembersforthetotalowedof$60".youcanrefertotheapplicationformyouprintedor themembershipcardsintheenvelopetocheckandseewhatfournewstudentstheinvoiceis for. 8. Pleasepaythisinvoicein30days.After60daysa$25latefeewillbeassessed.Additionally,aschoolwith anyoutstandingdebttothenflwillnotbeallowedtoparticipateinthedistrictornationaltournament. ContactCustomerService TheCustomerServicebuttonisawayforyouto contactthenationalofficewithanyquestionsor concerns. Clickthe[Help?]buttontofindananswerbefore contactingourstaffwithyourquestion. Tocontactstaff: 1. Click[CustomerService]inthemenuontheleft sideofeachpage. 2. Completeallinformationrequested. 3. Includeyourquestionsorconcernsinthe Commentsbox. 4. Click[Submit].Youwillreceiveareplyfrom CustomerServiceortheproperdepartmentwithin48hours NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 21

22 ParticipatinginNFLTournaments TheNFLholdstwomajorcompetitionseachyear;theDistrictTournamentandtheNationalTournament.The DistrictTournamentholdscompetition MainEvents (see CompetitiveEventsOffered sectionofthisguide forfurtherinformation).thenationaltournamentofferscompetitioninmain,aswellassupplementaland ConsolationEvents. WhiletheNFLonlyhoststwotournaments,itisimperativetorememberthatastudentreceivesNFLpoints throughouttheentireforensicseasonbyenteringpointsfromatlocal,invitational,regional,andstate contests.otherspeakingevents,suchaspresentationstocivicorganizationsandcommunityserviceactivities, mayalsoqualifyforpoints.forthisreason,nflinvolvementextendsthroughouttheyearasstudents continuallyengageinpublicspeaking,service,andleadershipopportunities. DistrictTournament TheDistrictTournamentdetermineswhatstudentsqualifytocompeteattheNationalTournament.To participateinthedistrictdebate/speechtournamentseriesand/orthedistrictcongress,astudentmust(1) beamemberofthenflataschoolingoodstanding(coachesmustverifythatalloftheirentrieswere membersofnflsevendayspriortothetournament),(2)havenotattendedasecondaryschoolmorethan9 semesters,and(3)meettheageandeligibilityrequirementsofhis/herstateactivitiesassociation.thesizeofa team sdistrictentrydependsonthenumberofmembersanddegreesearned.asolospeechorlincoln Douglascontestantcountsasoneentry.Ateam(includingpublicforum,policy,andduo)alsocountsasone entry.regardlessofateam ssize,allnflmemberschoolsareencouragedtoenterallnflpointsandattend thedistricttournament. Thenumberofqualifiersineacheventvariesbetweendistrictsdependingondistrictstrengthandnumberof entries;checkwiththedistrictchairforthisinformation.inadditiontoqualifiers,therearealternatepositions available(incaseaqualifierdoesnotattendthenationaltournament).amorein depthexplanationofthe DistrictTournamentprocesscanbefoundintheDistrictTournamentManual,foundonlineontheNFL website. NationalTournament Hostedinadifferentlocationeachyear,theNFLNationalTournamentisthe largesthighschoolforensicstournamentintheworld!withmorethan3,500 students,coaches,andsupportersinattendance,simplyqualifyingtothe NationalTournamentisconsideredamarkofachievementandexcellence. RegardlessofwhetherastudentqualifiestotheNationalTournament,we encourageallcoachestoattendforeducationalpurposes.often,coachesremark thatseeingthenation stopcompetitorsmadeforensics click forthem NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 22

23 PartnerPrograms Inadditiontocompetitivepublicspeaking,theNFLproudlypartnerswiththeseprograms.Formoredetailson suchincentives,visitwww.nflonline.org/partners. Thefollowingtwocontestsmeetanumberofcross curriculargoalstoextendcommunicationskills.the PeopleSpeakasksstudentstoengagemembersofthepublictoraiseawarenessofissues,toimplement solutionsthroughservice,andtodocument/blogtheirexperiences.theinternationalpublicpolicyforum cultivatesstudents abilitiesindevelopingconvincingwrittenarguments,bridgingthegapbetweenwritten andoralcommunication.studentswhoparticipateintheseopportunitiesnotonlyearnnflmeritservice points,butcouldearnanopportunitytowinatravelexperienceofalifetime. AmericanLegionOratoricalContest Thiscontestoffersstudentsanopportunitytosupplementtheirexperiencesinspeechanddebate competition,andisespeciallyvaluablefororators,extemporaneousspeakers,andcongressionaldebaters.the conteststartsatthelocalpostlevel,thenmovesontoregional,districtandstatelevels.allstatechampionsare flowntoindianapolisforthenationalfinals.afterpostlevel,winnersreceiveincrementalscholarships,with thetopthreenationalfinalistsearning$18,000,$16,000,and$14,000,respectivelyandearningaberthin OriginalOratoryattheNFLNationalTournament.Followthesesimplestepstoenter: 1. Visitwww.legion.org/oratoricaltolearnmore. 2. ClickRequestInformationorcontactyourstate samericanlegiondepartmenttolearn whenthefirstcontestwillbe. 3. AlsoclickonAssignedTopicstolearntheextemporaneoustopicareas. 4. PrepareanoriginalorationonsomeaspectoftheConstitutionwithemphasisonthe dutiesandobligationsofacitizentoourgovernment. InternationalPublicPolicyForum Thiscontest sponsoredbynewyorkuniversityandthebickel&brewerfoundation givesstudentstheopportunitytoparticipateinoralandwrittendebatesonissuesof publicpolicy.theippfisavailabletoallhighschoolsfreeofcharge,andparticipating schoolsareeligibleforsubstantialrewards,bothintermsofexperienceandprizes (withagrandprizeof$10,000).forguidelines,deadlines,andmoreinformation,visit: CoachProfessionalDevelopment NFLbelievesitsmostvaluableresourceisitspeople.Whetherwearegivingyoutha voice,trainingyouthforleadership,orempoweringeducators,ourgoalissimple:to reinforcecoaches identityasprofessionals,providetraininganddevelopmentinforensics,and accredit/recognizetheaccomplishmentsofitsmembers.herearetheprogramsweoffer: OnlineProfessionalDevelopment(inpartnershipwithMinnesotaStateUniversity,Mankato) CoachAccreditation CoachWorkshopScholarships(inpartnershipwithseveralleading,nationalinstitutes) NationalTournamentClinics SchoolFacultySeminars Visitwww.NFLonline.org/CoachingResources/ProfessionalDevelopmentformoreinformation NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 23

24 2011 NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 24 BuildingYourProgram Whileforensicsprovidesanenormouspotentialbenefitforeverystudentwhoparticipates, manystudentsdonotrealizeit!forthisreason,recruitmentisnecessarytobuilda successfulforensicsprogram.infact,oneofthemostimportantrolesofaforensicadvisor involvesidentifyingandrecruitingstudentsthatcouldbenefitfromspeechanddebate competition.everyschoolisdifferent,soconsiderthecultureoftheschoolanddecidehow manystudentsyourteamcanaccommodate(aimhigh!).makethatnumberyourgoal. Then,usingthestrategiesprovidedinthisguide orevenafewofyourown pursuethe studentsyouneedtorealizethatgoal!onceyouhaverecruitedaspeechanddebateteam, continuetobuildyourteambyengagingfaculty,administrators,parents,andcommunity members.fundraisingmayalsoenableyourteamtotravelandcompetesuccessfully.above all,bepersistentandoptimistic.whoknows usingsomeofthesetactics,youmayevensurpassyouroriginal ambition! RecruitmentIdeas CreateaTeamWebsite BecausetheInternetisquicklybecomingthefastestgrowingmarketingtoolavailable,websitesareagreat ideaforrecruitingstudentsandparentstohelpmoveyourprogramforward.ifyourschoolhasawebsite,talk withthewebmasteraboutcreatingaspaceforyourteam.theteamsitecanincludeamembershiproster, yourmission,atournamentcalendar,team/schoolforms,news/pressreleasesonthesuccessoftheteam,and mostimportantly,yourcontactinformation.thiswebsitewillalsobeagreatassettokeepallfacultyand administratorsabreastofthehappeningsofyourteam. PublicShowcase Agreatwaytorecruitotherstudentstojoinyourteamisbyhavingthemwatchlivepresentationsofspeeches, debatesorperformances.somecoachesputonannualpublicperformancestoshowwhattheforensicsteam hasbeendoingallyear.showcasingyourteamisagreatwaytogainfinancialsupportfromadministratorsand itoffersachanceforthecommunitytoseeyourteaminaction!publicperformancescanalsobeduringthe dayforthestudentbodyofyourschool.whenstudentsseeotherstudentshavingfunwithforensics,theyare moreinclinedtojointhemselves.additionally,yourprogramcanearnincentivesandnflpointsbyholding publicdebate seep.26fordetails. WriteaLetter Sinceeffectiveoralandwrittenverbalskillsarenecessarycomponentsinforensiccompetition,oneideafor recruitmentistosendalettertoallofyouradvancedenglishclasses.thisisawaytorecruitstudentsthatare alreadymakinggoodgradesandhavesufficientwritingskillsthatareimperativeinspeechanddebate competition.also,manyestablishedteamssendoutletterstheyearpriorfortheupcomingseason.ingeneral, teachersinthehumanitiesaregreatalliesforyourprogram.seefigure1foransampleletterthatcouldbe formattedtouseatyourschool. PublicizeAccomplishments Afteratournament,publicizetournamentresultsfromyourteam.Thisisagreatwaytogetyourteam s successinthepubliceye.often,atthebeginning,ateamdoesn thavemanytrophiestoreport.don tletthis deteryoufromwritingacompellingpressrelease.youcouldwrite JaynaBealreceivedaperfectscoreatthe McLeodHSInvitationalonSaturdayforherperformanceinDramaticInterp. Then,whenastudentwinshisor herfirsttournament,treatitliketheacademyawards.

25 Sendyourtypedresultseverywhereyoucan,andsendthemeverytimeyoucompete: tothepublicrelations/communicationsdirectorforyourschool/district tothefacultyandstaffatyourschool,includingyourwebsitestaff toyourboardmembersandsuperintendent tothepersonwhomakesthedailyannouncementsatyourschoolandtoyourlocalpaper. SeeFigure2forasamplepressrelease. StepsforEffectiveRecruitment:Extra CurricularModel Pre Step:AnsweringSomeBasicQuestions Whatareyourrecruitmentgoals? Howmanystudentsdoyouwishtohaveinyourprogram? Howwillrecruitmentaffectyourbudgetsituation(isthereadditionalfundraisingpotential)? Howmanystudentsdoesyouradministrationwantintheprogram? Willthelevelofadministrativesatisfactionincreasewithariseinnumbers? WhattypeofstudentdoIwishtorecruitandworkwith? Howmanystudentstomyassistants(ifany)wishtoworkwith? WhatarethechancesofincreasingmynumberofassistantswhenIincreasethenumberofparticipants? HowmuchtimeamIwillingtoputinbeforeandafterschooltoaccommodatetheincreaseinnumbers? WhatotherprogramswillIdirectlyaffectinmakeamassivepushforincreasedparticipationinmy program? WhodoIdefinitelyhavetohaveonmysideduringtherecruitmentprocess? WhatresourcesdoIhaveavailabletometoreachthekidsthatIwouldliketorecruit? Onceyouhavethebasicquestionsanswered,youwillthenhaveabetterunderstandingoftheextenttowhich youwanttorecruitandconcernsyoumayhave.makesurethatyoudiscussyourconcernswithassistant coaches,administrators,orfellowteacherspriortobeginningtherecruitmentprocess. StepI:Attitude SpeechandDebateisauniqueactivity.Ifyouwanttorecruitthecreativestudentsnecessarytobesuccessful intheactivity,youhavetobethewackiestpersoninthebuilding.thismeansthatalthoughyouare unbelievablybusy,youneedtoparticipateinasmuchschoolstuffaspossible.youhavetoestablishthata relationshipwithyou,inyourprogram,willbethemostincredibleexperiencethatthestudenthaseverhad. Examplesofthisinclude:Dressingupwiththekidsoncrazydress updays;gettingontheannouncements everyonceinawhileanddoingcrazystuff;beinginthehallsduringthepassingperiodswaving"hello"to variousclassroomstudentsaswellascurrentdebatersandspeechteammembers.youhavetogenerate discussionaboutwhoyouareandwhatyoudo.ifyougetkidstalkingaboutyouortheactivity,youwin! Step2:GetintoClassrooms Duringthefirstweekofschool,workoutyourschedulesoyouorselectstudentscanentereverysingle9th and10thgradeenglishclassroomfora3 minuterecruitmentspeechaboutspeechanddebate.thisspeechis designedtomakethestudentsinterestedineitheryouortheconceptofspeechanddebate.youmightdothis overthecourseofatuesdayandwednesdaysoyoucanhaveaninformationalmeetingfornewmemberson Thursdayafterschool.Itisimportantthatthisoccursduringthefirstweek.Ifyou(thecoach)dothis,youmay havetoarrangeforperiodiccoverageofyourclasses NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 25

26 Step3:Announcements Thisisano brainer.makesurethatyourmeetingfornewmembersispublicizedinannouncementsand wheneverpossible,allweek.themeetingshouldgetannouncedtothepointthatstudentscanfinishthe announcementbeforetheannouncerfinishesreadingit. Step4:RecruitmentAssistancefromTeachers Duringthefirstfew"teacheronly"daysandattheendand/orbeginningofeachsemester, allofthe Englishteachersandaskthemforalistofthosestudentsthattheyfeeloughttoconsiderspeechanddebate. Describeforthemthetypeofstudentyouarelookingfor.Also,encouragetheteacherstomentionspeechand debatetothesestudentsaswell.ithelpstorememberthatforensicsisapoliticalnightmare.ifateacherfeels theyweresomehowresponsibleforthefuturesuccessofastudentwhocameintotheprogrambecauseof theirencouragement,theywillbeyoursforlife.don'tforgettogobacktothoseteachersandtellthem,"we owealottoyou." Step5:RecruitmentfromKids Greatkidsbreedgreatkids.Whilepeerpressurecanbe themajordownfallforsomestudents,itcanalsobetheir savior.sitdownwithcurrentkidsatthebeginningand endofeachschoolyearandhavethemlistatleastthree studentsthattheyfeelwouldmakewonderfuladditions toourprogram.beforetheymaketheirlist,remindthem ofthetypeofstudentyouarelookingforanddiscuss potentialproblemswithrecruitingfriendsthatwillnotbe dedicatedtotheprogram.makesurethestudentsgive youthecorrectspellingofthename,gradelevel,andarea (speechordebate)thattheyfeelthispersonwouldexcelin. Step6:ConstantRecruiting Oncetheschoolyearbegins,itiseasytoresignyourselftothefactthatyounowhaveyourteamandthisis theteamyouwillhavetolivewiththerestoftheseason.thisisjustnottrue.somechampionstudentsjoin teamslate.keepyoureyeoutforstudentswhomayhave slippedthroughthecracks earlier. Step7:ShowcaseyourCurrentTeam Duringthecurrentyearofcompetition,youalsoneedtothinkaboutthenextyear.Somekids willneverjointheteamuntiltheyhaveaclearunderstandingoftheteam.likewise,many facultymemberswillneveradvocatetheteamuntiltheyseethetangiblebenefitsitbringsto youngpeople.hereareafewwaystoshowcaseyourteam: Performancenight inviteeveryone,advertiseit!trytogetstudents,facultymembers, administrators,boardmembers,etc. Havestudentsdebateorperformatafacultymeeting.Forexample,ifafacultyistryingtodecideifa weightedgradesystemwouldbenefitstudents,manyteacherswantedtobemoreeducatedonthe weightedgradeconceptpriortovotingonit.twotopstudentscoulddebatetheissueinfrontoffaculty. PublicDebates Agreatcommunitypublicitystunt.Rememberthatmanymembersofthecommunitywill haveyoungpeopleatyourschool.parentsalsoenjoyattendingtheseevents,andparentalinfluencecan bequiteeffective.thenflwillalertcoachestoopportunitiesastheyarise. PressReleaseseverysingleweek.Youmustdothisyourselforfacilitateit.Sportsteamsarereallytheonly constantarticle.reporterswillnotfindyouforfineartsarticles.findaconnectionatyourfavoritepaper. Thiswillleadtosomespecialinterestarticleswhenmajorthingshappen NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 26

27 Haveyourspeechteamdothemorningannouncements.However,makesurethatthepeopleyouchoose willdoagreatjobandwillbeappropriate. Lockersignsforgoodluckattournaments.Youdon'thavecheerleaders,butyoumayhavegroupiesorjust peopleonyourteamwillingtodothis. Studentsinthebuildingwillnotknowthatamajordebateorspeecheventiscomingupifyoudon'ttell them. Hosttournaments.Theactivitysurroundingatournamentwillalwaysarousesomeinterest.When studentsstartasking,"what'sgoingon?"youhaveexposedthemtosomeextent. Haveyourstudentsdressupduringthedaypriortoleavingforamajortournamentorhostingamajor tournament.otherstudentswillinquireastothereasonfordressingup,whichmeansthatagainyouhave informedandexposedthemtotheactivity. Step8:MiddleLevelSpeechandDebatePrograms Thisisanessentialelementtoestablishingaconstantflowofcompetitorswhoareinterestedinthelonghaul. Italsoallowsyoutogetanideaofwhetherornotyouwanttostronglyrecruitthatchildwhentheyreachhigh school.useseniorsintheprogramtohelpanassistantcoachoradvisoratthemiddleschoolfacilitatethis program. Step9:EndoftheYearBarbeque Bringyourgrillfromhomeandsetitupontheschoolgrounds(getpermissionfirst,ofcourse).Announceon thepathatyouwillbehostingacookoutfornewrecruits.createalistofprospectivestudentsfromteachers andcurrentmembersandsendthemspecialinvitestothecookout.atthebbq,tellalittlebitaboutthe programandwhattheyneedtodointhefalliftheyareinterested.then,showcasethestate/nationalsteam. TheentiregoaloftheBBQistoshownewprospectsthatthespeechteamisformorethanjustnerds,andthat itcanbea"cool"thingtodo.allcurrentmembersarerequiredtoattendthebbqaswell. Step10:Over recruit Manypeoplegetcaughtupinwhetherornottheywillendup withtoomanypeopleontheirteam(orthewrongpeople).do notworryaboutwhoisjoininguntiltheyallhavetheprogram informationandhaveactuallysignedthecommitmentsheet. Onceyoubeginthegruelingscheduleofpractices,youwillmost likelylosethebadseeds.however,youmuststicktoyour POLICIESoryouwillnotlosethesepeople.Evenworse,theywill probablycausechaosonyourteam.ifpeopleleave,don'ttakeit personally.fighttokeepeveryoneyoucan,butifyouknowthereasontheyareleavingisbecausetheydon't wanttofollowthepolicies,letthemgo.eachyear,youwilllosefewerandfewerpeople.also,rememberthat everyinteractionwithastudentthatyouhavenevermetcouldbearecruitingopportunity! Finally,havefunrecruiting!Itis,byfar,thebestpartoftheactivity, becauseeverystudentyourecruitwouldnothavereceivedtheopportunityorbenefitsofspeechand debateifyouhadnotgoneoutandfoundthem!!! 2011 NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 27

28 Figure1:SampleRecruitmentLetter Dear(StudentName): Congratulationsonreceivingthisletter!Youhavebeennominatedbyoneormoreofyour teachersforthe20xx 20xx(AnytownHighSchool)Forensicsteam.Ihopethatyouconsiderthis outstandingacademicopportunity. Onthe(AnytownHighSchool)Forensicsteam,oursuccessisadirectresultofourcharacter, integrity,andhardwork.ourstudentshaveachievedrarehonorsandtopaccoladesfortheir achievement.youtoocanbeoneofournextsuccessstories.considerstudentslikedevinsmith a9thgraderatahswhowonthewashburnruralhighschoolnovicetournament.or,thinkabout LaToshaSeals,whowentundefeatedin3tournamentsthisyear.YoumightknowMattLangor AnishPatel...theyearnedtophonorsatourNationalForensicsLeagueDistrictDebate Tournament.Theseandsomanyother9thand10thgradestudentsbegantheirdebatecareerlast yearandsoonbecamesomeofthebestcompetitorsinthestate.youcantoo! Themedals,thetrophies,theovernighthoteltrips,thesquadparties...theyarejustpartof thereasonourstudentsworkhardandhavefun.ourprogramiscenteredonproducingthebest andbrighteststudentsinthestate.imagineyourpotentialasagraduateof(anytownhighschool) withabackgroundindebateandforensics...youthinkfaster,youarguebetter,andyouspeak clearlyandwithasenseofpurposeandstyle.thisiswhatyourteachersseeinyou,andit swhati wanttoseefromyoutoo. Don tgetmewrong...i llexpectyoutoworkharderthanyou veeverworked.you llbe requiredtogiveupseveralfridaysandsaturdaystoattendtournamentsalloverthestate.you ll beexpectedtowearprofessionaldressclothes.asastudentinourprogram,you llbeexpectedto bethemodelofcharacterandintegrity.iexpectnothinglessthanyourbest.buttherewardsfor yourhardworkwillfaroutweightheeffortyouputintoit.youwillbeapartofafamilythatworks hardandhasfun.fromthedayyouontoourteam,youwillhaveacircleofcolleaguesthatyou ll beproudtocallyourfriends. Ifyouareinterested,andIhopeyouare,Iwantyoutotalkwithyourparents.Whenyourfamily hasdecidedtobeapartofourfamily,iwanttoyoutovisitwithyourahscounselorandaskedto beenrolleditthedebateand/orforensicsclasses.ihopetoseeyouinclassthisaugust!onceyou enroll,you llreceiveaninvitationinmaytoattendourannualspeechanddebatesummercamp duringthefirstweekofaugust.it soptional,butwillbecriticalforthoseforensicsstudentswho wanttobeamongtheverybestinthestate! BestWishes, (I.M.Coach)or(I.M.CaptainandA.Co Captain) 2011 NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 28

29 Figure2:SamplePressRelease FORIMMEDIATERELEASE Formoreinformation,contact: MitchJacob,(555) SpecificandConciseTitleDescribingtheAccomplishment ANYTOWN AnytownHighSchoolplaced3rdoftwentyschoolsattheMetropolisInvitationalon Saturday,November20.Theteamwonsevenawardsatthemeet.SeniorMeredithAbernathled theteamwithfirstplaceinpoetryandsixthinstorytelling.merryvillewesthightookfirstatthe tournament,followedbyashtonfalls,anytown,eldorado,mayberry,andvalleyforgerounding outthetopsixschools. AnytownwillnextcompeteattheCrestCityHolidayClassicInvitationalonDecember4. Fullteamresultsarelistedbelow. JaneEyre:2nd,Prose;AgnesCorum:6th,DramaticInterpretationand2nd,ImprovDuo;K.C. Outfielder:1st,Poetryand6th,Storytelling;EbenezerScrooge:3rd,Prose;WaltWhitman:2nd, ImprovDuo. AnytownHighSchool sforensicsprogramiscoachedbymitchjacob,atwo diamond NationalForensicLeaguecoachandsecretaryoftheAnystateLeague. ### 2011 NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 29

30 DraftingaPlantoBuildYourProgram Askfourbasicquestions: WhatdoIwanttobuild? WhatresourcesdoIneed? HowdoIbeginconstruction? HowdoIsustainitthroughthe storms? Establishafloorplan: HowmanystudentsdoIwantinvolvedinmyprogram? HowmanystudentsamIexpectedtohaveinmyprogram? Whatareasofspeechanddebateareavailable? WhatkindofresourcepooldoIhave? Whatisthehistory,ifany,ofthecurrentprogram? Whatbuiltinrewardswilltheprogramoffer? Figureouttheanswers: Startsmallandbuildwithyoursuccess. Visitkeywebsites: TalktoyourPrincipal,ActivitiesDirector,DepartmentChair,andothercoachestofindoutwhatfinancial andpersonnelresourcesareavailable. Findoutfromtheotherfineartsteacherswhatlevelofperformanceandparticipationistypical. Talktootherfacultyaboutthehistoryofspeechanddebateattheschool. ObtainAdministrative/Facultysupport: TakeyourfloorplantoyourPrincipalorActivitiesDirectorandestablishyourgoalswithhim/her. Askforpermissiontointroduceyourselfatafacultymeetingandintroducewhatyouwillbedoingforthe students. EatlunchintheFacultyLoungeanddiscussyourupcomingplanstopromote,keepfacultyaware,and garnersupportforyourendeavors. FinancetheProgram: Explorealloptionsforfundingyourprogram. Gotoyouradministrationwithaconservativecostestimatebasedonteamsize. Findoutifyouareallowedtochargeparticipationfees. Findoutifotherprogramsareallowedtofundraise NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 30

31 GetParentsInvolved Ascoach,youshouldmakeeveryattempttoutilizeparentsasavaluable competitiveresource.thinkofparentsaspartners.afewstepsmayfacilitate thisprocess: Holdameetinginthefirsttwoweeksofschoolwithinformationforthe parentsaboutwhatisexpectedofthemandwhatisexpectedoftheirchildintheprogram.setthe meetingintheeveningandhaverefreshmentsaswell!parentslovefood!thisisalsoagoodplacetoget parentstosign upforcommittees.communicateyourcoachingphilosophyandexpectationsclearlyand directly.informthemofanyneedsyouhavefortheirassistance.letthemknowhowtobestcommunicate withyou. Haveatrainingsessiontoshowparentswhattheeventsareandhowtojudge.Makeavideotapeofthisto sharewithparentswhowerenotabletogototheworkshop. Ifyouaretravelingtolocaltournaments,askparentstodrive(ifthisisacceptablewithinschool/district policies).whentheparentsarrive,havealistofallofthestudentswhowillberidinginthecar. Formparentcommittees.Haveatournamentcommittee(whohelpwiththetournamentconcessionsand oftenwithgettingjudges),fundraisingcommittee,specialeventscommittee(recruitmenticecreamsocial atthebeginningoftheschoolyear,organizeapublicshowcaseevening),andprcommittee(press releases, sparents,etc.). Haveawebsiteparentscanaccesstogetitineraries,readannouncements,etc.Communicationisvital. Forman listsothateverythingyougivetothestudentsalsogetstotheparents.Parentswanttobe informed,andstudentsoftenforgettogivetheirparentspaperbulletins. Whenparentshelpout,sendoutthankyounotesforallthattheydo.Mentionthemattheendoftheyear banquet/reception.letthemknowhowmuchyouappreciatethem. Rememberyouarethecoachandyouaretheoneincharge.Parentsarewonderful considertheiradvice, butyouultimatelyruntheprogram.seektheassistanceoftheprincipalifneeded,butalwaysbeproactive inalertingyourschooladministrationtoanyconflictsaheadoftime,soyouradministratorsaren tcaught bysurprise(neveragoodthing). SeeFigure3forasampleofaparentbulletin,andtheAppendixforadditionalsamplesofpoliciesandother forms NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 31

32 Figure3:GeneralForensicProgramInformationBulletinforParents ANYTOWNHIGHDEBATEANDSPEECH Director: MitchJacob School:(515) /Cell: Assistants: LacyMcGuire,RandallHanks,GeoffreyHutchins DEBATEPRACTICESCHEDULES Alldebatemembermeetings Mondaysfrom3:30pmto3:45pm VarsityLincolnDouglas TuesdaysandThursdaysfrom3:30to6pm NoviceLincolnDouglas Tues.,Wed.,andThurs.from3:30pmto6pm VarsityPolicy Monday Thursdayfrom3:30to6pm StudentCongress Thursdaysfrom3:30pmto6pm SPEECHPRACTICESCHEDULES Allspeechmembermeeting 1 st and3 rd Mondayofeverymonthat7:45am ExtemporaneousSpeaking Tuesdaysfrom3:30pmto5:30pm Allotherevents One20minute,individuallyscheduledpracticeperweek. (Moreareoptional) TOURNAMENTSCHEDULES(Seeattachedsheetforcombinedschedule) NoviceLincolnDouglas AnkenyDuals(heldatDMRooseveltthisyear Sat.Oct.7 th CedarFalls,IA FriOct.20th TheGlenbrooks,Chicago,IL Fri Sun.Nov IHSFLCubed,IowaCityCommunitySchools Fri/Sat.Dec.1 2 VarsityLincolnDouglas Dallas,TX Thurs SunSept W.DesMoinesValley Fri SunSept AnkenyDuals(heldatDMRooseveltthisyear Sat.Oct.7 th KANELLISOVERNIGHTER HostFri/Sat.Nov TheGlenbrooks,Chicago,IL Fri Sun.Nov GREATMIDWESTERNNOVICE HostFri/SatMarch30 31 NovicePolicy AnkenyDuals(heldatDMRooseveltthisyear) Fri/Sat.Oct.6 7 KANELLISOVERNIGHTER HostFri/Sat.Nov TheGlenbrooks,Chicago,IL Fri Sun.Nov GREATMIDWESTERNNOVICE HostFri/SatMarch30 31 VarsityPolicy Dallas,TX Thurs SunSept Dallas,TX Thurs Sun.Oct KANELLISOVERNIGHTER HostFri/Sat.Nov TheGlenbrooks,Chicago,IL Fri Sun.Nov DowlingParadigm,WDesMoines,IA Sat.Dec.9 Minneapolis,MN Fri/Sat.Dec GREATMIDWESTERNNOVICE HostFri/SatMarch NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 32

33 Figure3,Continued:GeneralForensicProgramInformationBulletinforParents StudentCongress AnkenyDuals(heldatDMRooseveltthisyear) Sat.Oct.7 th CedarFalls,IA Sat.Oct.21 KANELLISOVERNIGHTER HostFri/Sat.Nov IHSSAStateDebate,Ankeny,IA Fri/Sat.,Jan.5 6 GREATMIDWESTERNNOVICE HostFri/SatMarch30 31 SpeechEvents AnkenyDuals(heldatDMRooseveltthisyear) Fri.Oct.6 th CedarFalls,IA Sat.Oct.21 KANELLISOVERNIGHTER HostFri/Sat.Nov TheGlenbrooks,Chicago,IL Fri Sun.Nov DowlingParadigm,WDesMoines,IA Fri.Dec.8 GREATMIDWESTERNNOVICE HostFri/SatMarch30 31 MONETARYCOMMITMENT Allhotelfeeswillbedividedevenlyamongthosestudentsinattendance. Onceafamilyhaspaid$300forhotelfees,nomorefeeswillbeassessed. Studentswhogobeyondthefundraisinggoalwillbeallowedtoapplytheadditionalprofittotheirhotel fees. FUNDRAISING Eachstudentintheprogramwillberequiredtoparticipateinthe"StockinTalk"program.Complete paperworkonthisprogramwillbedistributedinmid October. Eachstudentwillberequiredtoraise$100inthestockprogram.Additionalmoneyraisedwillbeapplied tothatstudent shotelfees. Wewillalsobegeneratingfundsfromtwotournamentsthatwehost,aswellasareststopfundraiseron MemorialDayweekend. Itisextremelyimportantwiththeincreaseinnumbersofparticipantsthatweprioritizefinancialbacking. Ifanyparenthasconnectionstopossiblecorporatesponsorshipsorfuturefundraisingventures,please contactmitchjacob. FRIENDSOFANYTOWNHIGHDEBATE Itisourhopetobegintheorganizationof"TheFriendsofAnytownHighDebate."Thisparticulargroup (consistingprimarilyofparentsofcurrentstudentsandalumni)willestablishspecificcommitteesto assistantinmanyfacetsoftheprogram.belowisalistofthecommitteesthatwillbeformedwithinthe group. TOURNAMENTCONCESSIONS FUNDRAISING PARENTALJUDGING TRANSPORTATIONASSISTANCE Ifanyoneisinterestedinvolunteeringforchairpositionsoneachofthesecommittees,pleaseseeMitch Jacob.Wearealsohopingtohaveonevolunteertoserveasthisyear'scoordinatorof"TheFriendsof AnytownDebate."Thiscouldbeasharedpositionifitwouldmakeindividualsmorecomfortablewiththe commitment. Thanksinadvanceforyourdedication!Weanticipateasuccessfulandfulfillingyear! 2011 NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 33

34 ProfitableFundraising Fundraisingenablesspeechanddebateprogramstogrowthrive.Whileyoumaybeabletoprocuresome financialsupportfromyourschooladministration(oftenintheformofnflmembershipduesorotherstart up costs),youwillneedadditionalmoniestocoverexpensessuchastravelcosts,entryfees,andother miscellaneousexpenses.fundraisingopportunitiesareboundless;selecttheprogramthatworksbestforyour team.regardlessofthefundraisingopportunityyoupursue,however,acommonapproachtofundraisingmay maximizeyourwindfalls. Beginfundraisingwithaplanningsession.Setfinancialgoalsandafundraisingtimeframe(werecommend 2weeksforafundraiser). Obtainnecessaryapprovalofyourschool/schooldistrictadministration. Alertyourcommunityaboutfundraiserviaparentletters,postersandcommunityannouncements. Publicitypromotesprofits! Holda"kick off"rally,whicheducatesthekidsonthefundraisingprograms,andbuildenthusiasmtoreach fundraisinggoals. Oncethefundraiserisunderway,monitoryourstudents progress.provideencouragementandincentives tokeepstudentsmotivated. Oncethefundraiseriscomplete,collecttheorderformsandmoney.Returntheseformsandpaymentsto thefundraisingcompany.atthistime,youwillprobablyalsowanttoscheduledeliverydatewith fundraisingcompany. Keepaccuraterecords especiallyreceipts andcommunicatewithyourschoolbookkeeper. Settimeandplaceforstudentandparentsto meettopickupdeliveredproducts.have parentsandteacherstovolunteertohelp distributetheproductinanorderlyfashion. Checkfordamagedproductsandanyerrors andmakethenecessaryarrangementswith thefundraisingcompanyforreplacements. Havetheystudentdelivertheirproducts thattheysold.apersonalthankyouletter bythestudentscan'thurt. Enjoythefruitsofyourlaborandstart thinkingofwaysonimprovingyournext fundraiser. Createaspaceforyoursquad sonlinefundraising,wheredonorscan choosewhichprojectstogiveto: Remember,fundraisingoftenimproveswithpracticeandpersistence NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 34

35 TournamentCompetitionGlossary Aswithanyspecializedactivity,jargonandabbreviationspervadeforensics.Below,andinthepagesthat follow,aresomeofthemostessentialtermsofartthatwillalleviateyouruncertaintyasanewcoach,aswell asthehesitancyanystudentsnewtoforensicsmayfeel. BasicTournamentTerminology Ballot:thesheetofpaperwherejudgeswritetheresultsofanindividualroundofcompetition,whichthey submittothetabroom. Break:advancingtothenextlevelofcompetition;break,elimination(elims)oroutroundsaremuchlike playoffs, withcertainnumbersofstudentseliminatedattheendofeachheat.thelastbreakroundofa tournamentisthefinalround,or finals, featuringtwoopposingdebateteamsorsixspeechcontestants. Alsosee posting. Code:manytournamentsuseacodesystemtokeeptheidentityofcontestants andtheirschools anonymous.codesareoftenacombinationofnumbersandletters,whichdesignateschool,eventand sequence(howmanystudentsfromaparticularschoolareinagivenevent). Divisions:categorizationsofcompetitionatatournament,suchas varsity, junior or JV, novice, and open. Ethics:rulesorstandardsthatgovernconduct;whenthesearebroken,there susuallyaprocedurefora coachtoinitiateaprotestwithacommitteeofimpartialcoaches,whoadjudicateethicalproblems. Flight:duetoroomortimeconstraints,tournamentswillsometimesscheduleback to backcontestsinthe sameroomduringasingleround stimeframe. Forensics:overarchingtermforspeechanddebate,thoughitsometimesconnotesspeechcompetition, particularlyinstateswithsplitdebateandspeechseasons. Judge(oradjudicator):anadultwhoevaluatesaroundofcompetition.Judgesaredrawnfromeducators, formercompetitors,andbusinessprofessionals.judgesdrawnfrommembersofthelocalcommunity, includingparentsareconsideredlayjudges,fortheirlackoftechnicalunderstandingofcompetition standards.judgesshouldbeequippedwithatimingdevice,writingutensilsandpaper. Prelims:guaranteedpreliminaryroundsofatatournament,beforecompetitionbreakstoelimrounds. Posting:process(v.)orlocation(n.)ofprelimschematicsorlistofcontestantsbreakingtoelims. Record:indebate,thewin lossratio,orinspeech,thetotalranks;ageneralstandingofsuccess. Round:anindividualheatofcompetition,wherestudentsarematchedto(an)opposingcontestant(s)om aparticularroomwithaparticularjudgeorpanelofjudges.roundsaresometimesdividedintoflights. Schematics(or schem, schemats ):matrixthatassignsstudentstocompeteinparticularroomswith particularjudgesforeachround.indebate,theseareoftencalled pairings. Tab:shortfortabulation,thisisthetournamentheadquarters,whereresultsarecomputed.Toprotect integrityofcompetition,thereareusuallyprotocolsaboutseekingpermissiontoenterthetabroom NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 35

36 DebateTerminology Adhominemfallacy:attackingapersonratherthantheargument Adpopulumfallacy:claimingthatsomethingistruebecauseofpopularbelief Affirmative/Pro/Government theteamorcompetitorarguinginfavorofadoptingtheresolution. BurdenofProof:theaffirmative sresponsibilitytothattheresolutionistrue.iftheaffirmativefailsto provetheresolution,he/she/theyoughttolosethedebate. BurdenofRejoinder:thenegative sresponsibilitytodisprovetheaffirmativecase.ifthenegativefailsto disprovetheresolution,he/she/theyoughttolosethedebate. Clash:Directresponsestoanopponent sarguments(seerefutation). Constructive:thefirstspeechgivenbyeachdebater(bothteams)inaround,usedtobuildacase.New argumentsarepermittedduringconstructivespeeches,whichdistinguishesthemfromrebuttals(wherein newargumentsarenotallowed). Contention:claimsmadefororagainsttheresolution,oftenstatedinonedeclarativesentence.Adebate casemaybeorganizedintocontentions CostBenefitAnalysis:oneofthemostcommonwaystodecideadebateround,thisphilosophyrequiresa judgetoanalyzethebenefitsofapolicyversusthecost.inotherwords,doestheproposaldomoreharm orgood? Counterplan:thenegativeadmitsthepresentsystemshouldbechanged,butarguesthatthenegative team sproposal(plan)isbetterthanwhattheaffirmativehasoffered. Criterion:standard,rule,ortestonwhichadecisionorjudgmentisbased.Inpolicydebate,thebasisfor establishingorevaluatingpolicy(i.e.,netbenefits).invaluedebate,thecriterionisthemethodbywhich thevalueisassessed(i.e.,thevalueof safety canbemeasuredintermsoffreedomfromharmi.e.,a personissafewhenhe/sheisnotbeingharmed,andthat showyouknowthatsafetyisoccurring). CrossExamination(Cross Ex,CX):periodoftimewhendebatersaskeachotherquestions. Flowing:note takingduringadebate,accuratelyrecordingthemostimportantargumentsandrebuttals. Thepaperonwhichthisnotetakingoccursisknownasaflow. Inherency:thereasonaproblemstillexists.Alsounderstoodasthebarriertosolvency.Forexample,if thefederalgovernmentpassedadiscriminatorylaw,thenthatlawwouldbetheinherentbarriertoajust society. JudgingParadigm/Preferences:ajudge seducationalphilosophy,themodelorviewthatguideshisorher decision.inotherwords,whatajudgedoesordoesnotwanttohearinaround. LeaderoftheOpposition:firstandlastspeakerfortheOppositionteam(inparliamentarydebate) MemberofGovernment:secondspeakerfortheGovernment(inparliamentarydebate) MemberoftheOpposition:secondspeakerfortheOpposition(inparliamentarydebate) Negative/Con:sidethatdefendsthepresentsystemandarguesagainsttheresolution Opposition:sidethatmustnegate/disprovetheresolution(negative) PrimeMinister:firstandlastspeakerfortheGovernment(Affirmative)team(inparliamentarydebate) 2011 NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 36

37 PowerMatching:systemofrankinginelimroundswhereteamswithequalrecordsdebateeachother. Rebuttal:speechthatrebuildsargumentsafterattacks,refutesargumentsoftheopposingteam,and summarizesthedebate.generally,nonewargumentsareallowedinrebuttalspeeches. Refutation:directlyattackingtheopposingteams arguments(alsoknownasclash). Resolution:thepropositionorsubjectofferedtodebate. SpiritoftheResolution:whattheresolutionis supposed tomean.usuallydecidedinround. StatusQuo:thecurrentstateofaffairs,thepresentsystem. Topicality:anargumentthatstatesacompetitorhasmisinterpretedawordintheresolution.Usually foundinpolicyrounds lesscommoninvalue/publicforumrounds. Value:aconcept,standard,oridealinvaluedebaterounds.Somethingwhich,accordingtothedebater, shouldbeupheld,i.e.justice,freedom,equality,etc. VotingIssues:thekeypointsinadebatethatarecrucialtotheoutcome,reasonswhythejudgeshould givethedecisiontoateam. WeighingMechanism:thestandardsbywhichajudgeevaluatesthesuccessoftheGovernment sand Opposition scases,standardsbywhichadecisionismade(criterion). CongressTerminology Agenda:theorderoflegislationassuggestedbyacommitteeorlegislator,andvotedonbytheassembly (sometimescalledthe calendar ). Amendment:aspecificchangetoanitemoflegislation,explainingexactlywhichwordsitmodifies,and notchangingtheintentofthelegislationitself. Authorship:aconstructivespeechofuptothree(3)minutesgivenbyalegislator,whichintroducesan itemoflegislationfordebatebythechamber.itiscalledasponsorshipspeechifgivenbyastudentwhois notaffiliatedwiththeschoolthelegislationoriginatedfrom.allauthorshipspeechesarefollowedbya two minutequestioningperiod.allaffirmativeandnegativespeechesthatfollowanauthorshipspeech shouldintroducenewideas(arguments)andrespondtopreviousarguments(refuteorrebut). Bill:legislationthatdescribesdetailsofhowapolicywouldbeenacted,ifvotedintolawbytheassembly. Committee:smallgroupoflegislatorswhomeetandbringrecommendationstothefullassembly. Docket:thecompletepacketoflegislation(astitlesorfulltext)distributedbyatournament. Floor:whenamemberhasthefullattentionoftheassemblytospeak(alsoreferstotheareawherethe assemblymeets,whereitslegislatorsspeak,andwhereitconductsitsbusiness). Legislation:specific,writtenproposal(billorresolution)madebyalegislatororcommitteefordebate. Precedence:presidingofficerrecognizesspeakerswhohavespokenleast(ornotatall). PresidingOfficer:theleaderofalegislativeassemblywhorunsitsmeetingsbyrecognizingmembers (legislators)tospeakormove.alsocalledthe presidingofficer, or P.O. ModeledaftertheSpeakerof thehouse,orthevicepresidentorpresidentprotemporeofthesenate. Questioning:periodwherethemembersoftheassemblyaskindividualquestionsofthespeaker (sometimescalledcross examination).multiple part(ortwo part)questionsarenotallowed(unlessthe 2011 NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 37

38 rulesaresuspendedforthatinstance),becausetheytaketimefromothermemberswhomaywishto questionthespeaker. Recency:recognizingspeakersbasedonwhohasspokenleastrecently(orearlier). Resolution:legislationthatexpressesaconviction,orvaluebeliefofanassembly,whichmayurge,request orsuggestfurtheractionbyanotherdecision makingauthority. SpeechTerminology Blocking:movementsmadeduringaperformance. Category:anotherwordfor event, referringtoaspecificcontest,suchasoratory,orduointerpretation. (to)cut:totakeonlyselectedsectionsfromaliterarypiece.tocuttomaketimelimitsortocut inappropriatematerial. DoubleEntered:enteredinmorethanoneeventinapattern.Alsocalledcrossentered. Draw:limitedprepevents,suchasExtemp.,requirethatstudentspreparetheirresponsetoaquestionor promptdistributedatthetournamentforeachround.thedrawtimeiswhenstudentsselecttheirtopic; followedbyaprescribedpreparationtimebeforetheyspeak(which,forextemp.,is30minutes).during thattime,studentsmuststayinthepreproom,untiltheyleavetospeak. Evaluation(orCritiqueorBallot):formwherejudgeswritespecific,constructivecomments. Extemporaneous:speakingwithoutthebenefitofapreparedormemorizedmanuscript.Briefnotesare sometimesallowed. Interp.:shortforInterpretation,referstoaperformance basedeventwhereastudentbringsliterature aliveofftheprintedpage.alsosee piece below. Introduction:openingofapiece;oftenreferredtoasan intro, whichiswrittenbythecompetitorand (usually)memorizedor(sometimes)givenextemporaneously. Patterns:differentgroupsofevents.Eventsaredividedinto Patterns andrunatdifferenttimes.usually therearethreepatternsinatournament:patternaevents,patternbevents,anddebate. Piece:literaryselection(titleandauthor)performedininterpretationevents.It sgoodpractice and severalleaguesrequire thatstudentsfindqualityworksofliteraturefromprinted,publishedmaterials, which showinsightintohumanmotivations,relationships,problems,andunderstandings,andnotby sentimentality,violenceforitsownsake,unmotivatedendings,orstereotypedcharacterizations. Pop:whenanindividualperformersuddenlychangescharacterswhenperforminginaninterp.event. SpeakingOrder:theordercontestantsarelistedontheschematicforeachroundistheorderinwhich thosestudentsshouldpresent.conventionalwisdomaboutspeakingorderisthatprimacy(first impression)andrecency(thelastword)arethechoicestpositions,sotournamentstendtomixtheorder studentspresentin,toalloweachcontestantanequalopportunitytopresentclosetofirstandlast. Teaser:justpriortotheintroduction,abriefselectionfromthepiece,whichgrabstheaudience s attention,muchastelevisionshowshavebeforetheopeningcreditsbegin. TimeSignals:handsignalsshowinghowmuchtimeacompetitorhaslefttospeakinalimitedpreparation ordebateevent.timesignalsarenotgivenforinterpretationorpublicaddressevents. VisualAids:oftencalledVAs.Visualaids,usedtoaugmentaspeaker smessage NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 38

39 AppendixA:ProgramPolicySamples PracticeandBusTicketsfromPractice Dependingonwhatevent(s)astudentisinvolvedin,practicerequirementsvary.Afterschoolpracticeslastuntilabout6p.m. Sincewedon tpracticeeverynight,studentsareissuedindividualcountybusticketswhentheycome.generally,practiceis onmondays,wednesdaysandthursdays.debatersmeetallthreedays,speechstudentsmeetonmondays,and interp/performancestudentsmeetonwednesdaysandoriginalspeech/limitedprepstudentsmeetonthursdays.for purposesofsafety,studentsmustusetherestroomandvisittheirlockersbeforecomingtopractice;oncetheyleave(or practiceends),theyareexpectedtoleavethebuildingimmediately. TournamentCalendar(abridgedsample) Informationbelowistentative.Itiseachstudent sresponsibilitytocheckthebulletinboardweeklyforupdatesonbusleave andreturntimes.besuretocross referenceact/satdates,band/orchestracommitmentsandotherconflicts,soyoucan planaroundthose.debatersmustbesensitivetotheirpartners schedulesandcommunicateconflictsasearlyaspossible. Wewilluseabusforallmeetsoutsideofthecounty,andtomeetswithinthecountyonFridays(pick upfromthosemeets willbeatthetournament).forsaturdaymeetsoutsideofthecounty,thebuswillpickusupandreturntothe19thstreet (west)entrance. EventDate Speech/Congress Season Bus Leave PickUp SignUp Sat.,Jan.5 StateSpeechWorkshop,WhitefishBayHS 7:45a.m. 1:30p.m. Dec.13 Fri.,Jan.25 CongressatRufusKing (BankingDay) 2:00p.m 9:30p.m. Jan.17 Sat.,Jan.26 MilwaukeeMarshall,4141N64thSt.(justnorthofCapitolDr) 7:45a.m. 4:00p.m. Jan.17 Fri.,Feb.1 WestBendCongress 2:45p.m. 9:30p.m. Jan.24 Sat.,Feb.2 WestBendTournament 6:45a.m. 4:30p.m. Jan.24 Fri.,Feb.8 CongressatCityHall200E.Wells(Kilbourn/Water) 2:45p.m. 9:45p.m. Jan.31 Sat.,Feb.9 AlvernoCollege3400S.43rdSt.(atMorganAve.) 7:45a.m. 3:30p.m. Jan.31 Boldfaceindicatestournamentwehost. Membership 1. Students are assessed an annual non refundable membership fee of $20.00 to defray costs of awards and materials. Pleaseseespecificinstructionsonthemembershipformrelatedtohandinginpayment. 2. Beforeastudentmayattendacompetitionorclinic,thefollowingmustbeverified: a. ReceiptofmembershipfeeandsignedMembership/AgreementForm b. Minimum school district athletic eligibility grade point average(third/fourth year students must maintain a minimum2.0gpa;first/second yearstudentsmaynotreceivemorethanonefailinggrade) c. CompletedandnotarizedHealthForm. d. Thestudentmustbepresentatschoolonthedayofacompetition,attendingallclassespriortoleaving. e. StudentswhotransferfromotherschoolsaresubjecttoadditionalrequirementsbytheAthleticDirector. 3. Toearnteamawards,studentsmustbeactivemembersoftheteamuptotheendoftheyear,whichincludesearning atleast25nflpointsinthatschoolyear. 4. Allschool/districtrulesmustbefollowedduringpracticeandmeets;infractionofthesewillresultinschooldisciplinary action,suspensionandpossibleexpulsionfromtheteam(forfeitingactivemembership). 5. Studentsareexpectedtoparticipateinallfundraisingactivities(includingtournamentswehost),unlessarrangements aremadeinadvanceandinwritingwiththedirectorofforensics. Preparedness,RegistrationandPunctuality 6. Everyforensiceventhasstandards(distributedseparately)forproperpreparedness;studentsmustshowself discipline andfulfillsuchobligationsbeforetheywillberegisteredtocompete.examplesinclude,butarenotlimitedto: Researchandfilingofevidencefordebateevents(includingcardingfordebate;briefingforCongress) Reading,indexingandfilingofcurrenteventsarticlesforExtemporaneousSpeaking Submissionofscriptedliterature(ororiginalspeech)andabibliographiccoverpage DraftingCongresslegislation(inproperformat)andsubmittingitelectronically( attachmentordisk) 2011 NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 39

40 7. Studentsarerequiredtopracticeregularlybeforeorafterschoolandareexpectedtocommunicatewithcoachingstaff regarding their progress. Students requiring public transportation must make note on their membership form (individualticketsaredistributedonanas neededbasis). 8. Students sign up for meets on the bulletin board in the forensics room by the posted registration deadline(see the calendar) to be considered for competition, which indicates a commitment to attending that meet in a prepared manner.registrationforallmeetsisatthecoach sdiscretion,andisbasedontournamententryrestrictions,practice, readiness,conductandattitude.alistofregisteredstudentswillbepostedaboutaweekbeforeeachmeet. 9. Studentswhoinexcusablycancel( drop )fromregistrationafterthesign updeadline,willbeassesseda$30 dropfee perinstancetocovercommittedregistrationandjudgingexpense.fortournamentsinvolvingtravel/lodging,additional feesmaybelevied,accordingly.twodropsinaseasonwillresultinsuspensionfromtheteam. 10. Drop fees will be excused per district policies (illness, death in the family, etc.); however, the parent/guardian must contactthecoachpriortothemeetingtimeforthatmeet,andalettermustbegiventothecoachwithin10daysofthe missedcompetition.anytravelexpensesmuststillbereimbursedtotheteam. 11. Studentswhoarenotatthedesignatedmeetingplace(19thStreetentranceorthesiteofthemeet)onthedayofa meet,bytheexacttimeannouncedforthatmeet,andwhohavenotcontactedthecoach(considereda no call,noshow ),willbeassessedfulldropfees,regardlessofexcuse sincenocontactwouldhavebeenmade.studentsmaybe suspendedfromtheteam. 12. FinancialPolicies.Allfeesassessedmustbepaidinfullwithintwoweeksofthemissedmeet,orthestudentwillbe suspendedfromtheteamuntilfullpaymentisreceived.alatefeeof$10willbeassessedforeverymonthafterthedue datethatthepaymentisnotmade.feesnotpaidbymay1willbereferredtotheschoolbookkeeperandthebalance willbeaddedtothestudent'sunfinishedbusinesslist. Tournaments Inanacademicactivitywhereittakescouragetoperforminfrontofothers,proper foretiquette iscrucial fromthemomentyouarriveatthecityofthemeet.incompetition,ethicalbehaviorreflectsupontheentiresquad.gossip forsakessquadunity,andpubliclycomplainingimpedesourintegrityinthegreaterforensiccommunity.whilethecoaching staffsupportsfreespeech,remembertoactresponsiblywiththisprivilege,especiallyinonlinesettings.finally,remember thatmpsstudentsarealreadymisconstruedas urbantroublemakers. Provethenaysayerswrong!Alwayscheerforand support other schools in our district. Courtesy is the golden rule in treating others as you would be treated." Students perceivedasrepresentingourteamorschoolinanegativemannerwillbesuspendedandpossiblyexpelledfromtheteam andreferredtoschooladministration. 13. Students must follow district rules, and state/local laws regarding conduct in practice, competition, and on buses. Profanelanguage,disrespectfulattitudes(includinginsubordination)arenottoleratedandwillresultinsuspension. 14. Studentsshouldbringmoneytopurchasealacartefooditemsatmeetsorpackalunch. 15. Donotenteraroomuntilajudgeispresent,andifacontestantisspeaking,waitoutsideuntilhe/sheisfinished.Ifyou move any furniture or modify the room in any way, return it to the way it was before you entered. Give other presentersyourundividedattention.nonverbalreactionsandfeedbackaremorepowerfulthanwhatyousay! 16. Disruptive activities, such as sports and playing stereos are expressly forbidden (stereos may be brought for DemonstrationSpeaking,butonlyplayedincompetition).Contrabanditemswillbeconfiscated,anddisciplinaryaction will be taken. Activities that are encouraged are homework, reading, cards, theatre and improvisational games, and discussion/talking.studentsmustremainonthepremisesofcompetitionsites. 17. Whentheteamarrivesatameet,studentsmust warm up andremaintogetheruntiltheyaredismissedbythecoach topracticebeforerounds.thecoachneedstodistributeitineraries,roomassignments,mapsandinformation,whichis logisticallyeasierwheneveryoneisinoneplace.additionally,formingcliquesorexcludinganyoneontheteamfroma groupatanytimewillnotbetolerated.theteammustalsosittogetheranduseproperdecorumatawardsceremonies, cheering equally for winning students from all schools, and giving the proper and standard attention to first place winners(usually,astandingovation). 18. Ifyoususpectarulesinfractionorinappropriatebehaviorinaround,bringittoacoach sattentionimmediately.only then can we alert the Tab room and rectify the situation. Whining about judges after meets is inappropriate. While theremaybeahandfulofunqualifiedjudges,theyaren tallbad.eachjudgebringsadifferentbackgroundanddifferent expectationstotheround.useconstructivecriticismasameanstogrowasanindividualandadapttodifferentstyles. Rememberthat winnersarenotwhiners andthat Lose and Learn bothstartwithan L. 19. Gotowatchapower/finalroundwhenyouareassignedtobyacoachorcaptain.Atalltimes,conductremindersand directivesbycaptains/officerscarrythefullweightofacoach. 20. Debateevidencetradinghascausedalotoftroubleforsomesquads,duetoleagues rulesandcopyrightlaws.pleasebe carefulandseekthecoach scounselbeforeengaginginthosetransactions NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 40

41 Dress Code The first impression an audience gets of presenters is their appearance. A student s appearance should be professionalanddignified,showingthatheorshecaresabouttheevent.justasinathleticsorinaprofessionaljob,whatone wearsaffectshis/herperformance.youwanttobelikedbyyourjudges! 21. Restraint:avoidoutlandishhairstylesorapparelthatdrawattentionawayfromyourperformance.Hairshouldbekept outofyourface,soyouraudiencecanseefacialexpressions.jewelry,ifwornatall,shouldbekept elegantlymodest nothingshouldjingleorjangle.usesuchtastefuljudgmentregardingall accessories,andwhenindoubt,omit!beprofessional,conservativeandclassy.lookmature,asif you reinterviewingforanofficejob.nojeans,anddress/casualshoes(notathleticorboots)mustbe worn. 22. Schoolidentity:donottellajudgewhatschoolyouarefrom,anddonotwhereattireoremblems(e.g.,letterjackets) thatidentifyyourschool,assuchinformationcouldbiastheiropinion. 23. Inspeechanddebateevents,professionalsuits/blazersordresses(rich/knee lengthorbelow;nottoobusy),with conservativeblouses/shirtsshouldbeworn.ininterpretiveevents,performersmaywearmore stylish clothing,butit shouldavoidbeingtoogaudy.tastefulshoes(women:lowheels;men:conservativewithlacesarebest,loaftersare acceptable).accessories,suchasties/scarvesshouldbesubduedandnotdistracting. 24. Finalists(powerrounds)mustremainincontestattirefortheawardspresentation,andshouldnottakeplushtoysor otherpropsonstage,perstateleaguerules. TransportationPolicies Wecommonlytraveltomeetslocally,aroundthestate;andperiodically,nationally. 25. Checkthebulletinboardtheweekbeforeeachmeetfortimes,incasethereisachange.Theteamwillgathertowait forthebusatthe19thstreet/westentrancetotheschool(nearroom104.parentsmustbewaitingbytheannounced returntime(wewillcallaheadfordelays).providedschoolisnotinsession,parentsmayparkvehiclesinthelotnear thatentrance. 26. Pleasefillbusseatsfromthefront,reservingbackseatsformaterials. 27. Ifabusischartered,studentsmaynotdrivethemselvesorbedrivenbyparentstomeetlocations,unlessa"Parental PermissionSlip AlternateAthleticTransportation"formisfiledwiththebythatmeet sregistrationdeadline.honoring therequestisatthecoach sdiscretion,basedonthestudent slevelofresponsibilityandotherpoliciesdeterminedby theathleticdirector. 28. Studentswillbesenthomeatparent/guardian sexpenseforseriousinfractionoftheseorschool/districtpolicies. Overnight/Travel Tournaments Besides obtaining necessary parent and teacher permission to attend these advanced tournaments,studentsmustagreetoputforthextraeffortforsuchmeets. 29. CostandCommitment:Dependingonthemeet,students/familieswillpayforsome,mostorallofthecostsoftraveling, such as food and transportation, and payment must be made in full to guarantee registration. Specific details are includedoneachmeet sparental/guardianpermissionform.studentsareinsuredbytheschooldistrictwhiletraveling. Whenstudents committocompete(orcompetetoqualify),theymustbeawareoftheactualtraveldates.conflicts (other than severe illness or a death in the family) will not be tolerated: students who fail to participate must fully reimbursetheteamforallexpensesassociatedwiththetournament(travel/airline,lodging,registrationanddropfees), whetherthestudentwasoriginallyresponsibleforpayingforthoseexpensesornot. 30. Conduct:Whileallofthenormalconductandetiquetterulesapply,itisespeciallyimportanttostresswhentraveling out of town. When in airports and strange places, it is paramount that the coaches know where students are at all times.acoachmayneedtoserveinajudgingoradministrativecapacityatatournament.inthosecases,studentsmust stayonhotelortournamentcompetitionpremises,oruseofficialtournamentshuttles/transportationtotravelbetween venues.nostudentmayventureawayfromacompetitionorlodgingpremiseswithoutsupervision.contrarytonormal school district rules, it is often a good idea to carry a cellular phone at such tournaments, so students can maintain contact with the coach. Any students who pose problems for the coaching staff may be sent home at the parent s/guardian sexpense. 31. Lodging: Overnight stays are an investment in fostering well rested, competition ready squad members. Studentsmustabidebycurfews(intheassignedroomandquietatthedesignatedtimes)andrespectthehotelproperty andstaff.ifstudentsoftheoppositesexareinaroom,thedoormustbeblockedopen;novisitorsfromotherschools unlessacoachispresent;likewise,youmustseekacoach spermissiontovisitotherschools rooms.roomassignments aremadebythecoachingstaff,andforliabilitypurposes,arenon negotiableonceestablished. 32. Privilege: Students must first qualify to compete at official national tournaments, such as NFL. The team obviously devotesagreatdealofresourcesandmoneyforlargetournaments.thecoachingstaffwillbethefinalarbiterofwhat students are allowed to attend such meets, and will make decisions based on a student s level of dedication to the team,typicalconductandbehavior,academicstanding,andreadinessandpreparednessforcompetition NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 41

42 ForensicsMembershipForm Notvalidifinformationismissing(indicaten/afornotapplicable.Pleaseprintlegibly,especially addresses. LegalName Shortfirstname GraduationYear FirstMiddleInitialLast (Nonicknamesplease;just"Bill"forWilliam,"etc.) Address City Zip HomePhone BirthDate IDNo. CellPhone (Cellphonesareallowedattournaments.) Parent/GuardianEmergencyContactInformation Parent/GuardianName(s) PlaceofWork (pleasewritetheaddressyoucheckmostoften) s Relation: Phone:() CellPhone:() Relation: Phone:() Ifyouridethebustoschool,andneedbustickets,checkallthatapply: Practices FridayMeets SaturdayMeets PARENT/GUARDIANPERMISSION Iallowmyabove namedstudenttoparticipateinforensicactivitiesonthedatesasdescribedonthecalendarincludedinthe AnytownHighSchoolForensicsPolicies, realizingthatforeachmeet,iamresponsiblefortransportingmystudenttoand fromthelocalmeetlocationortoandfromschooltoridethecharteredbusbytheweeklyupdatedandannouncedleave andreturntime.ihavediscussedtheteam spolicieswithmystudent,andrealizethatinfractionofthesepoliciesmayresult inmystudent ssuspensionfrommeetcompetitionandforfeitureofawardsearned.ialsounderstandthattosupportthe continuationofthisprogram,mystudentisexpectedtoparticipateinfundraisinginitiatives.iunderstandtheafterschool safety requirementsofleavingthebuildingafterpractice. Parent/GuardianSignature: Date: STUDENTAGREEMENT I,theundersigned,herebyagreetoadheretotheguidelinessetforthinthe AnytownHighSchoolForensicsPolicies, and realizethatifiviolateanyofthepolicies,iwillbesubjecttodisciplinaryactionaccordingly,andmayforfeitanyawardsihave earned.iwillcheckmeetleaveandreturntimesweekly,realizingthatthescheduleinformationinthispacketistentative.i furtheragreetospendmytimeinpracticeefficiently,andthatiwillleavethebuildingafterpractice. StudentSignature: Date: MEMBERSHIPFEE:Forthenon refundablefee,checksarethepreferredpaymentmethod,madepayablefor$20toanytown HighSchool.Pleaseincludethestudent sfullnameandschoolidnumberonthecheck. Cashshouldbehand deliveredtoacoachinasealedenvelopewiththestudent sfullnameandschoolidnumberonit. TheInterestInventoryandGoal SettingWorksheetonthereversesideallowsthecoaching stafftohelpstudentsfindeventsthatmatchtheiruniqueinterestsandpersonality NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 42

43 ForensicsInterestInventoryandGoal SettingWorksheet Whatareyourprimaryreasonsforparticipatinginforensics? Nameaprominentperson(celebrity,publicfigure,etc.)andqualitiesyouadmireinthatperson: Person Qualities Rank,inorderofimportance,thefollowingU.S.currentaffairsissues,1beingmostimportant;10beingleast PublicHealthCare/AffordablePrescriptions SocialSecurityReform HomelandSecurity/Terrorism/Intelligence Education(vouchers choice,standards,testing) ForeignTrade(deficits,tariffs) ElectionReform(finance,Electoral,termlimits) Environment(nuclearwaste,cleanair,fossilfuels) EconomyandCorporateReform CivilLiberties/Privacy Violence(inschools,centralcityareas) Explainwhyyouthinktheitemaboveyourankedfirstissoimportant Onascaleof1 10,1beingmostimportant,hownecessaryisitforAmericanstovote? Pleasecompleteeachstatement: Iworkbest ingroups alone Iworkwellunderpressure/deadlines: Yes No I multitask well Yes No Huh? Iamgoodatmemorizingthings: Yes No Ienjoyprovingmypoint: Yes No Icanofferconstructivecriticism: Yes No Iacceptcriticismconstructively: Yes No LastbookIreadforleisure Favoritemagazine Favoritetelevisionprograms Favoritewebsites Hobbies/interests Talents(dancing,martialarts,batontwirling,etc.) Favoritesubjectinschool Ifyoucompetedinmiddleschoolforensics,pleaselistevents: Doyouhaveapreferenceofdebateand/orspeechcategories/events? Listsomespecific,realistic(achievable)andmeasurablegoalsandstepsyouplantotaketoachievethem. Ifyouarenew,we llhelpyoucompletethisinaninterviewwithacoachand/orcaptain: SpecificGoalStatements:includemeasurementsand targettimeframeforachievement. Actions/StepsIWillTaketoAchieveGoals:include timeframe(season,#ofweeks,etc.)foreach NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 43

44 AppendixB:SampleHealthCertificate FromtheMilwaukeePublicSchools Student fulllegalname BirthDate Sex ListAllergies(includingmedications) Medications(prescriptionsorover the counter)youtake Ifnone,write none. Medication Dosage Ifnone,write Presentillnesses/chronicconditions Ifnone,write none. Ifnone,write none. none. Over the CounterMedicationsYourChildMayNOTTake Ifnone,write none. Listpastseriousillnessorsurgery Listphysicalrestrictions/accommodations Ifnone,write none. Dietaryrestrictions/accommodations Insurance*pleaseattachacopyofinsuranceandprescriptioncard(s) Includefood allergiesor religious restrictions.if none,write none. HealthInsuranceCarrier: HealthIns.PolicyNumber: InsurancePolicyExpirationDate: WhocarriestheHealthInsurance? HealthInsurancecoversoutsideWI? Yes No Medical EmergencyContact Name Phone Doctor Parent Phone Parent Dentist Other Phone Other Attachadditionalinformationifnecessary. Pleaseincludeacopyofinsurancecard(s). Theabovenamedstudenthasmypermissiontotakepartinforensics:speechanddebateactivities.Iagreetoanddoherebyauthorize MilwaukeePublicSchools,itspersonnelandrepresentatives(chaperones),toactformeinanyemergencyoraccidentorillnessinthe eventmyson/daughteristoreceivemedicalattentionifdeemednecessarybyaprofessionalinthemedicalfield.intheeventthe studentnamedaboveisunabletoparticipateintheprogramduetoillnessorinjury,themilwaukeepublicschoolsactingthroughits personalorrepresentativeisauthorizedtomakewhateverarrangementsareappropriateinreturningthestudenttomycare.i understandthatthemilwaukeepublicschools,itspersonnelorrepresentativesshallnotberesponsibleforanydebtsincurredin conjunctionwithanyillnessoraccidentinvolvingmychild.iagreetoberesponsibleforsuchdebtsaswellasforanycostsincurredfor theearlyreturntravelfortheabovenamedstudent.additionally,ifthereareanychangestotheinformationherein,i willmaintainresponsibilityforprovidingupdatedinformation. Parent/GuardianSignature Date DaytimePhone EveningPhone AdditionalParent/Guardian(ifapplicable) Date DaytimePhone EveningPhone I veenclosedacopyofinsurancecard(s) 2011 NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 44

45 AppendixC:SamplesofTravelForms Tournament/Location: TravelTournamentItinerarySample Assembleat: onthisdate: nolaterthanthistime: Specifictransportationdetails(flights,connectingflights,etc.): Wereturnonthisdate: atthistime: at: Specifictransportationdetails: Hotel: Address: Phone() TournamentContactName: Cell() StudentFinancialResponsibility:$ GeneralExpectations: mustbepaidby: Identification:bringdriver slicenseorstate/governmentphotoidandschoolid(forsecurity;proves affiliationwithtrip). Food/Money:weprovidestudentmeals,exceptduringcompetitionandothersnacks(Irecommendbringing about forthedurationofthetripforthosemeals).spendingmoneyoverandbeyondthisamountisat yourdiscretion. Clothing:bringdressclothesandshoesfor daysofcompetition.lookyourmostprofessional! Bringa main competitionoutfit,withanextrashirt/accessories(tie,scarf,lapelpin,etc.) Luggage:packlightlyandefficiently,sinceweneedroomforevidence.Don tforgetsupplies/materials;bring whatyou llneedforperformance(cases,piece/binder,pens,paper,stopwatch,legislation, padfolio, Constitution,etc.). TripItinerary(atDestination)andDailyTournamentSchedule: RoomingList: RoomA RoomB RoomC RoomD Coach 2011 NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 45

46 Event/Competition Destination DepartureDate ReturnDate 1. Forpurposesofdefinition, MPS referstothemilwaukee PublicSchools,thecommonnamefortheMilwaukeeBoard ofschooldirectors,theschooldistrictinwhichmychildis enrolled. 2. Iunderstandthatmystudentmaynotbeunderthedirect supervisionoftheforensic/debatecoachorapproved chaperonesduringthecompetitionabove.ifurther understandthatitisofutmostimportancethatmystudent alerttheforensic/debatecoachastohis/herwhereaboutsat alltimesduringthetrip,andmustabidebyanyofthe Director sdirectivesrestrictinghis/herwhereabouts. 3. Iasthestudent'sparent/guardian,agreetoanddoauthorize themilwaukeepublicschools(mps)anditsemployees, agents,chaperonesandvolunteers,toactonmybehalfin anyemergency,accident,orillness,andfurtheragreethat MPSanditsemployeeorsuchdesignatedindividualsshallnot haveanyliabilityfortakinganysuchaction. 4. IagreethatMPShastherighttoterminatemy son/daughter'sparticipationinthefieldtripprogramforany behaviordeemeddetrimentaltotheprogramorthe students,andfurtheragreetoacceptallresponsibilityforany costsinvolvedduetohis/herreturnhometomycare. 5. Iaffirmthatmyson/daughterhasnochronicmedical conditionordisabilitythathasnotbeenstatedinthestudent HealthCertificate(filledwiththeteam)orwhichwouldmake participationintheprograminadvisable. 6. Iagreetoreleaseandwaiveanyandallliabilityanddischarge MPSanditsagents,chaperonesandvolunteersfromany claimsordemandsthatmightariseinconnectionwith1)any accident,illness,injury,orotherconsequenceoreventarising frommychild'sactionsorparticipationinthempsprogram; 2)anycausebeyondthecontrolofMPSincluding,butnot limitedto,naturaldisasters,civildisturbances,actsof terrorism,andwars. TravelReleaseandIndemnificationAgreement CoveringConduct,PersonalInjury,DeathandPropertyDamage 7. IunderstandthatIamsigningthisdocumentinadditionto, andnotinreplacementorexclusionof,anyandallother formsandagreementsrequiredbymps.iagreethatmps reservestherighttochange,orcanceltravelorother arrangementsshouldconditionsnecessitate. 8. IunderstandthatMPSisnotresponsibleforthelossof,or damageto,thepersonalbelongingsofanyparticipant. 9. Iunderstandthatinarrangingforstudenttravel,MPSuses commercialairlines,trains,buses,restaurants,hotelsand otherserviceswhoseperformanceandservicecannotbe controlled.consequently,mpsisnotresponsibleforthe actionsofthesecommercialfirmsformattersincludingbut notlimitedtostrikes,lostluggageandthelike. 10. Iagreetoberesponsibleforandtopayanybillsforadditional expensesofapersonalnature(e.g.,laundry,roomservices, phonecalls,passportandvisareplacement). 11. Iagreetoberesponsibleforandtopayanybillsformedical, optical,dentalorrelatedservices,whetherornotsuch servicesarecoveredbyinsurance.iunderstandthatthe studentfieldtripaccidentalinjuryinsuranceandemergency assistanceservicesforspecifiedamountsisavailabletomps, andthatthecostforthisinsuranceandemergencyassistance coverageisincludedinthefieldtripprogramfee.i understandthelimitsofthisinsuranceandemergency assistanceservicesandacceptresponsibilityforanycosts abovethoselimitsprovidedinthepolicy.iaffirmthatmy son/daughterhasadequatemedicalandhospitalinsurance coverageandthatthepolicywillcontinueinforceduringthe entireextendedfieldtrip.iaffirmthattheinformationstated inthestudenthealthcertificate/permissionformedicalcare isaccurate. 12. Ifurtheragreetopayanyresponsibleattorney sfeesand costsoflitigationshouldanylawsuitagainstthemilwaukee BoardofSchoolDirectorsresultfrommychild sparticipation onthistrip. Conduct:Thepurposeofthistripiscompetition.Toensureoptimalpreparedness,properrestisparamount.Studentsmustbeintheir assignedroomsby11p.m.(pleasepurchasesnacks/vendingitemsbefore10:59).pleasepickupafteryourselves:throwgarbage/food wrappers/containersintheproperreceptacles,donotleaveopenfoodlayingaroundtospoilandleaveanunpleasantodorfor housekeepingstaff,and(formultiple nightstays)leaveaclearpathforhousekeepingstafftochangebedlinensandvacuum. Ifyoudamageanyhotelproperty,pleasealertacoachimmediately. Ihavereadtheaboveandattachedinformationandaminfullsupportofmychild sparticipationinthistrip,withtheappropriate, expectedconduct.iampreparedtoacceptthefinancialresponsibilityforthistripshouldmychildfailtodosohim/herself.ifatthe discretionoftheforensic/debatecoach,mychildneedstobesenthomeduetoillnessorviolationofstudentrules,iagreetobe responsibleforalltransportationandsubsequentcosts. Parent/GuardianSignature Date DaytimeorCellPhone EveningPhone StudentAgreementStatement:Iagreetoabidebyallschoolandforensic/debateactivitiespolicieswhileparticipatinginthe tournamentnamedabove,includinganyspokendirectivesfromcoachingstaff.iunderstandthataviolationoftheserulesmayresult inbeingsenthomeatmyfamily sexpense,expulsionfromtheteam,andpotentialdisciplinaryactionbytheschooladministration.i furtherunderstandthatmyactionsjeopardizethesafetyandsuccessofmyfellowteammates,soiwillstrivetoupholdthestandards ofgoodcharacterandethicsasarepresentativeofmilwaukeepublicschools. PrintLegalStudentName(w/MiddleInitial) StudentSignature Date CellPhone(duringtravel) 2011 NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 46

47 AppendixD:JudgeTraining Thefollowingisageneralguideforjudgetraining.Someoftherulesandconventionsmaydifferbetween variousstates,regionsandthenflitself.judgesshouldalwaysbemindfuloftheparticularcontestthey re adjudicating,andwhatuniquepolicies/proceduresapply.evenmoredubiousishowjudges standardsfor excellencetendtobehighlypersonal,basedonbackgroundandtaste.thebestjudgesareawareoftheirown biases,andconsciouslykeeptheseinchecktomaintainobjectivity. TheJudge srole Aspeechordebatejudgenotonlyprovidessound,educationalfeedbackforstudents presentations,buts/he servesassupervisorofeveryround,ensuringthatitproceedsinasmoothmanner,withequalrespectgivento allcontestants.judgesshouldnotapologizefor lackofexpertise thepointofcommunicationinforensic activitiesisforstudentstobeabletoshareamessagewithanyaudience.judgesalsosetapositivetoneas adultsbydressingprofessionally(i.e.,businesscasual),andputtingstudentsateasewiththeirbodylanguage. Atmanycontests,studentsareawaretheymaynotenterroomsunlessajudgeispresent,andthatif theymovefurniture,theymustreturnit. Studentsshouldmovefromroundtoroundquietly,asotherroundswillstillbeinsession.Judges shouldremindstudentsofthiswhentheroundconcludes. Judgesmustmaintainobjectivityandshouldnotsayanythingtoanystudentotherthananoverall greetingorobservation;donotgivespecial,individualpraiseorcriticism,oraskwhatschoolastudent attends. Studentsandjudgesareoftengivencodestomaskschoolaffiliation.Judgesshould,however,write theirownschoolaffiliationontheballotand/orevaluationsheet,soifacoachhasquestionsafterthe tournament,theymaycontactyouviathecoachwhohiredyou. Supplies Afewgoodpens(pleasewriteevaluativefeedbackinblackorblue,please;redishandy forpersonalnoteswhenflowingadebate) Paper forflowingdebates,takingoverallnotesonaroundofspeech,etc. Adigitalstopwatch,timerorothertimingdeviceforkeepingtrackoftime TournamentTimeline:KeepingthePace Acoachshouldinstructthejudgess/hehiredtoarriveearlytoatournament(beforetheendofthe registrationperiod).coachesareresponsiblefordistributingthejudgingassignmentsgiventotheirschool,and ifballots/critiquesheetscanbecompletedwithpersonalinformationaheadoftime,itgivesthejudgetimeto prepareforthedayahead.judgesmayormaynotbeassignedtoeachpreliminaryround(dependingonhow manytotaljudgesarepresent).followingaresomegeneraltipsforjudges: Taketimetoreadandfollowthespecificanduniqueinstructionsofeachtournament(whichsavesa greatdealoftimeinthegrandschemeofthetournamentandhelpspreventerrors). Makesuretoreacquaintyourselfwiththerulesforagiveneventbeforeeachround. Pleasebepunctualandstartroundsontimesothateachroundcantakeplaceexpeditiouslyforthe goodofallparticipants.pleasesilenceyourcellphone,anddon teatinfrontofstudents it srude! Makesurecontestantsassignedtoyourroomontheschematicarethere.Forspeech,followthe speakingorder,unlessatournamentallowscross entries,and/orastudentislatetotheround.allow suchcontestantstocatchtheirbreath,waitthroughanotherpresentation,andthenpresent. Writelegiblyoncritiques/ballots,sostudentscanactuallyreadandbenefitfromyoursuggestions! Beobjective.Don tletyourownpreconceptionspredetermineyourimpressions NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 47

48 Beefficient.Don tspendtoomuchtimeoneachballot,especiallybetweenstudents presentations. Lullsmakestudentsnervous,andholdupmeets.Startwritingevaluationsheets/ballotsduring presentations Aftereachround,returnballots/critiquestothenearesttabulationcollectionperson/table. Remainatthetournamentuntilyou redismissed(unlessspecialarrangementshavebeenmade). Don tsmokeonschoolpremises,becausethisisagainstmoststatelaws,andsetsaterribleexample forkids. AjudgemustNOTconferwithotherjudgesregardingtheirdecisions/evaluationsincompetition.Panel judgesarenottoconfer.allcommunicationregardingresultsmustbeexclusivelywithtabulationstaff. Makepositivesuggestionsonhowthespeakercanimprove.Donotsimplywrite good or weak. Insteadexplainhoworwhyastudentisdoingwellorpoorly.Youshouldjustifythescoreyougivea studentbythecommentsyouwrite. Judgesalmostneverdisqualifycontestants.Thisisuptotournamentofficials.Ifjudgessuspectarules infraction,rank/ratethestudentashe/sheperformedintheround.then,bringallinformationtothe tournamentstaff. PearlsofWisdomforSpecificEvents/Situations InDebate,judgesawardoneteamthewin,andtheotherteamaloss.Theymayalsoassignspeaker pointstoeachteam,orindividualdebater.finally,theymayrankthedebatersfrombesttolast. InSpeech,judgesrankstudentsagainsttheirpeers,andsometimesratestudentswithspeakerpoint values.forranking,1isthebestinround,2issecondbest,etc.,asfardownasthenumberofspeakers (inasectionofeightspeakers,yourranksshouldlooklikethis:1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8).manyjudgeskeepa runningorderofplacementbymakingmarksonthemasterballot,orarrangingthephysicalorderof thecritiquesheets.contestantsshouldneverbeabletoseeorfigureoutyoursystemforranking (evenifthey resittingrightnexttoyouinacrampedroom).judgesshouldalwaysgivehonest, positive,constructive buttactful criticismwithsuggestionsforimprovement.remembertheabcs ofjudging:beaccurate,brief,andclear! Knowtherulesregarding graceperiods andhowtomodifyyourrankingifastudentextendsbeyond theallowedtimeframe. Studentsmayrequesttimesignals,particularlyinExtemp.Speaking.Pleasebesuretocommunicatea mutuallyagreeduponsystemwithspeakerspriortotheirpresentations. Somestates/eventsallowalimitedamountofvocalsingingandvisualaids.Alwaysknowtherules! InCongress,judgeswillhearseveralshortspeechesinimmediatesuccession.Congresscontestsare tabulatedinamyriadofways,butjudgeswilldooneorseveraloftheseevaluativemeasures: Rateeachspeakerandpresidingofficeronapointscale(ageneralrubricforqualitiestolook forcanbefoundinthe CoachResources sectionofthenflwebsite). Rankuptoacertainnumberof,orallparticipantsinaround/session.Eitherarranging individualcritiquesassuggestedforspeechranking,ortrackingeachspeechofthesessionwill allowajudgetomakeasummativeevaluationofthesessioninthiscase. Nominateoneorafewcontestantstoadvance(whichmaygotoavotebythestudents). Somestatesassigntwojudgestoasessionfortheexpresspurposeofallowingthemtoalternately evaluatestudents.thismethodisproblematicinsofarasitcreatesinconsistencyamongevaluatingthe samegroupofstudentswithinthesametimeframeofdebate,thereforeforsakingcompetitiveequity NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 48

49 2011 NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 49 UpholdingQuality Eachschool scoachisthearbiterofexcellenceforhis/herownjudgingcorps,andshouldmakesurejudgesare adequatelytrainedandpreparedtoprovidethisvitaleducationalservicetoyoungpeople.beforeanewjudge actuallyadjudicatesatournament,havehim/her shadow anexperiencedjudge,whocandebriefhis/her process.atanearlytournament,askthetabroomiftheycanprovideacopyofanewjudge s critiques/ballots,soyoucanreviewthequalityoftheirevaluations. DescriptiveWordBankforJudges QUALITY amazing breathtaking beautiful brilliant decent delightful dynamic enjoyable excellent extraordinary fabulous fine first class first rate grand great impressive incredible lovely marvelous perfect pleasant remarkable satisfactory spectacular splendid stunning superb terrific wonderful PRESENTATION articulate believable characterization coherent cohesive credible dramatic emotional enthusiastic expression honesty genuine innovative understated whimsical rhetorical TALENT accomplished capable clever convincing creative effortless expert proficient natural skilled talented welldeveloped mastered OOMPH animation energy enthusiasm gusto life liveliness passion pizzazz sparkle spirit vivaciousness vigor POOR artificial awkward broad faulty flawed hinder incoherent incorrect mellow monotonous poor repetitive scarce weak wrong NEEDS absentof coulduse deficientin incomplete lacks missing requires shorton potential THEPIECE assortment combination compilation execution plethora unified unsuitable wealth DEBATE fallacious logicallylinked illogical credibility warrant clash impact refute rebut flow

50 Wewelcomeyourcommentsandsuggestions! NATIONAL FORENSIC LEAGUE 125WatsonStreet POBox38 Ripon,WI54971 (p) (f) Program/CoachingAssistance Buildingyourteam,findingresources,getting involvedwithyourdistrict,andotherprograms: AdamJacobi MerchandiseSales Apparel,books,videos,awardsandmementos: AndreaNeitzel PublicRelationsandPublications RostrummagazineandpromotingtheNFL: JenniferBillman School/StudentMemberAssistance Questionaboutpointprocedures,usingtheonline pointsapplication,andmembership/financialissues: LisaVossekuil District/NationalTournaments Registeringand/orqualifying: JackieOakes DevelopmentandAlumni Doyouhaveanideaorcontactforagrant? CherianKoshy ExecutiveDirector RulingquestionspertainingtoitemsproposedatNFL Boardmeetingsorcomments/concernsyoumayhave abouttheleagueoritsprocesses. J.ScottWunn ChangeLog ThissectiondocumentsrevisionsmadetotheCoachingGuide.Overarchingmodificationsareindicatedbyachangeinthe seconddigit(i.e.,2.1.0),whileminoreditsorrevisionstothecurrentdocumentareindicatedbyachangeinthethirddigit (i.e.,2.0.1).thefollowingareupdatestotheoriginalversion. Date Version ChangeDescription 09/15/ UpdatedstyleofthedocumentandchangedwordingregardingNFLchaptertypes,aswellas updatingprogramsthathavechanged.minordocumentformatting NationalForensicLeague CoachingGuide 50