How to Win a Novice Policy Debate Round
Convince the judge of the merit of your plan., Know the basic format., First off (whether you are aff or neg) make sure you not only answer every argument made by the opposing team but extend your arguments through in every speech., Also make sure...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Convince the judge of the merit of your plan.
The way to win a novice policy round is to convince the judge that not only is your plan will solve the problem, and the other team's plan is going to make the current situation worse.
The Affirmatives (most commonly referred to as aff. by most debaters) job in the round is to prove that their case works.
Sounds simple right? Wrong.
To win you have to have a strong, well-built case.
Also you have to know the case inside and out.
Make sure you know and can explain every one of your advantages and how your case solves (solvency).
It seems simple enough until the Negative kicks in.
The Negatives (most commonly referred to as neg. by most debaters) job in the round is to prove that the aff.'s case either Hurts the status quo (the current way things are going is a good simple definition for status quo) Doesn't solve (this is called a solvency take-out) Is morally wrong (this is called a kritik argument, which is uncommon in novice debate) Prove you can do the case better or pass a better case.
Now this is a lot to deal with so luckily you won't have to do it all, just choose your strong points and go for them. -
Step 2: Know the basic format.
Just for any clarification issues the following is the order, name, and time limit for each speech during the round-- 1AC- 8 minutes cross examination 1NC- 8 minutes cross examination 2AC- 8 minutes cross examination 2NC- 8 minutes cross examination 1NR- 5 minutes 1AR- 5 minutes 2NR- 5 minutes 2AR- 5 minutes , The easiest way to do this is called flowing.
Flowing is just a fancy way of writing down everything you have said and that your opponents have said against you.
Though there is a universal way to flow just find the way that works best for you. , This is very important because if you get up in your speech and read off a lot of evidence that doesn't go along with what the argument is then the judge will have nothing to evaluate you on and you will most likely lose. -
Step 3: First off (whether you are aff or neg) make sure you not only answer every argument made by the opposing team but extend your arguments through in every speech.
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Step 4: Also make sure you read a lot of evidence THAT LINKS.
Detailed Guide
The way to win a novice policy round is to convince the judge that not only is your plan will solve the problem, and the other team's plan is going to make the current situation worse.
The Affirmatives (most commonly referred to as aff. by most debaters) job in the round is to prove that their case works.
Sounds simple right? Wrong.
To win you have to have a strong, well-built case.
Also you have to know the case inside and out.
Make sure you know and can explain every one of your advantages and how your case solves (solvency).
It seems simple enough until the Negative kicks in.
The Negatives (most commonly referred to as neg. by most debaters) job in the round is to prove that the aff.'s case either Hurts the status quo (the current way things are going is a good simple definition for status quo) Doesn't solve (this is called a solvency take-out) Is morally wrong (this is called a kritik argument, which is uncommon in novice debate) Prove you can do the case better or pass a better case.
Now this is a lot to deal with so luckily you won't have to do it all, just choose your strong points and go for them.
Just for any clarification issues the following is the order, name, and time limit for each speech during the round-- 1AC- 8 minutes cross examination 1NC- 8 minutes cross examination 2AC- 8 minutes cross examination 2NC- 8 minutes cross examination 1NR- 5 minutes 1AR- 5 minutes 2NR- 5 minutes 2AR- 5 minutes , The easiest way to do this is called flowing.
Flowing is just a fancy way of writing down everything you have said and that your opponents have said against you.
Though there is a universal way to flow just find the way that works best for you. , This is very important because if you get up in your speech and read off a lot of evidence that doesn't go along with what the argument is then the judge will have nothing to evaluate you on and you will most likely lose.
About the Author
Jeffrey Reed
Experienced content creator specializing in organization guides and tutorials.
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