Winning Affirmative debate rounds is an essential part of your tournament strategy. If you routinely lose an Affirmative round, that’s a big red flag. You should be able to win all your preliminary Affirmative rounds, leaving you with just one Negative round you need to win in order to get to outrounds. One of the […]
Presentation makes all the difference
Every once in a while, it’s good to be reminded just how much persuasion lies in the delivery of a speech. That is, after all, the point of this website. A good speaker can talk about any topic and make it interesting to the audience. The effective use of vocal tonality, humor, pacing, and hundreds […]
Get organized
For more articles on organization, check out this list: http://debate.potentspeaking.com/category/organization/ Organization is important for these reasons: 1. It helps the judge to understand your arguments and how they tie in with the opposing team’s arguments. 2. It improves the judge’s flow, meaning when they review the round afterwards your speeches will stick out. 3. It helps […]
How to win impromptu negatives
Note: This post is mostly better suited for novice to intermediate debaters. Hitting a case on negative when you have nothing is probably the scariest thing that can happen in debate. Probably the best way to approach this subject is to give you a series of questions to go through in your head which will […]
Using video to practice
It’s been said that you like yourself just fine until you see a video of yourself speaking. It’s true—watching yourself speak can be an extremely embarrassing experience. But the fact that it’s embarrassing should not stop you from using this technique in order to refine your speaking. Why use video to practice As I talked […]
Cross-Examination: Asking for the warrant
Many debaters are only prepared for some basic questions they’re used to, and haven’t really given their arguments much thought. If you can expose this to the judge, you’ll leave yourself in a position of credibility. I’m going to teach you a type of question which can cut right through the act and straight to […]
Don’t be a weasel
I’ll get right to the point. By “don’t be a weasel”, I mean don’t be one of those debaters who is constantly looking for a way out of things. I also mean: don’t seem like one of those debaters, because it reduces the judge’s trust in you. Principles Avoid using the word “well” too much. […]
Pretend you’re winning
On October 7, 1984, Ronald Reagan obliterated the main opposition to his presidency. Rumors had been circulating that he was too old for the job, and that he was getting Alzheimer’s. During a debate with his opponent, Walter Mondale, he quipped “I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going […]
Stop at the nod
Do you want to know how to get more words in your speech while still winning each argument? Stop at the nod. All you have to do is wait for the judge to agree with your point, then move forward. Don’t beat the dead horse! Benefits: Saves time Avoids exasperating the judge Allows you to […]
Guest post: 5 ways to practice at home
This is a guest post from multi-tournament champion and national level debater Simon Sefzik. Time to have an honest discussion. Most debaters learn some great tips, and have some of the right ideas. BUT ALAS! They aren’t applying that knowledge to their debating. We often assume that what we learn will be automatically synced in […]