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Cross-Examination: Drawing a line

01Mar

March 1, 2016 by PotentSpeaking Leave a Comment

There are plenty of benefits of being the Negative team. One of these benefits is that you have a lot less to prove. The other benefit is that you don’t necessarily have to take a fierce stand on anything until the Affirmative team has. When the Affirmative team proposes their plan, they are taking a […]

Learning through observation

22Dec

December 22, 2015 by PotentSpeaking Leave a Comment

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 […]

Phrases — Outweighing their arguments

17Dec

December 17, 2015 by PotentSpeaking 2 Comments

Sometimes, arguments in a debate round are like fireworks on the fourth of July. Everyone’s lighting off their little bottle rockets, roman candles, and maybe even some small mortars. None of these fireworks are really memorable, they only become memorable if they hit someone or if something important happens around one. But sometimes there’s an […]

Phrases — Setting standards

12Nov

November 12, 2015 by PotentSpeaking Leave a Comment

An ideal situation in debate is when the judge looks to you for a standard by which to rank the other team. If you can establish a line for the judge to choose who won, and set it so that you’re the clear winner, the round is in your hands. This post will teach you […]

How to win impromptu negatives

22Oct

October 22, 2015 by PotentSpeaking Leave a Comment

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

30Aug

August 30, 2015 by PotentSpeaking 2 Comments

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 […]

Cross-Examination: Cunning argument rephrase

14Apr

April 14, 2015 by PotentSpeaking Leave a Comment

What do you do once you have nailed down the opponent’s argument, and you want to make it look bad in cross-examination? Obviously, asking your opponent if their argument is wrong (given certain facts you’ve established) is a disastrous plan. But is there a way to get your opponent to admit to their argument being […]

Preparing for the 2AR

10Apr

April 10, 2015 by PotentSpeaking Leave a Comment

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. […]

Cross-Examination: Asking for the warrant

24Mar

March 24, 2015 by PotentSpeaking Leave a Comment

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 […]

Stop at the nod

10Mar

March 10, 2015 by PotentSpeaking Leave a Comment

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 […]

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