Remember the days when you could turn on the radio or television and all you expected was to be treated to great music or entertaining shows? It seems like a million years ago when Walter Cronkite and his peers just reported the facts without adding their take on what you should think of the news or calling people derogatory names.

Our guests on this episode of Discover Lafayette are Jaci Russo and Craig Wall who were invited to discuss the merits of civil discourse in political conversations. Both guests were trained in the techniques of debate in high school and believe that the skills students learn in debate class prepares them for the rigors of life and the civic challenges that may be thrown their way!

Jaci Russo is co-founder of Brand Russo in Lafayette, which she started in 2001. A brand strategist with more than 25 years of experience, Jaci began her career at Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in Los Angeles and has worked with top names in the entertainment industry. She has published several books on branding and provides media management for local, regional and national clients.

Craig Wall is a history teacher and Speech and Debate coach at Teurlings Catholic High School. He has also been a radio DJ for the past 26 years and is currently a radio announcer at Mustang 107.1 and host of the Saturday morning “Country Roots” program. Craig has been named Teacher of the Year several times, first at Northside High, then Lafayette Parish High School Teacher of the Year, then Region IV High School Teacher of the Year, and a finalist for State High School Teacher of the Year. In 2017, Craig was named the Teurlings Catholic Teacher of the Year. 

Jaci and Craig were each inspired by teachers they had in high school. In Jaci's case, it was Judy Hadley at Lafayette High School, who is an icon in speech and debate circles and inducted in the Louisiana High School Speech League Hall of Fame in Advanced Policy Debate. Jaci jokingly recounted how Ms. Hadley was renowned for throwing shoes at students ("soft espadrilles, nothing hard") when they didn't follow directions. Jaci continued in debate in college and came in #7 in a national debate competition her freshman year.

"I luckily had one of the greatest debate coaches of all time, Judy Hadley at Lafayette High School. She's retired now and lives in Florida. But her skills and knowledge and shoe throwing, she had a lot of encouraging shoe-throwing out.....Well, that's the real deal."

Similarly, Craig was a shy student whose parents were shocked when he first took Speech as a student at Comeaux High. With the tools he learned in debate, he was able to step outside of himself and get over his fear of public speaking, learning how to analyze facts, prepare and present persuasive arguments for each side of an issue. He credits his acclaimed debate coach, Sandra Broussard, for all that he learned in high school that led him to experience great opportunities in life.

"Working in speech and debate in high school allowed me to open up and to take a risk that Craig Wall wouldn't take. But the character I played could. From the interview, the actor's side, I switched over to forensics, public speaking, learning to write a good, persuasive speech and a researched debate case as well. Everything I've done is as a result of getting involved with debate."

In today's political realm, public discourse has gotten totally divisive at the national level and this influence has unfortunately invaded local politics in ways never before experienced. With the popularity of talk radio dating back thirty years ago when Rush Limbaugh totally changed the way radio worked, and more recently, social media which is in everyone's back pocket and accessible 24/7,