Time Management
This part is pretty simple. There are many speeches in each debate, and in
each speech, there is something that you want to get done.
Affirmative
In your first speech, all you have to do is present you case. This is your
longest speech, so speak slowly, give your judge a good first impression.
In your second speech, you will need to refute most of your opponents main
arguments presented in the case and made against your case. Even though the
speech is incredibly short, try not to go too fast, especially in our league
where most judges are mommy and daddy. Some people like to make an overview of
the arguments instead of line by line in order to save time, but I like to stay
as close as possible to line by line. Your last speech will be the last speech
in the entire debate, so you will need to wrap things up. This means that you
will need to do something we call crystalization. Basically, the debate
will have lots and lots of arguments, but there will be a few that come up over
and over again and are most important. This is the time to "write the ballot
for your judge." Tell your judge what are the most important points of the round.
Usually, I like to make it 3 main points, it makes things much clearer. Then
tell your judge exactly why you win each point. If you can do that, you have an
advantage over your opponent because you just ended the debate and the last thing
that the judge just heard was exactly why the affirmative won. Now, once you get
more experienced, you can start opening up the big picture. Every resolution
has a story. After several speeches of intense specific argumentation, you want
to open up the big picture. I have not yet mastered this and if you can do this
it will really give you an edge in the round.
Negative
In the first negative speech, you have two things to do. First, you need to present
your case, which is usually around three and a half minutes for the negative. Then,
you need to refute the affirmative case. In your second speech, you will need you
refute the affirmative arguments presented in their last speech. But remember,
this is your last speech. You will need to crystalize the round (see
crystalization under affirmative). The negative and affirmative
sides are very similar in the things you have to get accomplished in the speeches,
its just that you do it in different speeches and you have different amounts of time.
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