The topic selection process for LD and CX is well-documented, but the topic selection process for Public Forum has been a mystery to most of us. In October, PFdebate approached NFL Execuive-Secretary Scott Wunn for an interview about the topic selection process and learned that changes were in the works. Mr. Wunn answered questions via email from PFdebate’s Bob Jordan. From the interview, we gleaned some insight into the existing process and learned a little bit about the new topic selection process that is fully explained in the December 2005 issue of The Rostrum.

PFdebate would like to thank Mr. Wunn for taking time from his busy schedule to grant us this interview.

PFdebate: How are Public Forum Debate topics currently chosen?

Scott Wunn: Two years ago, a national topic recommendation committee of 7 was appointed by President Tate to assist the Executive Secretary in writing and selecting the Public Forum topics. Ultimately, the National Office determined all topics, but took into consideration the recommendations of the committee.

PFdebate: We have been told that a new topic selection process for Public Forum Debate is being implemented. Can you describe the new procedure?

Scott Wunn: President Tate will select a committee of 6 and 1 chair to write and recommend resolutions on a monthly basis. The NFL will solicit topic ideas through its website that the committee will use as a guide for possible areas. Once the committee has agreed on a recommended resolution for the next month. The chair of the committee will bring the topic for each month forward to the Executive Secretary for approval. The Executive Secretary can approve the resolution or send it back for revision. This first year, 3 members will serve 1½ year terms on the committee, and 3 will serve 2½ year terms as this process will begin for the 2006 February Topic. The Chair will serve for 2½ years. This will allow a solid rotation of old and new members. The Public Forum Recommendation Committee that met at the National Tournament (different than wording recommendation committee) also recommended a series of topic areas. These topic areas will serve as a guide for the future.

PFdebate: Are any Public Forum topics or topic areas selected because of NFL sponsorships?

Scott Wunn: There has been no specific sponsorship of a specific topic on any specific month. However, since the topics for Public Forum are to be “ripped from the headlines” so to speak, some topics have been both timely and fit into some National Initiatives.

For example, in October of 2005, the topic was on the United Nation’s role in stopping terrorism. This allowed NFL schools to use this topic to participate in the NFL’s People Speak Public Debate Program in conjunction with the UN Foundation more easily.

PFdebate: Has there been a consideration to using bi-monthly topics like LD or is the membership happy with the monthly topics?

Scott Wunn: It was discussed by the recommendation committee and determined that monthly topics were the best for the event.

PFdebate: Some of the negative feedback we have heard from Public Forum participants involves the wording of specific topics and not the choice of topic areas. For example, there is a lot of hand wringing with the October 2005 topic (UN & Terrorism) over the phrase “lead and direct the fight against terrorism” because it is not found in the topic literature. How much time and effort goes into reviewing the literature surrounding a specific Public Forum topic before the wording is selected?

Scott Wunn: I can say that the wording committee has worked hard to investigate the topic areas. Writing these topics is difficult and there are always people that see another version that may be better. In general, I have been quite pleased with the work of the wording group. However, we are creating this specialized group that will spend even more time on it to try to produce the best topics possible.

PFdebate: How difficult is it to find and construct topics that are “ripped from the headlines” that still plenty of defensible ground for both the Pro and Con sides?

Scott Wunn: The caveat is that they have to be “ripped from the headlines” yet last for 90 days. So they are not truly “ripped from the headlines”, but are topics that are pretty timely and have current literature that can be easily found.

PFdebate: As you noted, topics need to last for 90 days. You want something fresh, but not so fresh that it is obscure. Are there any topics that are “too timely”? Have you ever had to change a topic at the last minute because the chosen topic was no longer suitable?

Scott Wunn: We have never had to change a topic. In fact, we once had the Losing the War on Terror topic and right before the month of the topic began, Sadaam was caught. Many people emailed us that it should be changed. The truth was that it made the topic really debatable. If anything, current changes have produced better topics.

The recommendation committee at Nationals did an excellent job of providing thoughts on topic selection for the future. The new committee will certainly do its best to provide the best wording.

The posting of PFdebate’s interview with NFL Executive Secretary Scott Wunn has been postponed at Mr. Wunn’s request. We have conducted the interview about the Public Forum Debate topic selection process and the new procedures adopted at the Fall Council Meeting. However, he has asked that we delay publishing the information in the interview until the NFL has had an opportunity to post the official announcement and we will honor that request.

Look for our interview to be posted in late-November or early-December after the National Forensic League has officially outlined the process on it’s own website or in the December issue of The Rostrum.

Here is the final portion of PFDebate’s interview with 2005 NFL Champion James Colston.

7. What is your favorite memory from Philadelphia?

Other than winning? My favorite memory is the night after awards. Audrey and I were exhausted, we hadn’t been eating much, and it was really stressful. The stress only increased the longer we stayed in. That last night, we went out with our whole squad and had dinner at this really nice Italian restaurant. Our teammates were all really excited for us, the stress was gone, we could eat without being sick, and the excitement from awards was still there. That’s probably my favorite memory from all four years of debate.

8. What do you plan to study in college?

I’m going into the honors college at WKU, and I’m going to be double majoring in Criminology and Political Science. I’m minoring in Psychology. With all of that and debate, I’m going to be very busy.

9. Are you going to continue to debate at Western Kentucky?

Audrey and I will be debating for four more years together at WKU. We’re probably goin to end up doing Parli.

Here is the second of three parts of PFDebate’s interview with 2005 NFL Champion James Colston.

4. The topic for Nationals was College Prep vs. Vocational Education. Did you enjoy debating it more than other topics you saw throughout the year?

I hated that topic. There were so many other things that we could have talked about. The last few years, it seems like the nationals topic has been biased toward one side, and I don’t like that. You shouldn’t be at a disadvantage before you even get a chance to speak. There were all knds of interesting things going on that we could have debated. That’s one of the good things about Public Forum. The topics can be relevant to what’s actually occurring day-to-day. The last two topics (vo ed and aptitude testing) were my least favorite of all. My favorites this year were probably importing prescription drugs, mandatory retirement for Supreme Court justices, and flat tax.

5. You won the final round by a fairly large margin. Were you confident you had won the debate?

No. We were on edge until we found out. That last round was definitely not my personal best, so I was unhappy with the way I had performed. We have a lot of respect for Lindsay and Adam [Lindsay Bayham & Adam Schneider from Ladue Horton Watkins HS in Missouri], and from what I understand, they are still in school and should be back next year. I expect them to continue to do very well. We had no idea it would be a 13–2 or anything close to that.

6. What are some of the prizes and things you received as a result of your win?

Audrey and I each received a $5,000 scholarship from Lincoln Financial. We were also offered full scholarships at Western Kentucky University, which is a great debate school, that we decided to take. It’s really changed everything for us.

James Colston

James Colston and Audrey Covey from Neosho High School in Neosho, Missouri won the 2005 NFL Ted Turner Public Forum National Championship in June.

Recently, 2005 NFL Ted Turner Public Forum National Champion James Colston answered some questions for PFDebate about winning the National Championship and his plans for the future.

1. At what point did you think that winning the National Championship could actually happen?

We got our first down so early that the thought of actually even getting to finals didn’t occur to us until it actually happened. We were both obviously hoping, but we were too worried about possibly being eliminated in the next round to get too far ahead of ourselves. We knew we were capable of doing well, but we had too much respect for everyone else to assume anything.

2. Did you feel that the competition was harder this year or last year?

The competition is getting better every year. You could even tell at intrastate tournaments that people are actually starting to take it seriously. In the beginning few people considered public forum a “real” event. Even though it is still changing, I don’t think that Public Forum can be ignored. The strategies and the competition are going to get tougher every year.

3. Did you enjoy your time in Philadelphia or Salt Lake City more? Championship aside.

I personally enjoyed Salt Lake City more. The city was clean, safe, and the temperature was far superior to Philly. There’s probably a lot more to do in Philadelphia, but SLC just seemed more comfortable and laid back.