Transcript Great Corporate Debate Training Session # 3

8th Annual
Great Corporate Debate
Corporate Team
Training Session # 3
June 10
Stephen Buchanan
Education Consulting
Outline of Session # 3
Great Corporate Debate
Quick Review of previous sessions
Debate Elements, Format, Timeline
Basic Strategies
Affirmative - Negative
 Constructive – Rebuttal

Detailed Format and
Timeline of Responsibilities
Debate Teamwork
Team vs. Individuals
Each participant has a role
Everyone participates and contributes
Everyone flows
Judges’ Evaluations
Criteria for winning
 Formula for winning
 Strategy for winning

BE PREPARED
 BE PERSUASIVE

Judges’ Evaluations
Evaluation Format
Each speaker will be graded (1- 7) in the following criteria. The
scores will be added up by each judge to determine the team
receiving his / her vote:
• Content:
Argumentation
 Evidence / Information

•Strategy
Speaker’s role
 Team strategy

• Style
Oral expression
 Body Language

Evaluation Format
Content
Argumentation
Information / Evidence
1-7
Strategy
Individual Role
Team participation
1-7
Style
Body language
Oral expression
1-7
Three Judges evaluate for Content, Strategy and Style in Round
Robins and Semi-Finals Debates.
Penalization
Only the Chief Judge will deduct points from the total
scores based on minor and grave violations.
•Penalization:
Reading
 Time
 Inappropriate behavior

•Challenges
Quality of Challenges & Failure to make/accept challenges
In the case of challenges, all judges score on a scale from -2 to
+2. They will add or deduct points depending on the quality of the
answers. If a speaker doesn't accept at least 1 challenge, judges
will automatically score -2 . If any team doesn’t make any
challenges or abuses process, Chief Judge will penalize team.
“CHALLENGES”


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Process of challenging 2nd or 3rd speaker during
the debate process.
Challenger stands up & raises hand waiting to be
recognized.
Presented in form of question only.
Each team should make several challenges of
speakers.
Each 2nd or 3rd speaker should accept one or two
challenges during his/her presentation.
Teams penalized for failure to make/accept one
challenge, poor questions and poor answers.
Be reasonable and relevant. This is not an
opportunity to distract / disrupt your opponent.
Debate Elements and Format
Flowing / Flow Sheeting
Taking notes properly ("flow sheeting“ or "flowing“ is
the debate term) is an essential entry level skill . . .
In order to answer arguments by your opponents,
you must be able to write them down so that you
can remember them and respond to them in order.
Likewise, your flow sheet becomes the text which
you use when you speak. . . it becomes the notes
which you speak from . . . More than any other skill
besides speaking itself, flow sheeting is important to
your debate experience....and important to winning.
See Handouts
TIMELINE FOR A POLICY DEBATE
CONSTRUCTIVE
 First Affirmative Constructive
 First Negative Constructive
 Second Affirmative Constructive
 Second Negative Constructive
REBUTTAL
 First Negative Rebuttal
 First Affirmative Rebuttal
 Second Negative Rebuttal
 Second Affirmative Rebuttal
1AC – 3 min
1NC – 3 min
2AC – 6 min
2NC – 6 min
1NR – 6 min
1AR – 6 min
2NR – 3 min
2AR – 3 min
Debate Format
Debate Format

1st part: constructive speeches
1st Affirmative
3 minutes
Introduction

1st Negative
3 minutes
Introduction

2nd Affirmative
6 minutes
Constructive

Case: thesis,
definition of terms,
arguments
 Framework
 Decision
criterions
Clash
 Topicality
 Rebuts 1A
 (Counter plan)
Close case
 Prepare
opposition block
 Rebuts 1N
Logos
Logos
Logos
2nd Negative
6 minutes
Constructive

Rebuts 1A and
2A
 Defensive
arguments
 (Close case)
Logos
Debate Format
Debate Format

2nd part: rebuttal speeches
3rd Negative
6 minutes
Rebuttal

3rd Affirmative
6 minutes
Rebuttal

4th Negative
3 minutes
Conclusion

4th Affirmative
3 minutes
Conclusion

No new
arguments
 Defensive
arguments
 Refute all
No new
arguments
 Defensive
arguments
 Refute all
No new
arguments
 Summary
 Synthesis
No new
arguments
 Summary
 Synthesis
Logos
Logos
Logos
Logos
Primary Debate
Format & Strategies
Affirmative Case
First Affirmative Constructive
 Second Affirmative Constructive
 First Affirmative Rebuttal
 Second Affirmative Rebuttal

Primary Debate
Format & Strategies
Negative Case –
Attacking the Affirmative Case
 First Negative Constructive
 Second Negative Constructive
 First Negative Rebuttal
 Second Negative Rebuttal
Debate Strategies –
The Affirmative Case
 The problem
• Status Quo is “evil”
• Attention (solution) is needed, must be relevant &
important. Nothing has been done; nothing has
solved the problem.
 The solution / plan
• Inherency: causal relationship with the problem
• Solvency: solves the problem
Debate Strategies –
The Affirmative Case
 The Stock Issue Case
• Status Quo needs change
• Plan will provide change
• Proposed plan is better than Status Quo
See the TM outline of Affirmative Case
Debate Strategies –
The Negative Case
Attacking the affirmative case :
 Basic Attack
 Disadvantages
 Counterplan
 Critiques (K)
 Topicality
The Negative Case
Basic Attack:
 Deny the problem
• Attack Significance: no attention (solution) is needed;
or it’s been attended, solution is on the way.
 Attack the solution/ plan
• Attack Inherency: deny causal relation between the
problem and the plan.
• Attack Solvency: deny that the plan solves the
problem.
• Beware of contradictions if you deny the problem.
The Negative Case
Disadvantages Attack:
 Disadvantage is that if we adopted the policy of the other
team (plan), something bad / worse would result.
 Link: causal relation with the plan.
 Internal links: causal relation within the disadvantage. Beware of
the “slippery slope”
 Impact: something bad /worse WILL happen.
 Uniqueness: only the affirmative plan will cause this.
 Affirmative choices:
 Deny link with the plan.
 Prove slippery slope fallacy.
 Turn impact: is not bad, actually is good.
 Deny uniqueness: whatever we do, that will happen.
The Negative Case
Counterplan:
Counterplan is alternative plan to solve the
problem

• Inherency and solvency = non-topical.
• Competes with the affirmative; net benefits; better to
adopt this solution rather than both.
• Mutually exclusive.

Affirmative responses:
• Our plan is better, adopt only one.
• Permutation test = not competitive.
• Solvency
• Disadvantages
The Negative Case
Critiques (“K”):
Critiques are a way to attack the critical assumptions an
affirmative makes or the language debaters use to make
their arguments.
 What is an assumption? Is a part of an argument which
people think is true, but they never explicitly prove to be true
and serves as the major premise of the argument or the case.
 How does a negative attack the assumptions? First, the
negative must identify the assumption and how it is revealed.
Second, the negative must explain how the assumption links to
the critique. And, third, the negative must explain the
implications of the critique.
The Negative Case
Topicality :
Topicality deals with arguments about what words mean;
arguing about definitions regarding the motion or resolution:
“be at home at a reasonable hour”.
• Affirmative definition of terms must be topical; both the
problem and the plan must be within the motion: LIMIT
what the affirmative may talk about so the negative can
have a reasonable chance to argue against the case
• Negative tasks: Define terms and give reasons to prefer
negative definition:

Detailed Format and
Timeline of Responsibilities
- Strategy Tips
1AC - FIRST AFFIRMATIVE
CONSTRUCTIVE

Have your speech written out and well
organized. Time it in advance so that you know
how long it takes you to present it. Practice it so
that you sound good and know how to correctly
say all of the words in it. Don’t read !
 Make sure you have covered all the
requirements -- restate the topic, significance,
inherency, plan, solvency. Make sure each of
the major issues has evidence which proves it.
1NC - FIRST NEGATIVE
CONSTRUCTIVE
 Respond
to 1AC.
 Your disadvantages need links and
impacts;
 your topicality arguments need definitions,
violations, and voting issue; and
 your counterplan needs a counterplan text,
topicality, competitiveness, advantage,
and solvency.
2AC - SECOND AFFIRMATIVE
CONSTRUCTIVE
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FINISH YOUR TASKS. Harms, plan, advantages.
ANSWER EVERY NEGATIVE ISSUE:
You cannot win the debate if you fail to answer an
off-case argument like topicality, a disadvantage,
a counterplan, or a critique. Have some good
answers for each one.
Explaining their arguments is their duty, not yours.
Your duty is to answer them. Don't waste time
telling the judge what their arguments are about.
Answer 1 or 2 challenges.
2NC - SECOND NEGATIVE
CONSTRUCTIVE

2NC and 1NR occur back to back, so you need
to divide up the issues in the debate. The 2NC
should take some issues and the 1NR should
take others.
 You need to deal with each and every one of the
answers 2AC makes to your arguments.
 Have your best evidence on the issues you will
be "going for“ out and ready to use before you
speak.
 Answer 1 or 2 challenges.
1NR - FIRST NEGATIVE
REBUTTAL
 Attack
Affirmative case. Respond to their
attacks on Negative case.
 2NC and 1NR occur back to back, so you
need to divide up the issues in the debate.
 2NC should take some issues and 1NR
should take others, BUT YOU SHOULD
NEVER COVER THE SAME GROUND.
 Answer 1 or 2 challenges.
1AR - FIRST AFFIRMATIVE
REBUTTAL
 The
purpose of the 1AR is simple: don't
lose the debate.
 The strategy is equally simple: don't drop
anything. Cover every important argument.
 You cannot answer each sub-point on an
argument, but you should answer any
argument which could potentially win the
debate for the negative.
 Answer 1 or 2 challenges.
2NR - SECOND NEGATIVE
REBUTTAL
 Now
is the time to “put all of your eggs into
one basket.”
 Winning requires 2NR to choose the
issues and approach, to create a
persuasive “bottom line” negative position.
The judges must be told which arguments
to consider.
 There are two ways to win in the 2NR:
 "Win the Drop" or
 "Win the Position."
2AR - SECOND AFFIRMATIVE
REBUTTAL

The general strategy of 2AR is to re-establish
case advantage(s) and to minimize or take out the
impacts of the negative arguments.
 In order to minimize the impact of the negative
arguments, go to the best issue in the middle of
your speech. This trick tends to de-emphasize the
arguments that 2NR claimed were critical in the
debate.
 In order to re-establish your case advantage,
begin your speech with your own agenda or
overview that puts forth the most compelling
reason to vote affirmative.
 Have a strong conclusion.
Practice Debate
Assignment was to:
Choose Team and Designate Team Roles
Do Research and Develop Arguments
What strategy(ies) did you choose?
What are your respective arguments?
Let’s debate and evaluate
Practice Debates
Debate Topics
 A vs. B “Public school teachers’ bonus
for student performance”
 C vs. D “Same sex couples allowed to
adopt children”
Challenges process
Flowing
Judging Criteria
Evaluation Forms / Feedback to debaters and
teams
Feedback / Evaluation
 Review

of training program
Strengths / weaknesses
 Evaluation
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of teams, participants
What / where do “we” need to improve?
What can “we” do between now and the
first round of debates?
Practice, practice, practice