r/Debate

basically, i know sometimes debaters get in contact with authors that write kritikal theory (ex. that interview with edelman conducted by a debater), but do popular k authors actually know theyre used in debate? like do tuck and yang know that every setcol debater has read their work? have any of them expressed their thoughts on it?

Can we get a list going of tournaments that allowed/will allow independent entries last year/this year? There are so many folks who love Speech and Debate but whose school doesn't have a team. I'll start with the number 1 tournament for independents: Harvard.

I apologize and now have learned to read my question to myself before i post. I just smoked some gas and am now taking this feedback as character development and wish you all a blessed life! lmao smh

For example, "Why should we focus on climate change? The housing crisis is way more important!"

So, let me start with the backstory: our club was founded last year by students who had already graduated. The responsibility for it fell on my shoulders, even though I'm new to debate and know incredibly little! And this will be my first year as leader. I'm terrified of messing things up; I'm not very social, and everyone generally considers me a freak. The leadership is fixated on putting a boy in charge of the club. And so I'm facing pressure from all sides.

I decided to believe in the power of Reddit and specifically downloaded it so that I could at least find answers somewhere.

The biggest problem turned out to be recruiting participants. There aren't enough proactive people in our school (I'm in Europe); they don't even want to study, and no one wants to stay after school for at least an extra hour. Last year, when I joined the club, seven more people came with me, and now there are only three of us left: me and my team. Currently, we're the only members of the club. People who come and go just as quickly, and we can't engage them.

Our school administration is also obsessed with debate, so our club has to organize demonstration debates among students and teachers, but we're short-staffed! There's simply no one to judge. It seems easy to the administration—we can't cope, so they should take over the club and make it an elective. What makes things worse is that even people interested in debate prefer to play debate at these very events, but refuse to join the club. That would kill debate at our school, because the students who are willing to do anything would be deprived of the opportunity to influence the club, and the administration would quickly forget about it.

In general, things are dire right now. My team and I don't really embrace the school's popularity; we're freaks. Dyed hair, black clothes. People really don't like us because of our appearance...

And now this year, we'll be recruiting 10th-graders again. How can we attract students, how can we show them the kind of debates they'll enjoy, how can we become a full-fledged club?

This is incredibly important to me! And all your answers will be valuable, thank you in advance!

For context, I am the captain of a new student-ran debate club. Unfortunately, the only bid tournament in our area uses speechwire instead of the objectively better option tabroom. I have been using tabroom for 4+ years, but I have no idea how to register for tournaments on speechwire, or even create an account/school account. Can someone please help I have no idea what I'm doing here

I'll get straight to the point, I have a friend who does interp (HI + POI) and they are pretty good, I don't see anything wrong with how they do it. However, in my league there are some absolute BEASTS who are so good it's insane. So, I like to stay real and tell them they are good (because I mean it) but to keep in mind that when competing, the people who always get top 3 might hinder their abilities to get it?

I went to a policy debate camp and quickly learned how much I didn’t know. Mostly to my own incompetence. Later on I figured out it’s not because of the fact that I didn’t study enough, it’s because I was debating in classic while in camp learning how to do policy. This ended up benefitting because I learned how to be an effective speaker, but Classic Debate is so underground I’m worried if it’s useful to get into college with, or is only really a hobby. (By the way, according to “Learning Classic Debate,” it’s a Minnesota format derived from PF)

I did Speech and Debate (specifically Congress) last year and really enjoyed it, however my health has been worsening due to some chronic health conditions I have and this made it so I wasn't able to participate in very many tournaments. I would get too stressed out right before tournaments, causing flare-ups that prevented me from attending my event the next day. Also, it was more time consuming than I had expected and my illnesses require a lot of rest, so I didn't end up managing my time well last season. My brain fog causes my researching, speechwriting, and processing to be a bit slower than my teamates and competitors as well .

I heavily debated not continuing my participation this year, but Speech and Debate gave me so many valuable experiences and connections I would never come across on my own that I really came to enjoy it.

Does anyone have suggestions on how I can make this year easier and more compatible with my conditions?

Hi everyone! I’m Danielle Stanley, and I’m looking to take on a few more private debate students.

I’ve been coaching debate for over 4 years, including coaching through an online academy for marginalized students internationally, The Ohio State University and Classic Debate Camp. As a competitor, I was a 3x state qualifier, national qualifier, and now compete for Ohio State, where I’ve placed in the top 5 at every national circuit tournament I’ve attended.

Overall, I genuinely love debate, which I want my students to love too. I’m passionate about helping students grow, gain confidence, and achieve goals they didn’t think were possible. I believe debate should be challenging and fun, and I tailor my coaching to each student’s strengths, weaknesses, and goals.

Whether you’re brand new to debate or trying to break at bigger tournaments, I’d love to help. Feel free to message me :)

Hi Everyone! Ive been doing debate for around 2 years now competiting in California tournaments jumping from LD to PF and now back to LD. I just spend this past summer bridging my way back to LD, learning everything I can about becoming a competitive debtor. Ive earneda silver bid in the past, and have experience in LD, but I wan't to take things to the next level. i am looking for a private coach for hire, and am open to price ranges, preferably in the Norcal area. Right now im only looking for online coaching, but we can also discuss onsite coaching! plssss hmu if you are anoboyd you else you know would be interested, or want more information. Thanks!

I'm writing an article for my Substack & Medium newsletters (both pretty small as of now) which is about debating, and I have some information I want to double check/ confirm and some questions I haven't been able to answer. I'm not planning to publish the interview, so it's just going to be to make sure I get it right.

I'd like to ask anyone interested to DM me or e-mail me, but I'm also new here, and sometimes that's not kosher. I want to play by the rules, but I've reached out to related organizations, Professor Chesko (The Speech Prof), and others, but haven't actually gotten a response. I really don't want to be wrong about this activity that so many of you love. I am working on about three other things, too, so I'll check the notifications, but it might not be immediate.

If you do volunteer and either DM me or arrange it in a kosher way, I will send you a list of questions. There might be follow-up questions after that. I will endeavour not to need to ask more after that.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Hey everyone,

I’ve been feeling lately like the online debate scene is super fragmented. Like debate clubs and tournaments are great, but their only like bi weekly at best. I'd like to improve my debating skills whenever i have time.

Is there a dedicated platform out there designed specifically for real time audio or video debates against other people?

Does anything like this exist right now, or is everyone still just using random platforms? Would love to hear your recommendations!

I'm in grade 11 (IBDP.) in Mahrashtra

I want to start a debate team in school, but I need a list of team debate opportunities, with significance like regionals, state, national, international, and such. Could someone please help me with registrations and upcoming competitions?

Basically I like metaethics and I do LD, not insanely competitive at all. I go to tournaments and such but I don't sweat it like some of yall.

Anyway, if I take the normative claim "Outer space colonization is a moral imperative" and make my whole case about mackian error theory on how we can't prove the more imperative and the is-ought gap and such, is it possible to run this case or will I get destroyed? It would a arguement where I would argue that defense against the resolution being objectively morally true. It wouldn't be like any practical reasons.

I really want to join the facebook group but I have no friends who are in the group 😭 after I get in you can unfriend me right away

If you can help me just leave a comment and I‘ll send you a link to my facebook account through dms

Thank you so much!!

My dad has been urging me to join debating recently. However, I suffer from stage fright and am a generally shy person. I want to do debate as well, but I don't know if I can keep it up or even start soon. Any tips for me?