John Koch

Senior Lecturer and Director of Debate Vanderbilt University

  • Nashville TN

Expert in debate, including argumentation analysis, persuasive techniques and rhetorical theory.

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Spotlight

2 min

Vanderbilt debate director and rhetoric expert on Harris-Trump debate expectations and tips

John Koch, senior lecturer and director of debate at Vanderbilt University, is available for commentary on the Harris-Trump presidential debate. A recognized scholar on presidential communication and rhetoric, John uses a wide range of methods to understand and explain political and policy debates. His research is guided by the question of how we can improve citizenship practices and debates within our political culture. His most recent co-authored scholarly article explored the history of presidential debates and how we can improve them. He has served as chair of the National Communication Association’s Argumentation and Forensics Division and the Committee on International Discussion and Debate. His research has appeared in Contemporary Argumentation and Debate, the National Forensic Journal, Studies in Debate and Oratory and various book chapters on presidential rhetoric. Currently, he serves as the Director of Debate of Vanderbilt’s internationally renowned and award-winning debate program. Topics he can speak to include: What arguments to expect from the candidates What each candidate needs to do and not do in the debate How to determine who wins a debate What to watch for/what issues might come up in the debate History of presidential debates The usefulness of presidential debates and how we might improve them How adults can discuss politics and debates with their children by watching debates together After debate analysis of who may have won and what issues/moments may be salient to voters The debate styles of the candidates and their histories in debates Differences in debate style we can expect between Trump and Harris Differences in how Trump may approach the debate with Harris vs. how he approached Biden

John Koch

1 min

Debate director and rhetoric expert on Biden vs. Trump presidential debate

John Koch, senior lecturer and director of debate at Vanderbilt University, is available for commentary on the presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. A recognized scholar on presidential communication and rhetoric, John uses a wide range of methods to understand and explain political and policy debates. His research is guided by the question of how we can improve citizenship practices and debates within our political culture. He has served as chair of the National Communication Association’s Argumentation and Forensics Division and the Committee on International Discussion and Debate. John has published various book chapters on presidential rhetoric. Topics he can speak to include: What arguments to expect from the candidates What each candidate needs to do and not do in the debate How to determine who wins a debate What to watch for/what issues might come up in the debate History of presidential debates The usefulness of presidential debates and how we might improve them How adults can discuss politics and debates with their children by watching debates together After debate analysis of who may have won and what issues/moments may be salient to voters The debate styles of the candidates and their histories in debates

John Koch

2 min

Debate expert on peaceful family discussions and avoiding arguments over the holidays

John Koch, senior lecturer and director of debate, is available for commentary on how to avoid heated political conversations and keep the peace while gathering with friends and family over the holidays.  An expert on civil and productive discussions, John's tips include: Listen first: The goal of any discussion should be to understand each other’s perspective. Listen to the other person, and you’re likely to find more areas of common ground. You may even learn something you didn’t know before. Remember to remain receptive to the other person’s point of view. Ask questions: Sure, you may think you already know all the answer, but odds are you don’t. Once you’ve heard the other person out, ask questions to dig a little deeper and broaden your understanding. Be respectful: Having a civil dialogue doesn’t need to be a lost art. You can have a heated discussion without name-calling and put-downs. Don't view the person you’re speaking with as the enemy. Treat others how you would like to be treated, and offer facts and evidence wherever possible to bolster your points. Don’t try to win: If you go into a discussion hoping to “win the argument,” you’re going about it wrong. Seek understanding first. If winning and losing are your only options, you’re missing the point. Talk about something else: Sure, it’s important to engage with others on topics that you feel passionately about – but be conscious if the conversation is going in the wrong direction. It’s not worth spoiling your dinner (or damaging a relationship). Find another topic and move on.

John Koch

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Biography

John Koch uses a wide range of methods to understand and explain political and policy debates. He is interested in: political campaign debates, presidential debates, policy debates and presidential rhetoric. His research is guided by the question of how we can improve citizenship practices and debates within our political culture. He currently serves as the chair of National Communication Association’s Argumentation and Forensics Division. His research has appeared in Contemporary Argumentation and Debate, the National Forensic Journal, and various book chapters on presidential rhetoric. He has also been published or quoted in various news publications regarding political debates, including The Boston Globe, The Conversation, and Metro News. Currently, he serves as the Director of Debate of Vanderbilt’s internationally renowned and award-winning debate program.

Areas of Expertise

Policy Debate
Presidential Debate
Political debate
Debate
Presidential Rhetoric

Education

Wayne State University

Ph.D.

Communication Studies

Wayne State University

M.A.

Communication Studies

Capital University

B.A.

Communication Studies

Selected Media Appearances

Are sports fans tuning out?

The Nashville Ledger  online

2021-06-25

“A lot of us thought with sports being around during the pandemic, a lot of people would watch sports – and kind of counterintuitively, the numbers went down,’’ says Vanderbilt communications professor John Koch, a senior lecturer and director of debate whose areas of interest are public memory and the intersection of political culture, rhetoric and sports.

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3 things to watch for in Pence-Harris vice presidential debate

Newsday  

2020-10-07

Most of the post-debate focus groups and polling indicate a desire among voters for the campaigns to discuss the issues and explain their vision for the next four years, said John P. Koch, director of debate at Vanderbilt University.

"This debate then is an opportunity, which was lost last week, to speak directly to voters and ask for their vote," Koch said. "Given the president’s diagnosis has taken him off the campaign trail, the stakes in this debate may now be higher for Pence. He likely needs to utilize the debate to reset the campaign after the events of the last week. One way to do that would be to set the tone in the debate by directly addressing the questions, focusing on campaign issues and themes, and drawing contrasts with the Biden-Harris ticket. The stakes are likely not as high for Harris, since the Biden-Harris campaign has proceeded as planned this last week, but I expect her to do much of the same."

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Yes, Biden and Trump are scheduled to debate again. But what will that look like?

Boston Globe  online

2020-09-30

John Koch, director of debate at Vanderbilt University, said in an interview Wednesday that he was hopeful the nation would avoid a repeat of the first debate when the candidates meet for their town hall.

“It shifts to voters asking questions and I would expect the candidates to be more respectful to average voters than they were to Chris Wallace, and attempt to answer those questions, because I think there’s a lot of risk in acting that way when voters are the ones that are asking the questions," he said.

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