by Josh Arnold | Feb 1, 2019 | Cross Examination, Strategy, Technique
This post is the first in a series on cross-examination. Part 2 will cover “Catch 22” questions and Part 3 will explore the “Storytelling” strategy. Stay tuned! One way great debaters set themselves apart is in their use of cross-examination...
by Thaddeus Tague | Jan 29, 2019 | Announcements, Best Resources, Bonus Evidence, Example Rounds, Briefs, and Case Studies, Research Tips
We have exciting news, everyone… Ethos is publishing mid-season sourcebooks for both NCFCA and Stoa TP! They will be almost exclusively negative briefs on the cases being run in the leagues. There will be around 10 or more negs per sourcebook that you can immediately...
by Anna Johansen | Jan 11, 2019 | Communication/Rhetoric, Speaking, Top Drills
Have you ever played Mousetrap? You know, the game with the epic contraption: you turn the crank, which pulls back a sign, that slams into a bucket, that sets loose a marble, that slides down a pipe, that jostles a pole, that drops a marble, that flips a diver, that...
by Josh Arnold | Dec 29, 2018 | Negative, Strategy, Team Policy
You listen as the Aff speaker presents their case. They drone through their introduction and into their first point, and a sinking feeling begins to slide its icy fingers around your heart. You’ve never prepared a negative strategy against this case; you don’t know...
by Thaddeus Tague | Dec 26, 2018 | Apologetics, Communication/Rhetoric, Extemporaneous, Soapbox, Speaking, Speech Events
Speakers who surprise, educate, and impress their audiences (by definition) keep their audience’s attention. If you’ve ever listened to a cool story or listened to a speech about a favorite subject, it is harder than normal to distract you. Bad speeches tend to cause...
by Toby Rivas | Dec 21, 2018 | From Advanced to National-Class, From Intermediate to Advanced, Strategy, Technique
Last time, we introduced spikes and preemption, and saw what they look like in the 1AC. Today, we move to the 2AC, and next time we’ll talk about Neg. 2AC spikes exist to mitigate the Neg block by making the 1AR easier. This article does a wonderful job of outlining...
