Think and Speak

Critical Thinking: Reflections from FreedomFest 2015

admin — Thu, 23 Jul 2015 21:18:54 +0000

“There, no critical thinking is allowed.”

This short sentence has stuck with me since I sat riveted by human right’s activist and North Korean defector Yeonmi Park’s speech at FreedomFest two weeks ago. Born in 1993, Miss Park survived a country where dead bodies were routine, the common belief was that the ‘Dear Leader’ could read your mind, and dissenting opinions must not even be spoken in a whisper…for as Yeonmi’s mother often told her, “even the birds and mice have ears”.

Yeonmi’s family escape was forced by her father’s imprisonment for illegal business. Yeonmi’s sister left first. Four days later, both Yeonmi and her mother crossed the Yalu River into China. However, their pursuit of freedom did not end there. Fearful of a Chinese government that would send them back to North Korea, Yeonmi and her mother became victims of human trafficking. To find freedom, they trekked across Gobi Dessert, spent a few months in Mongolia, and then finally crossed the border into South Korea.

Yeonmi’s statement at the end of her speech sent shivers down my spine. She challenged her audience,

“Here in America people make fun of Kim Jong-il – his hairstyle – the leader he is. But it is not a joke. Killing thousands of innocent people is not a joke. Starving children is not a joke. No one should be oppressed because of their birthplace.”

In our country of relative ease, we quickly become indifferent to the gift of freedom. We forget that critical thinking is one of the strongest defenses against the decline of liberty. We make jest of oppression that is not our own and in doing so, desecrate the sanctity of human dignity.

Competitive speakers and debaters, the application of your skills extends far beyond the realm of your speech and debate rounds. This year, as you prepare to debate the significance of reforming the federal court system, improving trade relations, or resolving the conflict of individual privacy vs. national security, I would encourage you to remember the following:

Critical thinking is a gift — your gift and your defense.

The Winning Impromptu

admin — Fri, 19 Jun 2015 12:58:37 +0000

The winning impromptu will appeal to all judges, regardless of their specific personality type. Have you ever reviewed your ballots at the end of a tournament and found that two judges ranked you at the top of the room, while the third judge placed you fifth and below? Although the reasons for this disparity can vary, more often than not the disparity is due to the fact that the third judge’s personality preferences were not addressed in your speech.

The Analysis-Based Judge

The analysis-based judge will listen for links explaining how you arrived at your conclusion. They do not merely want to be told that “optimism is beneficial”, they want to know why, how, and when optimism is beneficial. Consequently, a strong thesis statement with logically connected points is crucial to winning this judge. Furthermore, this judge will likely appreciate an example that appeals to their intellect, as well as to their emotions.

The Emotion-Based Judge

The emotion-based judge will connect with the personal elements of your speech. They want to identify with your experiences and hope to be compelled by your delivery. This judge will most likely respect intellectual analysis, but if you fail to capture their heart you will likely fail to capture their vote as well.

The Action-Seeking Judge

The action-seeking judge craves the practical implementation of your speech. They might gratefully acknowledge the abstract and philosophical elements, but in the end, their decision boils down to whether you compelled their vote with your real-life application. For example, this judge does not merely want to know that “optimism is beneficial” — they also want to hear how “optimism is beneficial” in their lives today. A clear call to action is crucial for winning this judge.

The Structure-Based Judge

The structure-based judge will listen for an orderly explanation of your ideas. They want to hear an interesting introduction, clear thesis, logical points, and reflective conclusion. If you skip a step, they might be left feeling confused or annoyed.

The winning impromptu appeals to every judge’s personality preference. During this tournament, evaluate your own personality preferences and assess your speaking strengths and weaknesses. Are you analysis, emotion, action, or structure oriented? What element do you lack the most in your typical impromptu speech? Remember to speak every judge’s “language”. If you do, you will be sure to leave a lasting impression on the heart, intellect, and ballot alike.

The Winning Apologetics

admin — Thu, 18 Jun 2015 00:06:24 +0000

Three crucial questions you should ask yourself during Apologetics preparation time:

Who is asking this question or making this statement?

In order to accurately respond to the apologetic question/statement at hand, you must identify the presuppositions that influenced the specific question/statement you are addressing. Before you defend the tenets of the Christian faith, you must understand the presuppositions that underlie statements made against the tenets of the Christian faith. At the most basic level, there are two groups of worldviews: those worldviews that accept some sort of ‘higher being’/God and worldviews that reject any sort of higher authority over humanity. This fundamental division becomes the foundation for further presuppositions. You cannot accurately respond to an apologetic question/statement unless you address the presuppositions that are influencing the question/statement.

Why are they asking this question or making this statement?

Example: “Christians are all hypocrites. Why would I become one of them?”

This quote is anonymous, so we don’t know specifically who said this or why, but we can identify what kind of person might make this statement. Because they are critiquing Christians and rejecting the idea of ‘becoming one of them’, we can assume that they most likely do not believe in a world with a God. Thus, there are several reasons why they might be making this statement. One reason might be to legitimize their lifestyle. One might be that a Christian personally wounded them in the past. Another reason might be past experiences. We can examine this further in the third question.

Why does the answer matter?

What are the implications of one’s answer? How does the answer translate into a belief system? What lifestyle/actions would be required in order to remain consistent with the answer?

There are several implications that could be pointed out. Foundational presuppositions have real implications. These implications result in coherent belief systems. Belief systems, whether consciously or subconsciously developed, begin to determine daily actions.

About Think and Speak: Meet Natalia

admin — Tue, 28 Apr 2015 01:04:22 +0000

Fundamentally, Think and Speak is built upon our personal stories. Our passion to help individuals become great leaders by sharpening their communication skills was born from the transformation we both experienced in our personal lives as a result of competitive speech and debate training in high school. Since our personal stories are inextricably intertwined with our company, we wanted to take a moment to introduce ourselves beyond the brief, professional bios found on our webpage. As you read our stories, we hope that you are encouraged and inspired to embark on your own journey of mastering the art of communication.

Part 1: Meet Natalia

When I first stepped into the world of speech and debate, I was a quiet, fourteen year old perfectionist. I distinctly remember clutching my pen and notebook a little tighter when I walked into the first speech and debate club meeting of the year. Participating in competitive speech and debate had not been my idea.

Prior to participating in speech and debate I was afraid to make even the simplest of phone calls. When a phone call was necessary, I would write out an outline of what I was going to say and pray that the call would be directed straight to voicemail. Voicemail was the safest option, as I could delete and re-record my messages to perfection!

You can imagine my horror then, when I realized that I would soon be delivering five minute impromptu speeches in competition. My journey in learning communication skills forced me to face the two things I dreaded most:

imperfection

and

failure.

In my first round of impromptu competition I did not know the definition of any of my prompts. My perfectionist soul shriveled up as I was forced to ask the judges to define one of my prompts in the last thirty seconds of my two minute preparation time. I was mortified…but as I walked out of the room something clicked. I had ‘failed’ and I had survived! In fact, by converging failure and survival, I had succeeded.

This was the first lesson I learned on my journey of mastering communication skills: imperfection and failure are necessary for the achievement of success. As I stumbled through my first months of competition, I realized that public speaking is not something that I one is destined to be ‘good’ or ‘bad’ at.

Public speaking is a series of skills to grow in.

Despite my imperfect beginning(s!), my perspective towards public speaking changed so drastically that I competed in speech and debate for all four years of high school. Through trial and error I began to discover certain keys to success in each speech event and soon began coaching others in their speeches as well.

But it all began by facing the two things I dreaded the most:

imperfection

and

failure.

Can you relate to my story? If so, don’t let the things you fear most keep you from growing. You are not destined to be a ‘bad’ public speaker. You face a series of skills that you must grow in.

If you are ready to face your fears and embark on your journey, follow along as we post weekly tips, practical exercises, and encouragement here on the Think and Speak blog.