I'm sixteen and I've been doing debating for five years. Everyone else in the competitions is getting to the stage where they just write down their main points on a palm card and speak off that. I can't do it- I have to have a fully worded, prepared speech, otherwise I get terrified. I'm a perfectionist and I get so scared I'm going to screw it up.It's gotten to the point that I think of every possible point the opposition could bring up and write full rebuttal for it- I'm too scared to think on my feet even for that. It's time consuming and during the debate, I'm restricted to saying only what I've prepared.
You can imagine how petrified I get before the 'secret topics'- where you only get the topic an hour before the debate starts. Or with points of information. Don't get me wrong, I'm a good debater and I've won lots of awards and things like that, but it's all of my prepared stuff.
So does anyone have any tips or exercises that will help me to think on my feet a bit more? I really want to be able to stand up and give a decent speech without having to write it out word for word first.
Thank you!
You can imagine how petrified I get before the 'secret topics'- where you only get the topic an hour before the debate starts. Or with points of information. Don't get me wrong, I'm a good debater and I've won lots of awards and things like that, but it's all of my prepared stuff.
So does anyone have any tips or exercises that will help me to think on my feet a bit more? I really want to be able to stand up and give a decent speech without having to write it out word for word first.
Thank you!