Recap: Day One

In our first meeting in October, we introduced the instructors and gave a quick introduction to debate. Here are the most important parts we covered:

What is debate? A debate is an organized argument or contest of ideas in which the participants discuss a topic from two opposing sides (Pro/Aff and Con/Neg). Debaters usually have a topic that they prepare for and debate over the course of a few months. As the affirmative, you’ll prove why the topic is a good idea and as the negative, you want to prove why the affirmative is a bad idea.

Regardless of what side you are, you need to present your case (constructive), answer your opponents (rebuttal), and be persuasive!

Why debate? Debate teaches how to gather credible evidence, analyze sources, and construct well-supported arguments. These skills are essential for academic success and informed decision-making, especially when people are writing papers or essays. Debaters learn to present ideas clearly, think on their feet, and engage persuasively with different audiences and how to listen to different perspectives.

What debate formats are there? There are tons of high school debate formats, like LD, PF, Policy (CX), Congress, World Schools, Big Questions, and Speech Events, but the two we focus on here are LD and PF. LD is a one-on-one debate focusing on values and philosophy while PF involves two teams of two debaters each (a total of four participants).