It can be easy to feel overwhelmed when deciding which speech and debate coach is the right option for your child.
Often coaching colleges will post a coaches’ debating CV without much background or explanation into how a coaches’ experience and accomplishments relate to their actual ability to coach. In our experience, there are three key questions to ask.
1 Does the coach have a proven track-record of teaching success?
The first consideration is not the coach’s debating track record, but rather their coaching record. It is relevant to consider whether the coach has experience coaching a variety of school teams (which demonstrates their ability to work with students with a diverse range of experience and backgrounds). It may also be worth considering whether the coach has taught any representative teams — this will usually indicate that the coach is recognised as a leading educator in the debating and public speaking space.
For example, many Speakers’ Corner coaches have taught state or representative level debating teams. This is a clear indication that students and teachers alike recognise those coaches as leaders in debating education. Our coaches will often also have experience working at multiple schools including state schools, selective schools and leading private schools.
2 Is the coach able to engage students in an age-appropriate way?
The second consideration is whether a coach can engage with students in an age-appropriate manner. This involves assessing a coach’s emotional and intellectual maturity. Some coaches may be excellent debaters with a vast knowledge of debating expertise.
However, they may struggle to connect with beginners who are looking to just start their public speaking journey. On the other hand, other coaches may have an enthusiastic and friendly demeanour that accords with younger students but may not have the required expertise to take advanced students.
It is critical to consider your child’s skill level and emotional needs when selecting a coach.
3 Is the coach able to teach up to date methods of public speaking and debating?
Debating is an evolving art. As our Founder, Liam Donohoe, mentioned in the Sydney Morning Herald, “while in decades gone past, speakers were evaluated on the so-called “three Ms” of debating – the 40-40-20 split between matter, method and manner respectively, judges no longer adhered to that.”
Coaches without an up to date knowledge of how debating and public speaking works may teach students outdated methods which limit their chances of success.
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