A study was conducted to begin the process of determining the preferences of coaches and/or teams for attending specific national debate tournaments. Ninety-six respondents participated in the study either through an oral survey or a follow-up questionnaire administered at two different national tournaments. The subjects included the directors of…

Explores the procedure of dropping the low rank/low rating that is used at some national forensic tournaments and finds that a significantly altered pool of contestants for elimination rounds is not produced. (MM)

Indicates that the "Sharing Feelings Speech" assignment (1) failed to support the hypothesis that self-disclosure reduces stage fright in public speaking situations more than other forms of public speaking, and (2) revealed no significant gender-based differences. (JD)

Comparing the manner in which contestants' scores were tabulated at both the 1985 American Forensic Association National Individual Events Tournament (AFA-NIET) and National Forensic Association Individual Events Nationals (NFA-IEN), a study (1) examined whether a correlation exists between contestants placing in the quarterfinals with five…

Verbal and nonverbal dimensions of communication are a vital part of competitive group discussion. Specific nonverbal elements that have been found useful in competitive group discussion include environment, proxemics, kinesics, objectics, and chronemics. For example, equalizing arrangements for the discussion in the best area of a room enhances…