Public Speaking & Advocacy

What You Should Expect

Public speaking and interpersonal communication skills are some of the most sought-after skills that hiring managers are looking for. This camp is designed to develop these crucial skillsets that students can use for the rest of their life.

We will, of course, learn presentation skills to help you overcome stage fright and show confidence when speaking in front of others. This will include posture, gestures, facial expressions, and building a presence as well as verbal manipulation including tonality, use of operatives, and the power of the pause. We will also spend the week learning how to research, write and structure various speeches to organize information in a way that makes sense to your audience. Beyond formal presentations, we will work on developing interpersonal skills to communicate with others, work through conflict, and negotiate group dynamics. A major part of this camp will also focusing on developing interview skills so you are able to show off your best side when being interviewed. Essentially - our goal is to develop skills that will make you a better communicator in both formal and informal settings.

By the end of the week, you should have increased confidence as a public speaker, and develop the skills to research, organize, and write a speech with ease. In addition, you will know interpersonal communication skills that will allow you to resolve conflict, show that you’re a great listener, and impress interviewers. Our goal is to help develop the soft skills that most companies are prioritizing in the hiring process - we hope you will join us!

2024 Schedule

Divisions, Date and Pricing

Division Director

Dr. Brian Lain

Dr. Brian Lain is an Associate Professor and Director of Debate at the University of North Texas (UNT). Dr. Lain has coached students to every college debate and speech national qualifier including:

• The National Debate Tournament (with 2 top speakers and several first-round at large teams),
• The Cross-Examination National Debate Tournament (with a top speaker and a 2nd place team),
• The National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence (with two elimination round participants),
• The National Parliamentary Debate Tournament (several Elimination round teams),
• The Pi Kappa Delta National Tournament (with several showcase speakers),
• The AFA National Speech Tournament,
• The US Universities World’s Tournament, and
• The National Forensics Association Tournament.

Dr. Lain is a well-known teacher at the University of North Texas having won the ‘Fessor Graham Award at the University of North Texas in 2014 (the highest honor given by the UNT Student Body). He was recently named UNT’s exemplary online instructor in 2019. Dr. Lain has served as Director of Debate at UNT since 2002. Under his direction, UNT Debate has excelled in national and international competition. The program has consistently been ranked in the top 30 programs by points rankings.

Dr. Lain’s research program focuses on assessment in debate and he led a research team investigating the relationship between summer debate camps and civic engagement development among adolescents.

Director's Statement

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