Kate Liu: Who are you–tell us about yourself from a debate POV, coaching, and casual!
Andrew Moffitt: I have been involved with speech and debate for 21 seasons at both the high school and collegiate levels. I competed in policy debate, student congress, and speech (with a preference for IX) events at Wichita Northwest High School in Kansas. I then spent my collegiate career at Kansas Wesleyan University, where I did NPDA debate and nearly all of the 11 AFA events (again, with a focus on extemp and impromptu). I have coached in one form or another for the last 15 years, including 3 years as a collegiate Director of Forensics at a small private college in Nebraska. I currently coach extemp for Lincoln Southwest High School in Nebraska and run Speech and Debate Services, a private coaching and tournament materials company for high school and collegiate programs. I am married to my amazing wife Katie (who also did high school and college speech, so she gets it!), and we have a 2-year-old son who is already practicing his speaking skills daily!
K.L.: What is your motivation for coaching, even with a full-time job? What’s your why?
A.M.: I am fortunate that coaching has become my full-time job in a lot of ways! I think that my motivation comes from my experience in the activity and how it helped me develop. I was not the best student when I came into high school, and finding the activity helped me to be more comfortable with my voice, my presence in the world, and how my brain works. I also came from a family who was largely employed in public safety, and I always felt a bit out of water out “in the world.” Speech and debate gave me a community that I was missing outside the fire station, especially regarding the elements of team-driven success that are fostered on a competitive circuit like Kansas was in the early 2000s.
K.L.: How has extemp helped in your professional career?
A.M.: Extemp has primarily allowed me to be more responsive to the needs of clients and co-workers. Being able to understand a serious issue at a fundamental level, research quickly, and remain succinct with my contribution to the world around me are all things I learned in an extemp prep room (using paper evidence in tubs, no less!). Additionally, working in the public sector has the added demand of accountability to not just your supervisors but the general public as well. Being able to have patience and understanding for the knowledge base of your constituents is something that I started doing in the spring of 2004, talking about IX topics with Kansas parent judges!
K.L.: What’s your process for writing questions at the local level? National level?
A.M.: I typically go to several preferred news sites to begin initial research for my questions. Oftentimes, questions are found just in the headlines of articles, especially if the tournament or practice session needs “bleeding edge” questions or the topic area is still evolving (DX politics speakers will feel the pain about this!). In regards to the more persistent topics (what I like to call evergreen questions), I try to find a fresh perspective on the topic in op-ed stories or by looking to historical comparisons to tie into the topic. Finally, I engage in a bit of Game Theory and scenario building to try to give some depth to the questions, especially those destined for elimination rounds or where the topic is a bit overplayed at the current time.
K.L.: What is your favorite way to consume the news for these questions?
A.M.: I usually engage the news in sprint and try to avoid constant consumption. I currently only have one news app on my phone (BBC, with notifications disabled), and I will typically look at the news daily unless question creation requires more stringent attention (like the last month has required!). As I have gotten..well older, I have found that constant intake of the news can be a negative thing and that sometimes has an impact on the quality of my questions.
K.L.: What are your favorite questions to write? Least favorite?
A.M.: IX questions are my favorite unless they are evergreen questions with a limited range. I also enjoy working with social issues on both the DX and IX levels, even if one has to tread carefully at times, depending on the circuit and judging in question. In terms of least favorite, DX politics is my current least favorite, especially since questions spoil so quickly in the…shall we say, dynamic state of the Trump administration.
K.L.: How do you recommend to listeners to tackle answering super complex extemp questions at big tourneys? (ex: NIETOC)
A.M.: Practice. Not just the standard “run a speech” practice, but be deliberate about how you look at questions and prep time. One of my favorite drills is the 10 10-minute drill, where you draw a question, answer it, and then come up with as many points in support of your answer within the time. This way, you not only get a chance to find the best options for said question but also are deliberate about looking at the moving parts of the question (actions, actors, context) and knowing how they interact with each other.
K.L.: Any ‘hot takes’?
A.M.: Oh, boy! Might have enough hot takes to start a 5-alarm fire! I’ll keep it brief. First, the community needs to do more to highlight its importance within the communities we represent and the nation as a whole. We should not have programs that are limited by funding or access to materials and competition opportunities. Also, coaches need to be willing to create more competition in their local circuits. This includes incentivizing alums to move into coaching roles and ensuring that schools have the option to stand up teams. This is an issue on the college circuit as well, where the number of teams has decreased steadily in the 21st century. Finally, we need to ensure we value student leadership and let students advocate for their teams in the same way we ask coaches to do. Organizations like the Extemper’s Bible and Equality in Forensics are great models to work with, and we need to make sure they grow and expand to give students in all schools a chance to make their voices heard.
K.L.: What’s your take on equity and the current circuit?
A.M.: I think the current circuit has gotten back to a good place following the chaos of COVID. We still have a lot of work to do, but I am excited to see the progress we have made. However, we have a long way to go on equity. Not enough students are given access to the activity nor given the resources when they do. We still have issues in judging and perception for our competitors and teams of color and for competitors who face mental and physical barriers to participation. Now more than ever, it is important we lift all our voices and talents and show that this community is not only a benefit for students academically and professionally but a space where our talents, leadership, and drive give the stage to everyone.
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