Last week, I went to the Coppell Debate Academy summer camp for 1 week. I’ve been doing CDA since January 2025, so I thought I would know what they were going to teach us already; I was wrong. What I learned was so informative, creative, and inspiring. By the end of this article, I hope that you- the reader, is as inspired and motivated as I was during camp.
For your information, this was a speech course, specifically extemporaneous speaking. But the information in this article can also be used in other speaking events, and you can experiment with different types of debate. You can even use these in essays.
Structure
What good is a speech without clear structure? (This is a rhetorical question, you’ll read about it later!)
You have 10 seconds to hook your audience before they lose attention. Start with a short story, question, or interesting fact. Personally, I love to start with a jaw-dropping statistic, but it depends on the type of speech or essay. In the introduction, give a preview of the main points in the body paragraphs. You don’t need too many points, maybe even just 3 really good arguments.
The Body :The best structure for this is claim, warrant, impact. The claim is a basic declarative statement in one sentence. It is your main idea to guide the audience. Next is the warrant. It states details like statistics, anecdotes, and tells the audience why you are right. Finally, your impact why it matters; how it will effect the world. The larger consequence. This is a clear and informative way to communicate your message impactfully.
Don’t make the mistake by ending abruptly. Most of the time, half of the audience won’t even listen to the body paragraph. Restate the answer to the claim or question. Review the main ideas of the main points. To end, you can circle back to the hook, or give solutions to a problem, if one.
While writing the structure, consider not writing in compete sentences in paragraphs if speaking. The end goal is to be able to speak with minimal dependence on notes. I know it’s hard, but this helps in speaking naturally, like how you might have to speak in a Q&A or job interview.
Persuasive Appeals
You’ve seen those advertisements- those heartbreaking cancer anecdotes, diet-friendly soda with lower sugar levels, and even a travel-friendly cosmetic product. Well, these are called persuasive appeals, and it is used to make the audience have emotions about your topic. There are three appeals; ethos, pathos, and logos. Ethos is ethics and morale, like guilt or a gut feeling. Maybe you’re eating a high-calorie chocolate, but a new chocolate says “Guilt Free and Less Calorie”. Pathos is making the audience feel a strong emotion. Finally is logos, or logic. Show that your idea is logical and purposeful. These three simple ways to persuade is one of the best ways to encourage the audience to think in a certain way.
Rhetorical Devices and Impact Calculus
A rhetorical device is another way to improve your speaking. For example, asking a question to make a point is a rhetorical question, and it just helps to make the audience think about the information given deeply. You probably already know some examples of rhetorical devices, such as repetition, anthesis, and a counterargument.
My favorite additive to a speech-the dressing to a salad-the seasoning to pasta… impact calculus! Thankfully, its not actual calculus, but its still important. Magnitude is how destructive the impact is. Timeframe is how fast or soon the impact happens. Finally, what is the probability of it happening? This is a very impactful part of a speech.
Delivery
Tone is emphasizing different words in a sentence to get your point across, like saying some words louder so the audience remembers the point. If you are slouching during your presentation, people may not take you seriously. You not only should feel confident, you should look confident. It may also lower pressure and help project your voice better. Speaking of your voice, vocal delivery is also important. Don’t talk like a robot; your voice should sound natural, like you’re talking to friends formally. You can practice this by saying tongue twisters, rapping, and talking in funny voices. Finally, use natural gestures! This is much simpler, because you don’t have to memorize this. Do not practice your speech gestures, because they should occur naturally. A common mistake is making gestures not seen, especially if you are reading off something or standing on a podium.
TED Talk Summary: Speaking Your Truth
What is more inspirational than a TED talk (rhetorical question)?
I bet that after reading all of that, you can now write the best essay and speech. But If you don’t have the confidence to speak up and present yourself, then what is the point (rhetorical question)? Public speaking is so important, and it is the number one human fear, second is death. Don’t be one of them who face panic, hopelessness, isolation, shame, and fear when talking.
Find your voice. Give yourself permission to speak, because your idea and words matter. Disconnect yourself from everyone else’s opinion and permission. You will always have critics. Finally, make the conscious decision of letting your voice be heard. In the end, the winners are who put themselves out on the line.