Thinking Strategically
Becoming a Better Listener
The cornerstone of communication. The one ubiquitous activity of which mastery is essential for everyone. The life-skill that is paramount to “Win Friends and Influence People.” What is it? Listening. Just like listening is crucial in life and day-to-day...
Principled Policy
“Drew, this is TP. This isn’t LD. Morals don’t matter here." I actually had a debater say this to me while discussing a neg strategy. My approach was to focus on how the US as a world leader has an obligation to act lawfully and obey international norms. This was...
Hidden Arguments and Disguised Values in Lincoln–Douglas Debate
We all know how hard it is to debate those who have trouble structuring arguments and organizing them. Points are scattered all across the map. In contrast to your claim that they never responded to your case, they insist that they did, and take the opportunity to...
Midseason Preparation: Accelerate Your Debating
I’m never going to forget my eagle scout project. My team and I repaired antique fire ladders for the City of Chesapeake’s Fire Department - but we did it using the classical style: scraping the old varnish off of the ladders with shards of glass. The hardest part of...
What skills do you learn from debate? Here’s a HUGE list
Debate, the Ultimate 21st Century Skill (if you pursue it as such) Ask ten different people, get ten different answers. Kind of like when people find out my wife and I met in a debate, they assume we argue a whole lot… and I politely remind them that “nobody is...
A Giant Index of Reasons to Prefer a Value
“Why should we go to the Chinese buffet?” “Because Chinese food is tasty!” “But the food we have at home will save us money!” “But I’d rather have tasty food!” “Well I’d rather have money!” The value clash of the ages: Money vs. Taste. Reasons to prefer or value...
Common Issues in Cases – What Coaches Should Look For
What should you look for when reviewing a case? We want debaters to process for themselves and make intentional choices. If they know why they did it a certain way, then it’s probably defensible. But even if they did a good thing without knowing why, challenge them,...
10 Debate National Champions Offer Their Single Best Debate Insight – Isaac Kim
Awesome guest post by Isaac Kim, ethos debater, alumni, and brand strategist. 10 debate national champions offer their single best debate insight As a high school debater without a debate coach, I immediately learned that the most effective way to become better was to...
A New Look at Impact Calculus: The Plant
As has been noted before, impact calculus it is a fantastic tool for both aff and neg, but it is terribly underused. I totally understand; it can certainly get complicated, especially as you get into the long list of (admittedly over complicated) factors like...
3 Handy Tips for Nonverbal Communication
From the moment you walk into a debate round you are communicating with everyone in the room. Everything you do matters, your dress, your posture, your expression, and especially your body language. Because even before the first line of your first speech the judge has...
The 7 Deadly Sins of CX
Unscripted. Fast-paced. No prep time. Cross-examination is the true test of a debater, and my personal favorite in a debate round. It forces you not only to think on your feet, but to reason. It also necessitates a very artful crafting of your questions. This article...
Briefs Aren’t Strategy
Before every tournament, my partner took me outside the registration building and had a pow-wow. He wanted to go through each of our briefs and make a strategy out of them, card by card. These two-hour meetings were stressful. As we watched other debaters enjoy...
Why do great teams lose AFF? No Theme
I just got this question from a debater I bumped into at the NCFCA NC national open last week. While it's from Team Policy debate, my answer will equally apply to Lincoln-Douglass LD debaters as well. "Hey Isaiah! It was great to meet you at NC. I wanted to see if you...
Debater Spam is Like Email Spam
I have met not only parents and debaters, but even coaches that say something like the following: "It's ok for one team to make bad arguments and quote evidence that shows only half the story, or leave out half the article's points, because it is the other team's job...
Impact Calculus
What would you say if you saw a warrior do battle and lose—because he never thought to use his strongest weapon? What would you think if you saw a chess player who refused to ever bring out his queen? And what would you think of a football coach who never threw to his...