Intro to debate and Debate League
We cover the main components of debate, and what the Debate League debate format is.
Signposting
When you number your arguments clearly, for the judge, you are taking an important step toward winning your debates. But, it’s more than that. Watch to find out why.
Flowing
When you number your arguments clearly, for the judge, you are taking an important step toward winning your debates. But, it’s more than that. Watch to find out why.
Topic Analysis
The first step in preparing for a debate is to examine the resolution and figure out what is actually being debated. You’ll break down the words of the resolution and determine definitions and meanings of the words and phrasing of the topic.
Researching
Once you have a good understanding of the meaning of the resolution, it’s time to start reading and learning about the topic. This video gives you suggested tools and techniques to effectively learn about your topic from high-quality sources.
Building Contentions
In this video we go over how to structure the reasons that you will give for why your side should win the debate. These are the heart of your Constructive/case.
Framework
Framework is the method you want the judge to use to decide the debate. In this video we talk about different frameworks and the importance of tying the framework into the resolution.
The Constructive
Now you are ready to put the full constructive together, including introductory remarks, definitions, observations, framework, contentions, recap, and closing remarks.
Presentation Techniques
Half of debate is persuasion, the other half is presentation. In this video we cover presentation techniques that will improve your success in debate.
Perceptual Dominance
Your judge and your opponent will see you as more knowledgable and confident when you use the techniques in this video.
Cross-Examination
Cross-Examination, also known as Cross-Ex, CX, and Crossfire, is the question-and-answer portion of the debate. Here you’ll learn what to question, how to question, and how to effectively respond to questions.
Rebuttal
In this video you will learn about blocks (pre-written responses), plus the 5 steps to an effective rebuttal, including the eight effective attacks that can make your line-by-line rebuttal hard to beat.
Summary
The Summary speech is where you give the judge an overview of the debate and show them why you won. We show you the 5 steps, particularly emphasizing how to weigh impacts and provide Voters, that is, a list of reasons why you won, to the judge.