Use of Guest Speakers to Help Debaters and Speakers

In speech and debate, students are introduced to a variety of topics, including many for which they have no frame of reference. Real-world experience is lacking for debate students, especially for those who are younger or just starting out. Contrary to popular belief, being argumentative with a parent does not a debater make.

To make speech and debate argumentation more relevant and accurate to the real world, debate coaches should incorporate guest speakers into competition preparation so those in-the-field experts can share their experiences and insights.

Most debate competition preparation relies on learning the format and structure of debates, discovering various resources for research that support arguments that are posed, and participating in practice debate rounds that help them develop their positions on each side and deepen their understanding of the issues being debated. Traditionally, this all occurs in an educational setting that includes only the coaches, the students and a handful of volunteers from the speech and debate community.

There are benefits, though, to having industry specialists and experts speak to students to close the gap between theory and implementation, and to inspire students to think critically and engage in meaningful discourse. Speakers can challenge students’ preconceived notions and broaden their outlook by providing specific details and experiences in the topic area or in consequences of changes in policy. This type of exposure to diverse viewpoints can encourage students to become more open-minded and well-rounded in their approaches to debate resolutions.

Real-world insights provide students with firsthand knowledge and practical application of the issues being debated. With limited exposure to much of what is being debated, the real-world implications may not be obvious to them.

The local city manager or mayor may be able to provide examples of how a policy might impact citizens, like when presented with a congressional debate resolution to provide a tax incentive to grocery stores that move into food deserts or a topic that considers whether stadiums are worthwhile public investments. Other elected officials can be great resources as well.

Inviting an expert from a nearby USDA extension center or co-op would be ideal to give perspective to students on controversial issues like corn subsidies or water resources, which are examples of topics they may see in Student Congressional Debate.

No one is likely better to explain a legal issue than an attorney. Many Lincoln Douglas Debate resolutions deal with whether an action, policy or law is justified or whether there is a duty to take some course of action or pass a law. By hearing the interpretation of a topic from a legal view, students may be able to better navigate the difficulties surrounding issues like immigration policies, criminal justice reform, or term limits for federal judges.

A local bank president can educate debate students about real-world problems like inflation or a change in interest rates that might impact the plan they have proposed in their Cross Examination Debate case. Students are then better prepared to address the potential flaws or disadvantages that may arise in the competition as they are advocating for a specific policy.

Public Forum Debate topics, which are typically centered around issues that are concerned with current events, change every month. Examples of industry experts might include a local election official who can explain the process of elections and help students develop rationale for making the voting systems easier to navigate. Members of the local school board can speak about how to deal with issues that arise with policies addressing school reform. The real-world perspective cannot only make these topics more impactful, but can lead to more practical and diverse approaches.

Teachers can reach out to nearby universities to find specialists in a variety of fields to make presentations to their students. Health-care workers, military personnel, public safety officers, and other business and community leaders will have valuable insight for many of the subjects that speech and debate students delve into.

All of this is made even more feasible because of online video conferencing, which makes the process of procuring and scheduling guest speakers even easier, especially when a sponsor cannot find a local person to speak. It is just as easy for a subject matter expert to “zoom in” from Zimbabwe as it is to do so from the next classroom. If districts require background checks and fingerprinting before in-person visits, video conferencing can also be a quicker workaround.

In addition to furthering their knowledge of a specific topic, students can interact with professionals who share their interests. By reserving a question-and-answer time for one-on-one interaction, students may even be able to turn their extracurricular activity into a career path of interest.

There are many topics that are debated every year across the country in high school forensics competitions. No coach or sponsor can be or should be expected to be an expert in all of them.

By bringing in guest speakers in specific fields, students will connect with real- world professionals to gain a deeper and more relevant understanding of the complex issues they are debating every weekend, bringing what used to be theory into practice, and possibly providing a path to a more rewarding career in the future.