The William Shakespeare Forum Academy Awards*  were founded on the need for a viable awards system for the High IQ Forums.  It was noticed that we needed something aspirational that might stimulate higher levels of debate and interaction within the high IQ forums.

The WSFAA consists of Academy members, each one considered ably capable of making objective choices in their judgement of nominations which are then voted for by the Academy members.

Each member of the committee has been chosen specifically because of their qualities and ability to exercise fairness and objectivity in their committee dealings.

Good communications skills are not just about shouting loudest.  They involve discussion skills, keeping cool in a storm and communicating your thoughts and ideas with clarity as well as elegance in the use of language.

Knowing when to stop, bow out and even concede when you know you have lost an argument, are also considerations.  The poster who shows politeness and respect, and is dignified under pressure, is also someone who may be nominated for an award.

Intelligence is nothing if we cannot communicate our thoughts well in a constructive and disciplined way, as well as express what's on our minds with skill and care.

A careless discussion is one which is fragmented, dislocated and which lacks cohesion.  A good discussion is where the participants, however they contribute, time-wise, are able to make a worthy contribution where their post(s) fit into the discussion thread naturally and logically, no matter how much controversy the poster maybe entering into!

Welcome to the WSFAA

"Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears!"

William Shakespeare: Julius Caesar (III, ii, 78-79)

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."

William Shakespeare: Hamlet (I, v, 166-167)

Debating the good way...

"In the world today, increasing emphasis is placed on the spoken word.  Presentation skills are an important asset in any walk of life.  Yet often fear and inexperience lead people to worry more about the action of having to talk in front of people than about what they are actually saying.  Debating allows the act of speaking in public in a confident and persuasive manner to become second nature, and also teaches you how to construct and explain arguments and how to think quickly on your feet whilst defending them.  It teaches you how to listen carefully to what others say and structure their ideas in your head, even when they have not structured them in theirs.  It also teaches you to listen critically so that you spot the flaws in what someone is saying just after they say it, not the next day.  In any walk of life these are invaluable skills."

Andy Kidd: The Oxford Union Rough Guide To Debating 1999-2000
 

About Shakespeare...

Shakespeare is still regarded one of the world's greatest dramatists and one of the finest poets. Celebrated for the enormous range of his intellectual engagement and his elastic style; his extraordinary art of entering the minds of his characters without judgement or bias; his way of bringing together a whole myriad of ideas and issues without imposing himself upon them, and his sheer creative genius and mastery of language. His enduring influence on the English language is legendary, and has no equals across the globe of history.