Blog
How to Sound Confident When You Have No Idea What You’re Talking About
By Mahek Acharya A Practical Guide to Navigating Knowledge Gaps Let’s be honest: every successful person you know has, at some point, spoken authoritatively about something they barely understood. In boardrooms, interviews, presentations, and debates, the ability to project confidence despite uncertainty isn’t just useful but often essential for survival. It’s about managing the inevitable…
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A Step-by-Step Guide to Researching a New Topic
By Sherry Lin When that new resolution drops on the first of the month, it can feel like you’re suddenly expected to quickly understand and become an expert on a policy or organization you’ve never heard of. But, don’t fret! The good news is that effective research doesn’t mean working harder every month; instead, it…
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How to Write a Speech for School
Hi PDA fam! It’s Student Coach Sherry again, and for this week’s blog, I’ll be talking about something that every student ends up doing at some point — whether for English class, student government elections, Model UN, or even a club presentation. What could this mystery task be? Writing a speech for school, of course! …
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December Tournament Results; Berkley, Winter Cup, & More!
By Jason Stansell This December, PDA students put aside their excitement for the then-upcoming winter break and focused intently on competition. The Con leaning resolution of “Resolved: The United States federal government should require technology companies to provide lawful access to encrypted communications” certainly challenged even the most varsity of teams. Congratulations to all of…
Read MorePDA November Tournament Debrief: Harvard & UCLA Results
By Sherry Lin This November, PDA students shifted their focus quickly, from the U.K. rejoining the European Union to the question of whether or not the U.S. federal government should require technology companies to provide lawful access to encrypted communications. Across early rounds, students wrestled with core tensions like economic growth versus crime crackdowns. These…
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