Thinking Strategically
A Blast From the Past: Think Outside the Box
Whenever I come into conversation with a parent or student who wants resources to "get better" at debate, among many recommendations, I tell them to take a gander at the Ethos blog. If you have the time to scroll and scroll, it goes way back and contains a veritable...
Using Ethos Evidence: A Primer
Every style of policy debate operates from different and sometimes competing preconceptions and assumptions. At Ethos Debate, we run off several well-worn and sometimes overused phrases. One of those, we proudly tout, is that we teach debaters how to think, not what...
Building Blocks of Thought
Everyone who is reading this has, at some point, taken apart something, examined the pieces, then put them together again—sometimes in a different way. For some, it might have been some old computer or furniture. For many others, it may have been toys such as legos....
Negative Strategy: Pretending You’re Affirmative
Throughout life (and especially in debate), the biggest improvements are oftentimes made with the slightest of changes. And usually, those changes have to do with the way you think. Change your mindset, and you can change the way you play the game. So what does this...
Lessons learned from XL 2.0
A second-year team went from never advancing to qualifying to NITOC. A second-year LD student qualified to NCFCA Nationals and received second at a National Open. A third-year debater consistently placed first at their tournament. A novice LD debater became second in...
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...