Following a successful Rout to Indianapolis in 2012, FFI alumni began the March to Birmingham in 2013.

 

In September, FFI alums began by earning multiple bids to the Tournament of Champions in both Congressional Debate and Public Forum Debate.  At the Yale Invitational, FFI alums were the champions in Congressional Debate and Humorous Interpretation, as well as finalists in Extemporaneous Speaking, Dramatic Interpretation and Original Oratory.  In Congressional Debate, FFI continued its dominance in Congressional Debate with 15 of the 10 finalists, as well as nine of the top ten, including the first, second, and third place finishers.

 

FFI alums continued the March to Birmingham in October with the Congressional Debate champion at the New York City Invitational.  At the Blue Key Invitational, 51% of finalists in Congressional Debate were FFI attendees.  The Blue Key champions in both Congressional Debate and Original Oratory were FFI alums.  FFI students were represented in every final round of Individual Events at Blue Key.

In November, FFI Alums marched through the Glenbrooks Invitational in Chicago en route to Birminham.  Congressional Debaters continued their dominance owning 8 of the top 10 places, including a 1-2-3 sweep.  The championship in Oral Interpretation and second place in Original Oratory were captured by FFI alums as well.  FFI students contined to earn bids to the Tournament of Champions in Condgressional Debate and Public Forum.

December brought the winter chill of the Blake tournament in Minneapolis, where FFI students earned more Bids to the Tournament of Champions. In the Congressional Debate Round Robin, FFI alums captured first and fourth places out of the twelve invited participants.

The January thaw arrived with the Sunvitational in Ft. Lauderdale where FFI alums were represented in every out round.  In Congressional Debate, FFI students accounted for 12 of the 15 Finalists, including first, third,fourth and sixth places.  In Dramatic Interpretation, FFI had four of the seven Finalists, including third, fourth and sixth places.  Three of the six Finalists in Humorous Interpretation, Oral Interpretation, and Original Oratory were FFI students with FFI alums taking first, third and sixth place in Oral Interpretation.

Late January brought the Barkley Forum at Emory University where FFI alums continued the March to Birmingham in full force with a finalist in Extemporaneous Speaking.  In Congressional Debate, FFI students comprised the vast majority in semi-finals, as well as over half of the finalists, capturing first, second, fifth and sixth places.  Dramatic Interpretation finals contained a majority of FFI alums, with a second place finish.  A second place finish was achieved in Oral Interpretation as well, while an FFI student took first place in both Humorous Interpretation and Original Oratory.  This has been accomplished only three times in the 58 year history of the prestigious Barkley Forum.

At the Harvard Invitational in February, FFI students placed in every event, culminating in a 1-2-3 finish in Congressional Debate.

FFI is pleased to announce our new Curriculum Director.  Don Crabtree is the Vice President of the National Forensic League and an eight diamond NFL Hall of Fame coach from Park Hill High School in Kansas City, Missouri.  Don will also head up the National Coaches Institute.  We are thrilled to have him with us.

This year the Florida Forensic Institute, one of America's oldest and most successful summer speech and debate institutes, is celebrating its 21st anniversary.  We are often asked how we have, year after year, maintained our high level of achievement.  The answer is in these, our guiding principles:

• An outstanding, safe environment encourages the development of professional and personal growth and integrity.
• Provide expert educators who can recognize the individual needs of each student.
• To reach their potential, students must be taught as individuals.
• Balance freedom with responsibility and accountability.
• Advance the pursuit of excellence.
• Teach skills for life.

Not all summer forensic institutes are created equal, and at FFI we continue to prove it!

Consider some of the top reasons to attend FFI:

• Small labs with top instructors from across the country;
• Specialized curriculum for all levels of expertise;
• Individual attention;
• Supervised hotel accommodations;
• Excellent research and instructional facilities;
• Affordable tuition for a CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE; and
• Optional session extension gives students a chance to delve further or switch gears.

At the Florida Forensic Institute, the safety and well-being of our participants is a top priority. Therefore, we have taken a different approach to security than most summer programs. Our campus is staffed with security personnel, and the residential facility has security staff 24 hours-a-day. Outside of class, students are supervised by degree-holding senior staff, rather than college-age junior staff. An integral part of our security and safety initiative is our Dorm Mom, Kristie Taylor and Dorm Dad, Willie Warren. Read more about their credentials on the staff page.

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Dear Students, Coaches and Parents,

It is our pleasure to invite you to explore the Florida Forensic Institute Web site. We know you will see what sets our summer program apart from the rest: our commitment to education and our record of success in competition. Most forensic institutes "teach to the speech." Their primary goal is to send each student home with a speech, any speech. What results?Cookie-cutter orations, formulaic, generics-laden extemp, tech-reliant DIs, HIs and Duos of dubious literary merit, which have more to do with effect and less to do with interpretation of the author's words, Public Forum labs that lack focus on research and fundamental and advanced debate skills: cross-examination, analysis, refutation and clear communication, and Congress labs with little or no attention paid or to developing research skills, clear, developed argumentation and in-round strategy.

Students will return from FFI not only with quality speeches for competition, but with the ability to utilize the skills they have acquired to produce future speeches.

We are proud to announce that we have assembled a championship staff comprised of the most outstanding and successful educators/coaches, and the most NFL National Champions, to head any summer forensic institute. The truth lies in the results. Since its inception in 1991, FFI and its coaches have produced more national finalists and champions than any other program. Not all summer forensic institutes are created equal, and we continue to prove it.

Thank you for your support,