Online coaching in debate and speech

Learn to win the room, not just the round.

Small-group and private coaching for developing debaters and speakers, taught by competitors who cleared at the national level.

From the Bay Area. Live on Zoom. Nationals-level coaches. No long contracts.

We teach people to use their words with power and precision, and we treat what we promise a student as something we owe them.

The insight

Most students plateau for the same reason.

They are taught arguments, not how judges actually decide rounds. We coach the part that wins: weighing, collapsing, clean rebuttals, and the instincts a textbook cannot give you.

How it works

Start free, then train at your level.

  1. I.

    Start with a free session

    One live session, no commitment. Meet a coach, work on real material, and decide with evidence instead of a sales pitch.

  2. II.

    Join a small group

    We match you to a cohort by event and level. Weekly live sessions built on drills, practice speeches, and feedback on real rounds.

  3. III.

    Add private coaching when it counts

    Chasing a bid, a qualification, or a deadline? One-on-one sessions target exactly what the next tournament demands.

Pricing

Two ways to train.

Most start here

Group Coaching

$99 per month

Weekly small cohorts matched by event and skill level, built on drills, practice speeches, and feedback on real rounds.

Groups are small by design, four seats each.

Enroll in group coaching

Private Coaching

$70 per session

Or a four-pack at $240, which is $60 per session.

One on one. For bid and tournament prep.

Month to month. Cancel anytime. No long contracts.

Coaches

Taught by people who just did it.

Söz comes out of the Bay Area, one of the most competitive circuits in America, if not the most. Every Söz coach is a competitor who reached Nationals or cleared at major invitationals, still close enough to the activity to remember exactly what got them there. Every group has a documented backup coach, so your sessions never drop, even during finals season.

  • Nationals-level coaches.
  • A backup coach for every group.
  • Live, not recorded.

What we coach

Four events, one standard.

Lincoln-Douglas

Value debate, one on one.

Public Forum

Partner debate, built to persuade any judge.

Policy

Evidence-heavy, fast, technical.

Speech

Interp and platform events, delivery that holds a room.

Proof

What families say.

I used to write strong speeches and then rush through them the second I stood up. My coach rebuilt my delivery line by line, fixed my opening, and taught me to slow down and actually hold the room. I finaled at my last two tournaments, and for the first time I wasn’t nervous walking up.
Aiden R., Original Oratory
We came for the college edge and got something bigger. My daughter carries herself differently now, and the feedback was specific every week, not vague praise. Serious coaching, and every session started on time.
Dana M., parent
I knew my cases cold and kept losing the close rounds. My coach showed me how judges actually decide, so I stopped covering everything and started weighing what mattered. I picked up my first bid this season, and my rebuttals finally sound like a plan instead of a scramble.
Rajveer P., Lincoln-Douglas

FAQ

Plain answers.

Yes. Many of our students are in their first or second year, and we coach experienced competitors too. Groups are matched by event and level, so the room always fits.

Every coach is a recent competitor who reached Nationals or cleared at major invitationals, and we verify those results before they teach. Then we interview for the part trophies cannot show: whether they can explain what they know.

That is what the free trial is for. Come to one session, watch how your student responds, and decide after. No commitment either way.

Yes. Every session is live over Zoom. Nothing is a recording, and groups stay small enough that every student speaks in every session.

No long contracts. Group coaching runs month to month, and you can cancel anytime.

See the difference one session makes.

One free session with a nationals-level coach. Pick a time below and come see.

Book a free trial

söz /sœz/ noun

  1. 1.one’s word; a promise.
  2. 2.the weight that what you say can carry. “you have my söz.”