Ham's guide to debating and writing

Debates Guide

You have done three rounds of debates till know, you now probably have some experience in it, Read on and you shall learn several ways to become a better debater. In your debates you can win up to two medals one as an individual debate champion and one for your debating skills as a team. 

It is essential for you to know your team and who on it fulfills the requirement and role of which speaker best. Choosing your speakers wisely will gain you a major advantage and understanding the requirements of each speaker will make it easier to decide. 

I shall narrow down the roles of each speaker: 

First Speaker

• The first speaker defines they key terms of the topic and describes the stance of their team. This is extremely important so that the judge can understand what are you trying to prove. 
• The first speaker usually gives a point or two which are very solid and would carry for the rest of the debate. 
• He/She must try to put fourth points that would count as pre-rebuttals which carry a lot of scoring points for your individual speech 
• The first speaker concludes their speech by introducing team and redefining stance in a single sentence 

Second Speaker 

• The second speaker presents possible rebuttals to start off speech 
• Then they should elaborate on their team’s first speaker’s point(s). 
• Presents two to three solid points sufficient enough to conclude whole debate then and there. 
• Concludes speech with a summary of all points presented. 
• Sit down. But don’t forget to thank your chair the way Daniel does. 

Third Speaker 

• The Third speaker must present every possible rebuttal of the opposition’s points 
• Elaborates on both of teammates’ points without allowing the judge to feel a gist of repetition. 
• If and If only your points are too less or you feel them insufficient to win you the debate add more points that are strong with slightly less elaboration. 
• Conclude your team’s case with a strong ending such that would forbid the judge from having a tough decision. 

                            

                                    Important Criteria’s and tips for your speech. 

• Make maximum eye contact with the judge and your opposition. 
• Never get frightened by a gesture of the judge or the opposition.
• Never-not-rebut! Seize every opportunity to rebut or else the judge may perceive that you accept the points of your opposition. 
• Always be polite and respectful; no matter what happens, no matter how hard you want to throw a rotten tomato in the faces of your opposition, present you speech respectfully because the slightest of rudeness or disrespect would cost you the round. 
• As you know there is a round of feedback before the judge announces the winner. Don’t take your opponent’s feedback too seriously. Only take the feedback about your presentation like your pace or clarity into consideration, otherwise don’t listen to what they have to say about your content etc. because you must remember that they are still your opposition. 
• Elaborate every single point and only shift to the next after giving a proper conclusion of your previous. 
• Every speaker must conclude their speech properly and not just go like “yeaaaaa ok that’s all” but instead repeat the motion and let the judge know how firm you are on your stance. This is also a good way to utilize spare time. 
• Speak for at least two and half minutes to have a significant impact. 
• Take just two sips of water right before you go up to speak this increases your confidence and also cleans your throat to prevent voice cracks. 
• Provide evidence and examples for every single point unless it's some sort of point where an example can't be given or would be inappropriate. 
• Judge the Judge. Before your debate begins try converse with the judge and understand what type of personality the judge has and then shape your speech accordingly. 
• Weakest to ze strongest. The weakest speaker of your team should be sent as a first speaker and the strongest last. Being weak or strong refers to presentation skills and also general knowledge about the standing motion.
• Confirm what is your stance on the motion before you begin research and stick with it all along the debate. Understand the topic and know your side. Make sure your teammates are on the same side. 
• Never be shy or ashamed of a point that may be a bit inappropriate if it is relevant to the case, WSC is very tolerant in this matter.  
• Vary your tone and volume. 
• Be calm (even if you’re not lol). 
• Make sure your points are organized properly.  
• Your points must have a flow. 
• Avoid personal examples as much as you possibly can unless you have almost nothing to prove your point. All points and examples should be generalized. Examples could target the judge which is very helpful in most cases. 
• Don’t waste your time in any sort of manner even if you have a short speech. 
• Use as much rhetoric as possible. 
• Teammates’ speeches should fit together. 
• Pay close attention to opponents’ speeches to identify rebuttals (and also it has some points lol) 
• Give kind, courteous and encouraging feedback. Because little things are big and your feedback could cost you or get you the domination of the round. 
• During research ditch your devices and think logically, use devices to authenticate points, get quotes and find factual statistics. 
• First speakers of both sides and third speaker of Affirmative must present pre-rebuttals to make their case stronger. 

That's all for debates. Remember, practice makes perfect, and don't underestimate the debates of a  global round they are more complex and your opponents are even more skilled than those of the regionals.

Collaborative Writing

The next event we explore is the collaborative writing which like the debate is worth two medals, individual and team. You may write any form of writing but in any case, you must have a stance and follow along it for your whole writing. 

The easiest form of writing which is also most reliable is of course the traditional argumentative essay, it is easy to finish on time with a good length essay and have time to spare to recheck.

An argumentative writing if you are not aware is like the written form of a debate. This type of traditional essay has a draft that makes it very easy to structure and organize your writing, this maintains a proper flow of your points. 

The draft is as follows: 

Paragraph 1:  Stance 

Paragraph 2: Reason and evidence 

Paragraph 3: Reason and evidence 

Paragraph 4: Reason and evidence 

Paragraph 5: Counter Claim and rebuttal 

Paragraph 6: Conclusion/ Strong finish. 

Just so you know, this draft is just to organize and structure the flow of your points and you may add a few paragraphs here and there whenever you find the need to do so. 

Para 1: 

So, once you get your blank sheet of paper during the Collaborative writing you should write this down and in front of each paragraph no. The point you want to put in, this organizes your essay. 

In the first paragraph you introduce yourself and the topic, by introducing yourself I don’t mean your name and school and stuff, it's what your side on the topic is, affirmative or negative.  

Sometimes the introduction to the topic turns pretty lengthy and eventually into a point so if you see this happening separate a Paragraph to maintain your structure. A few phrases of rhetoric suits best for your first paragraph. 

You could split all of this into two paragraphs and make your first para full of rhetoric to get the reader involved and the second to be your stance. 

Para 2-4: 

In the second to the fourth paragraphs you explain why you chose your stance the way you did, use the best points you have, deduct a point if you find even a minor flaw in it. Evidence is necessary to prove your point so in these paras imagine you are to prove a case in court and a court never believes in any allegations without proper evidence. 

Each paragraph should have a different point. Avoid repetition or it will lead to a lack of organization and sufficient amount of points to prove your stance. And again, you can add as many more paragraphs as you like. 

Para 5: 

Now we come to the fifth paragraph, in here you tell what others say against your stance and then tell how they are wrong. One or two counter claims and their rebuttals will greatly strengthen your case and gain quite some individual points. This is quite similar to pre-rebuttals in debates. 

Para 6: 

 This is the last paragraph of your writing where you conclude your essay with a strong finish, a strong finish can be made with the use of quotes, proverbs or a call for action by the public or the government. Repeat your stance in a single statement and use what you have for your finish. Use of rhetoric is highly effective. 

This draft can not only be used for this classic type of Argumentative writing but also to write a poem or a song or a play, you get to know your points then you put stuff around it to make it the type of work you wish it to be. It can also be used for debates, but you will need to practice time management to use it properly but I assure you, it’s all worth it when you see your name pop up during the awards ceremony as one of the best writers or debaters. 

Here's a worksheet for you to practice formulating your draft.

Most of the tips that I mentioned earlier debates also apply to the collaborative writing as the judging and scoring of both is quite similar, so keep those in mind while writing.