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 […]
Why preparation can be a bad thing
It is a common cliche that it is impossible to over-prepared. I can see an argument for it, but do not be deceived into believing that all forms of preparation are good. It is possible to prepare with the wrong goal in mind, resulting in a disastrous round. The kid in the picture is probably […]
Cook up a catchphrase
Part of your preparation for important negative strategies or for your affirmative case should be coming up with one or two memorable catchphrases. A catchphrase is a word or expression that is used repeatedly and conveniently to represent or characterize a person, group, idea, or point of view. Let’s look at what makes a good […]
Learning through observation
One of the best ways to be a better speaker, besides practicing, is to watch other good speakers. Debaters that started out by timing others and observing how they speak generally have an easier time when they begin debating. Some of the best speakers I know enjoy watching presidential candidates give speeches, or finding other […]
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 […]
Webinar recording and recap
Well, that was certainly interesting. Doing the webinar with power flickering on and off due to severe wind, I mean. I’m also referring to switching last second to using a friend’s laptop to do the webinar, since it wouldn’t shut off every time the power did. It was also interesting for the audience, since there […]
Preparing for the 2AR
If you haven’t already read preparing for the 2NR, please read that first. I will be skipping several repeated concepts. The last affirmative speech is the most important speech in the round, arguably. It’s the last thing the judge hears. With this power, of course, comes the responsibility to avoid saying things that are untrue. […]
Preparing for the 2NR
The last negative rebuttal is the most important negative speech of the round. While you can’t bring up new arguments or evidence, you can certainly bring back a losing round and win. Because this speech is so important, let’s talk about how you can best prepare yourself for it. Note: Some of the best preparation […]
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 […]
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 […]