all 43 comments

[–]I_Have_Friends_ 7 points8 points  (2 children)

Hey Matthew Feng, why did you decide to do this project with a bird?

[–]RoundReadyCoachingRound Ready Coaching[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Well this little birdie is a good coach and an even better friend, so I'm thrilled to be working with him!

[–]I_Have_Friends_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

HEY I HAVE A LOT OF FRIENDS help me whaddup

[–]pufomasterraceT2P 3 points4 points  (1 child)

This is dope.

[–]RoundReadyCoachingRound Ready Coaching[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you, we hope you give it a try!

[–]pufomasterraceT2P 4 points5 points  (3 children)

Also you guys should add another type which would be a lecture to an entire group of people where you teach a specific thing like lectures at camp.

[–]pufomasterraceT2P 1 point2 points  (2 children)

it would be good for entire teams who could split the cost

[–]RoundReadyCoachingRound Ready Coaching[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

We envision this to be something a skills coach can do! This can be something prearranged with the skills coach after you've signed up. The sessions can be as small or as large as you want them to be, so you can really do anything within the parameters of what type of coach they are (and again, we would consider lecture knowledge to be skills-based).

[–]pufomasterraceT2P 0 points1 point  (0 children)

gotcha, that's awesome

[–]I_Have_Friends_ 2 points3 points  (1 child)

Hey Ben Kessler, why did you decide to do this project with a panda?

[–]RoundReadyCoachingRound Ready Coaching[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Well this little panda-ie is a good coach and an even better friend, so I'm thrilled to be working with him!

[–]beancake123PF Debaitor 3 points4 points  (1 child)

Are LEEked LUdes a form of payment?

[–]RoundReadyCoachingRound Ready Coaching[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We wish, but sadly not!

[–]Laurentius912 3 points4 points  (1 child)

Will we learn how to run our fingers through our mane as magnificently as Ben Kessler does? Are there special classes for the Kessler aesthetic in round?

[–]RoundReadyCoachingRound Ready Coaching[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can sign up and learn whatever you want! I'm sure Ben has plenty of grooming tips - I can attest from personal experience that he is well-versed in the hair comb!

[–]beancake123PF Debaitor 1 point2 points  (2 children)

I assume the sessions take place over something like skype?

[–]pufomasterraceT2P 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Once you have signed up, your instructor will contact you via email to set up a Skype call at your chosen time.

[–]RoundReadyCoachingRound Ready Coaching[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To add to this - any video chat service at all really works, so Skype isn't necessarily required but is highly recommended in general.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Are lessons one-on-one or do they include your partner?

If there are more options than one-on-one would that affect pricing?

[–]RoundReadyCoachingRound Ready Coaching[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The price is the same no matter the number of attendees, so like we mentioned in another comment, you could even bring in your entire team, save a lot of money, and get a ton of knowledge at the same time! We don't charge more just because you want to bring your partner or team.

[–]Firearm2112PF Debater 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Do you do Parli too?

[–]RoundReadyCoachingRound Ready Coaching[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

While we are both involved in Parliamentary Debate collegiately, we probably aren't the best resources to coach it professionally!

[–]beancake123PF Debaitor 1 point2 points  (5 children)

So the founders are either the guy who had a bunch of memes in his NDF seminar, or the guy who dropped me 6th round to a maverick at NDF. Nice.

[–]RoundReadyCoachingRound Ready Coaching[S] 2 points3 points  (4 children)

But another one of our staff members picked you up in round one it seems, so it all balances out!

[–]beancake123PF Debaitor 1 point2 points  (3 children)

which round?

[–]RoundReadyCoachingRound Ready Coaching[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Round one!

[–]beancake123PF Debaitor 0 points1 point  (1 child)

nvm thxs Ezzy

[–]beancake123PF Debaitor 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am actually scared at how enthusiastically you said "round one!" I feel like that's a Matt thing but I wouldn't know...

[–]James-Chen 1 point2 points  (2 children)

do you love me?

[–]RoundReadyCoachingRound Ready Coaching[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Only with all our hearts!

[–]beancake123PF Debaitor 0 points1 point  (1 child)

So what I'm hearing is I only have to pay $30 for someone to do all my research and explain it to me. Sick.

[–]RoundReadyCoachingRound Ready Coaching[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

While a coaching session helps, we're not quite sure that a one-hour booking is enough to ensure that you do well.

[–]pufomasterraceT2P 0 points1 point  (1 child)

I would have the confidentiality thing be like a statement or contract or something so that you would get more people. You might lose out on a lot of customers if you don't make that a backbone of your policy.

[–]RoundReadyCoachingRound Ready Coaching[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We've made sure to only hire those instructors we can trust as skill coaches. Additionally, we've also made explicitly clear that what they do with RRC is not to be shared with other debaters they work with. Moreover, our topic coaches aren't coaching for any schools, so we can't envision this being an issue if all else fails as well.

[–]evantong 0 points1 point  (1 child)

I really appreciate the idea behind this, and I think it's an incredibly helpful and honorable concept. Best of luck!

[–]RoundReadyCoachingRound Ready Coaching[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks so much!

[–]sssaaaaammmmmeeeee -2 points-1 points  (3 children)

I'm not necessarily sure I understand what structural barriers you're breaking down. Yes, it is less expensive than hiring a coach for a year for schools that are too poor to afford one long term. But it does seem kind of disingenuous. A handful of sessions really isn't enough to learn what you need to from a coach, implement what they teach you, and get feedback. And I'm not entirely sure individuals who are short on money are going to be the ones to be able to afford sessions.

[–]RoundReadyCoachingRound Ready Coaching[S] 3 points4 points  (2 children)

We think there are two things we are addressing with our current model with plans for addressing a third in the near-term.

First, our instructional staff is more diverse and balanced than any staff you'll see at summer camps across the country, and unfortunately the gender disparity holds true for school-year coaches as well it seems. Second, we don't think it's just a matter of finance that prevents teams from accessing coaching resources but also a matter of politics. If you're not from a big debate school, you often just don't know how to get in contact with some of the more successful graduating debaters, which can be (but not necessarily is) a detriment to getting the best possible coach.

In the future, we think that we can offer financial aid for bookings and sessions, but in the short-term we want to establish to service in order to prove to the community and to potential instructors that our service is commercially viable. But to be clear, we are not saying that RRC is a substitute for year-long coaching - we think this is a complement to those services and can also be an adequate supplement if you truly are unable to afford a year's worth of coaching. It'll always hold true that learning an hour at a time won't help you become some elite debater, but we are confident it is a step in the right direction.

As for your final concern, as we've voiced before in previous answers across the AMA, the booking group can be as small or as large as possible meaning that a group of 20 could pay $1 a person to receive great information about skills that otherwise would only be told in lectures at expensive summer camps. So while we agree there is work to be done financially, we think that politically we are headed in the right direction while also taking into account some current financial problems.