email : Webview : Last-Chance Qualifier Date, Service Points Guide, Poster Contest, and More

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Spotlight on Service

Coaches » Coaches who perform service for the NSDA, such as hosting tournaments or recruiting or sponsoring new schools, earn service citations. As you enter citations digitally, you work toward Distinguished Service Awards, which honor coaches using their skills to serve others. Learn more or add citations today!

Students » Students can earn up to 20 service points per day for a maximum of 200 service points per year. Service points can be entered at an advisor’s discretion for activities that better a student’s school or community. They are a great way to retain students involved in a slew of activities and celebrate the difference they're making with their skills. Examples include:

Coaching middle or elementary school students prior to a tournament
Judging a round of middle school competition
Volunteering at a homeless shelter
Giving a speech at a political rally
Volunteering to help at the ballot table at an after school tournament
Working at a team fundraiser
Speaking as part of a religious service
Volunteering at a summer camp for middle or elementary school students

Student who earn the maximum number of service points in a given year are awarded the Speaking and Service Award.

Enter NSDA Points for Students! Reward Hard Work. Show Distinction. Motivate Your Team.

Mark Your Calendar: Last-Chance Qualifier in May

Students who don't qualify through their districts still have a chance to attend Nationals! We will hold a free last-chance qualifier online May 5-8. Top-placing entries in each main event will compete at the 2022 National Tournament. We're offering this opportunity in addition to the chance all schools participating in districts have to send two students in supplemental events.

More info

Helping Students Overcome Speaking Anxiety

Some coaches have reported students experiencing more fear of public speaking than usual following the return to an in-person school setting. To help them adjust, try the progressive delivery tips from Start Here: Teaching Public Speaking.

Students begin by delivering one fact about themselves to the board, facing away from the class. You can also try dimming or turning off the lights!
They deliver a tongue twister to the board as many times as they can in 15-30 seconds.
They practice delivering a poem from a script to the wall, then to a partner, then in a group, then to the class.

2022 Poster Design Contest

Member students can submit a poster for the 2022 National Speech and Debate Education Day Poster Contest! The winning poster will be included in celebratory toolkits sent to teams across the country and available to download online. Encourage your students to submit a design by November 19.

Take the Free Courses: Coaching DI, HI, POI, and Duo

Performance Breakdown: Crafting a Duo Interp » Coaches and students can go behind the curtain at the process of putting together a Duo from start to finish. Through script notation, video, and narration, 2019 Duo finalists Ethan Gambriel and Tyler Simpson share the story behind the cutting, blocking, practicing, and performing of their piece, A Tiny Miracle With a Fiberoptic Unicorn.

Intro to Coaching: Dramatic and Humorous Interp » Find considerations for selecting literature, sample cuttings, activities for characterization, warm-ups, and more in this course authored by Hall of Fame members Meg Howell-Haymaker and Deborah Simon.

Intro to Coaching: Program Oral Interpretation » Dive deeper into coaching POI with esteemed coach Renea Moss. Coaches will learn to:

Explain the purpose, key terms, and general rules of POI to students.
Assist students in finding, refining, and defining an argument for their piece.
Lead students in starting a cutting and shaping a character's look and mannerisms.
Demonstrate the proper way to handle a binder.

Explore courses

Student gazes out a window while seated at their computer

Free Online Scrimmages Next Month

There's still time to register for our next Springboard scrimmages on November 2 and November 9! The after-school events will feature asynch speech and live debate. Don't miss out—the Springboard Series offers students essential feedback and ranks from judges across the country and is an excellent way to build skills and confidence with zero entry fees.

Maximize Your Membership

Are you taking advantage of all the time-saving tools you have at your disposal? Join us November 3 at 5:00 p.m. CT for an overview of the competitive and instructional resources that come with your membership. Register now »

Honor Society Insignia

Celebrate your program's achievements with Honor Society insignia!

Idea: Some teams have a library of degree pins and rotate their wear at tournaments based on a student's current level.

Middle School Nationals

Given uncertainty about travel safety for middle school-aged competitors, the 2022 Middle School National Tournament will be held fully online as a one-year pilot in June.

As opposed to the Speech Challenge, we will offer live debate and live speech, as well as asynch speech events. Elimination rounds will be held, and the best of the best will be named middle school national champions.

More details

Show your achievement with NSDA Insignia!

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