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The12BestDebateTipsWeveEverHeard 59
PostedInCrossExamination,Learn,LincolnDouglas,PublicForum

In honor of February 12th, today were going to share the 12 best pieces of debate
advice weve ever received. Read and absorb these nuggets of wisdom below.

1.Knowtheinternallinkscenario.
No matter what event and what topic, everything comes down to internal links. How
does one argument connect to another? If it doesnt seem to make sense to you,
chances are its because it actually doesnt make sense. Figure out where the logical
breakdown is, and explain that to your judge.

2.Ifyoudontwintheballot,youdidntwintheround.
No whining. Fundamentally, all debate is a persuasive communication activity. If you
didnt win the round, even if you were sure you were going to, its because you
messed up somewhere. Maybe the judgewas wrong, but if they were wrong it can
only be because your explanation wasnt clear to them. Figure out what you needed
to do to persuade this particular judge, and regroup. Sulking and blaming others for
your losses will never help you grow.

3.Thinklikeahuman,notlikeadebater.
Too often, debaters freak out when they hit an unfamiliar argument, and the round
completely breaks down. This is because theyre scrambling to nd the right debate
argument to make, instead of keying in on obvious responses. The next time you
see something new, take a deep breath and think to yourself how would I respond
to this if my friend said it to me?

4.Mostgooddebatesareties.Yougottagivethejudgea
reasontobreakthetie.
Once you get to the level of evenlymatched debates between talented competitors,
the truth is that there are many rounds where the judge could easily vote either way.
Your job is to gure out why they should pick you, and explain that to them clearly,
early and often.

5.Lookandsoundright,nomatterwhatyouresaying.
Fake it until you make it. Its much better to actually know what youre talking about,
but everyone occasionally stumbles into unfamiliar territory. In these situations,
condence is key. Judges want to make the right decision, and seeming like youre
certain youre winning is a good way to capitalize on that.


6.Debatingyourwaywillworkbetterthandebatingtheright
way.
Youll always do better when you keep the debate in your wheelhouse. If youre just
not a fasttalking, technical person, youll do better by tailoring your arguments to
suit that style than by trying to transform yourself into someone who runs 12o.
The reverse is also true. Do an honest selfassessment of your strengths and
weaknesses, and then work on emphasizing your strengths, while downplaying your
weaknesses. You gotta do you.

7.Whentheroundisgoingofftherails,hardstopand
reboot.
Weve all had those debates where midround we were sure we were destined to
lose. Fight those feelings! Never give up. Instead, stop, and take a minute to gure
out what new direction you can take. Dropped a counterplan that solves the a in the
2AC? Hey, you can always go for theory. And so on.

8.Knowwherethedebateisheadedbeforeitstarts.
Ask yourself before the round even begins, and then again when you start prepping
for every speech how am I most likely to win the debate? How are my opponents
most likely to win the debate? Your goal should always be to place yourself in your
opponents and judges shoes, and then cover the ow accordingly.

9.Yourealwaystellingthejudgeastory.Makeitonethey
wanttobelievein.
Whether youre an LDer talking about Kant, a policy kid reading 8 politics disads,
someone rocking a nontraditional argument about identity, or anything in between,
you are ALWAYS telling the judge a story. The winner is usually whoever told the
most salient, believable story. Dont forget to tie everything together into one neat
little package, and never underestimate the power of a good story.

10.Researchshouldbeopenandhonest.
Dont just research by trying to nd a specic card. Even if you nd it, you may miss
out on a cool position you never anticipated. A better technique is to begin your
research process open to anything you might discover. This will help you develop a
strong foundation of background knowledge in the topic, as well as give you
opportunities to stumble upon unique, creative arguments. And, yes, it will
alsomake it easier to choose good search terms when eventually you need to nd
that one special card.

11.Winningisimportant,butitisnteverything.
The skills you learn and the friends you make will stick with you a lot longer than
your record will. As weve said before, the people you meet in debate will probably
become your best friends, so you should start treating them that way now. Above all
else, never sacrice your integrity for a W. You have to be able to live with yourself at
the end of the day.

12.Whenindoubt,justsaytheoppositeofwhattheother
12.Whenindoubt,justsaytheoppositeofwhattheother
teamsaid.
The strategy of just asserting the contrary is surprisingly underutilized. Sometimes,
the best argument is simply no, the opposite. If they say economic growth is
good, why not say economic growthis bad? You should always be ready for that
direct clash.

Whats the best advice about debate youve ever received? Tell us in the comments.
Maybe your contribution will make our next list!

Like 373

59Comments

Watermolondrea April 18, 2014 at 7:04 am

Hello whats up I read this debate advice its wonderful and i love the
information this is so fucking good

REPLY

DebateCoach September 26, 2014 at 3:46 pm

WOW A four letter word.

You should be very proud.
Now, Look up the acronym. Try to use it more intelligently. If you are in the United
States of America, be grateful for your free speech.

REPLY

PDantic May 17, 2015 at 4:03 pm

Technically, Watermelondrea used a 7 letter adjective, rather than a 4

letter word.

REPLY

Daboss August 31, 2015 at 11:30 am

Who cares? Language is language, and he needs to watch his

language

REPLY

Anonymous November 9, 2015 at 1:22 pm

I believe the language is English

Someone October 10, 2015 at 6:47 pm

A word is an adjective so why say the dierence.

REPLY

Farjanafairose May 3, 2016 at 2:10 pm

Hlw my loving fds!I always read the topics of debate.Debate is

essential 4 the people 2 know what is realility & true 4 make awarness.

Anonymous December 2, 2015 at 9:44 pm

What four letter word? As an American, I am grateful for my free

speech. Also, there is no need to be rude on a DEBATING website.

REPLY