Sriankar

By coincidence I just yesterday discovered you via the Intelligence Squared podcast. Great first impression! But, I'm having trouble finding exact information on your 2 championships. Can you specify what event and what league your championships were?

Sorry if I wasn't clear, but I'm wondering about the past 50 years. In the 70's and 80s, public speaking classes were much more prevalent. Then in the 90's, public speaking, rhetoric and communications programs started being reduced (in the US and Canada at least - don't know about Oz)

Bo, why do you think the teaching of rhetoric/public speaking in high school and university has lessened in the past 50 years?

First thing to do is to find someone else who is with you so that you're not alone in this mighty task. Are you trying to get a team started at your school? Or grow a small team that is already there?

Here is a list of all of the past topics that Americans have debated on the national circuit, from the National Speech and Debate Association: https://www.speechanddebate.org/topics/