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PACE DEBATE

‘24-25

SEPTEMBER

W/COACH ANGIE!

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Coach Angie

Works for the Brooklyn Debate League (BDL)
Senate Congress Texas champion in 2015
Studied philosophy @ Barnard

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Draw this on page 1 of your notebook→
fill out as many bullet points as you can think of for each column for the question:It's okay to enjoy art made by artists who you disagree with politically
(potential example: Kanye West)

Agree	Disagree

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Open Forum

It's okay to enjoy art made by artists who you disagree with politically

Agree

Disagree

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Shoutouts!

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DEBATE TEAM EXPECTATIONS

Attendance at in-person tournaments

Contributing to the Prepd - forthcoming

Contributing to our team culture in a positive manner

Attendance at Monday team practices

Attendance and participation at Wednesday scrimmages, starting October 2

Attendance and participation at Wednesday League Practices, starting October 9

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DEBATE TEAM EXPECTATIONS

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Join the GroupMe!

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BDL Congress Course�Lesson 1:

Intro to Congress

What we are we doing here?

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Tell us about you!

Your name.
Your grade.
What brought you to this class.
Something you think you’d enjoy about debate.
Something about debate you’re anxious about.

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01

02

03

04

What a debate team actually does

Practice at School

Discuss interesting topics and learn new skills and techniques

Short online events (Zoom) where you debate and get feedback

1-day (morning to afternoon) events in-person with students from across New York City

Weekend-long trips outside of NYC to compete against the best debaters in the state or country

Online Scrimmages

Local Competitions

Travel Tournaments

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Participating in a competition

At School

Discuss the topic together, come up with ideas, practice talking about the topic together

At Home

You can spend extra time practicing just saying your points out loud, to get used to talking about it

Competition

Go to a competition and try out your ideas. Watch, learn, have fun, make friends

Feedback

Look at the feedback you receive from the competition and use that for the next time you do this

Get a new topic

Practice Speech

Give it a shot!

Learn from what happened

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Economic Inequality

Free healthcare

Universal Basic Income

Wealth Tax

Rent Control

Foreign Policy

End or increase military aid

Remove foreign military bases

Put sanctions on a country

Immigration policy

Criminal Justice

Drug Legalization

Abolish the Death Penalty

Ending Cash Bail

Increase Police Accountability

Technology

Increasing regulations on AI

Age requirements for social media

Free speech on social media

Switching to green technology

Kinds of topics we discuss in Debate

For

or

Against

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CONGRESS

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What is Congress?

Your job is to stand out! Judges will rank you based on 6 categories:

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What is Congress?

Your job is to stand out! Judges will rank you based on 6 categories:

Delivery -- your tone of voice, speed, body language

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What is Congress?

Your job is to stand out! Judges will rank you based on 6 categories:

Delivery -- your tone of voice, speed, body language

Organization -- easy to follow, two clear arguments, good intro, it is clear what side you are on

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What is Congress?

Your job is to stand out! Judges will rank you based on 6 categories:

Delivery -- your tone of voice, speed, body language

Organization -- easy to follow, two clear arguments, good intro, it is clear what side you are on

Evidence -- has at least two pieces of evidence from reputable and recent sources

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What is Congress?

Your job is to stand out! Judges will rank you based on 6 categories:

Delivery -- your tone of voice, speed, body language

Organization -- easy to follow, two clear arguments, good intro, it is clear what side you are on

Evidence -- has at least two pieces of evidence from reputable and recent sources

Originality -- new ideas in the debate, fun and creative introduction

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What is Congress?

Your job is to stand out! Judges will rank you based on 6 categories:

Delivery -- your tone of voice, speed, body language

Organization -- easy to follow, two clear arguments, good intro, it is clear what side you are on

Evidence -- has at least two pieces of evidence from reputable and recent sources

Originality -- new ideas in the debate, fun and creative introduction

Clash -- responses to other debaters, mentioning other debaters by name, rebutting their arguments in questioning and in later speeches

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What is Congress?

Your job is to stand out! Judges will rank you based on 6 categories:

Delivery -- your tone of voice, speed, body language

Organization -- easy to follow, two clear arguments, good intro, it is clear what side you are on

Evidence -- has at least two pieces of evidence from reputable and recent sources

Originality -- new ideas in the debate, fun and creative introduction

Clash -- responses to other debaters, mentioning other debaters by name, rebutting their arguments in questioning and in later speeches

Questioning -- active questioner, doesn’t use the entire time just to ask a question, relevant questions

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How do you WIN?

Delivery

Tone of voice, speed, body language

Organization

Were your ideas easy to follow?

Evidence

Did you have strong evidence to support your ideas?

Originality

New ideas in the debate, fun and creative introduction

Clash

Did you engage in the debate or just read an essay?

Questioning

Did you ask relevant questions? Did you answer questions clearly and confidently?

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You never get a second chance to make a first impression.

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“I thank the chair. My name is Senator Lytle, spelled L-Y-T-L-E for my judges and PO.I may be small, but it’s pronounced Lytle, not little. I’m speaking for the first time in this legislative session. As always, I’m at the leisure of all those above me. Could I get a thumbs up from my judge and PO?”

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Only spell your name the first time you speak in a chamber

You can also “thank the chair” when you sit down after completing questioning

Mix n Match the phrasing on prev. slide

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YOUR TURN!

“I thank the chair. My name is Senator Lytle, spelled L-Y-T-L-E for my judges and PO.I may be small, but it’s pronounced Lytle, not little. I’m speaking for the first time in this legislative session. As always, I’m at the leisure of all those above me. Could I get a thumbs up from my judge and PO?”

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How to write an argument

You should support each of these points with evidence!

This applies if the debate is about whether to do something or not.

But that’s most topics.

Write these down!

SLIDESMANIA.COM

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What things are like right now.

SLIDESMANIA.COM

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What things are like right now.
How doing [action] would change things.

SLIDESMANIA.COM

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What things are like right now.
How doing [action] would change things.
Why that outcome is really important.

SLIDESMANIA.COM

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How to write an argument

What things are like right now.
How doing [action] would change things.
Why that outcome is really important.

The US should increase minimum wage

SLIDESMANIA.COM

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How to write an argument

What things are like right now.
How doing [action] would change things.
Why that outcome is really important.

The US should increase minimum wage

Minimum wage workers can’t afford rent.

Increasing the minimum wage would make rent affordable.

SLIDESMANIA.COM

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How to write an argument

What things are like right now.
How doing [action] would change things.
Why that outcome is really important.

The US should increase minimum wage

Minimum wage workers can’t afford rent.

Increasing the minimum wage would make rent affordable.

Housing is a one of the most significant determinants of health.

SLIDESMANIA.COM

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How to write an argument

What things are like right now.
How doing [action] would change things.
Why that outcome is really important.

TOPIC: ________________________

SLIDESMANIA.COM

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Multiple sessions in a round, broken by lunch

A short break for the entire chamber

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Bills v Resolutions

Bill

Resolution

More of a suggestion for an idea to come about. Expresses the opinion of the chamber. Does not change anything in the world around us right away. Often used for policies regarding other countries.

Presents a plan of action. As soon as its passed, it materializes in society.

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KAHOOT

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UPDATE YOUR CALENDAR

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Argument

Introducing a point / Framing Speech

Status Quo - related to your advocacy
Evidence
What the bill would do - advocacy
Evidence or analysis recommended but not required. You can also refer to text of the bill.
Impact
Evidence

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Argument

Clash

Who said the thing you're about to respond to.
+ Which thing they said are you responding to?
Why do you disagree (or agree)
evidence or analysis
Impact - Why is that significant?
evidence or analysis

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FREE COLLEGE - AFF

Increased Access to Higher Education:

Economic Barriers: By providing tuition-free education for families earning less than $100,000/year, the bill removes a significant financial barrier for millions of Americans, making college more accessible to low- and middle-income families.
Equal Opportunity: Ensuring that financial difficulties do not prevent qualified students from attending college promotes social equity and closes the education gap.

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FREE COLLEGE - AFF

2. Boosts the National Economy:

Higher Education = Higher Earnings: College graduates typically earn more over their lifetimes compared to those with only a high school diploma. By expanding access to higher education, the workforce will be more skilled, leading to higher productivity, innovation, and tax revenue.
Lower Reliance on Welfare Programs: People with degrees are less likely to rely on government assistance, reducing long-term public spending on social safety net programs.

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FREE COLLEGE - AFF

3. Incentivizes Completion and Accountability:

Satisfactory Progress Requirement: The bill ensures that students must maintain satisfactory progress to continue receiving benefits, encouraging responsibility and accountability in the use of public funds.
Cap on Timeframe: The limit of five years or the completion of a degree ensures that students do not take indefinite advantage of the program, keeping costs under control and promoting timely graduation.

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FREE COLLEGE - AFF

4. Public Institution Focus:

Support for Public Education: Focusing on public and minority-serving institutions strengthens these underfunded colleges and universities, driving improvements in education quality and making public education more competitive with private institutions.

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FREE COLLEGE - NEG

High Cost to Taxpayers:
Federal Budget Strain: Funding tuition for millions of students could place a significant burden on federal resources, leading to higher taxes or diverting funds from other critical services like healthcare, infrastructure, or social security.
Unclear Funding Source: The bill does not specify how the program will be funded, raising concerns about potential increases in the national debt or other cuts in the federal budget.

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FREE COLLEGE - NEG

2. Potential Overcrowding in Public Colleges:

Strain on Public Institutions: Offering free tuition could lead to a surge in enrollments at public institutions, which may not have the capacity or resources to accommodate all students, reducing the quality of education and increasing class sizes.
Resource Dilution: Colleges could face increased pressure to admit more students without a proportional increase in faculty or infrastructure, leading to stretched resources and lower academic outcomes.

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FREE COLLEGE - NEG

3. Fairness and Scope:

Income Cap Issues: Families earning slightly more than $100,000/year may still struggle with tuition costs but are excluded from the program. This creates a "benefit cliff" where some middle-income families are penalized.
Limits on Coverage: Only tuition, fees, and textbooks are covered, leaving other significant expenses like housing, food, transportation, and technology unaddressed, which could still be unaffordable for many students.

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FREE COLLEGE - NEG

4. Incentivizing Unnecessary Degrees:

Pursuit of Low-Demand Degrees: Free tuition might encourage students to pursue degrees that are not in high demand or directly applicable to the job market, leading to underemployment and mismatches between education and economic needs.

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FREE COLLEGE - NEG

5. Impact on Private Institutions:

Competitive Disadvantage: Private colleges, especially small or minority-serving institutions, might see a drop in enrollment as students flock to public institutions for free education. This could lead to financial instability or closures in the private sector.
Erosion of Academic Diversity: As public colleges become more appealing due to free tuition, the diverse offerings and specialized programs at private institutions may suffer, reducing options for students seeking niche or high-quality educational experiences.

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Mon Oct 28

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PLEASE sign up for the Scrim!

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Bx Sci Shoutouts!

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BALLOT REVIEW

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Methods Debate

Values Debate

We all agree what we want to accomplish, just not how to go about it.

Ex: “Common Core”

The aff and the neg value completely different things (are going for different impacts)

Ex: “CAFOs”

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--> Prove the consequences of the legislation rather than just why it fails or is a bad idea. What are the consequences of failure that make the status quo better?

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Ethics

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Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations

Take notes in the back of your binder

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This bill text is taken directly from a real bill written by Senator Cory Booker of NJ

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What is a CAFO?

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation
Lots of animals are permanently kept in a small space
Mostly animals that we eat, plus some dairy cows and egg-laying hens

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Why do CAFOs exist?

Reduces cost of growing food.

It uses less land

It uses less people power

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Get Rid of CAFOs

Because…

Keep CAFOs because…

Animal cruelty

Environmental harms

Risk of diseases

They help the economy

They allow farmers to make a living

They reduce the cost of food

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Baby gotta eat

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Food Insecurity is already�a significant problem in United States

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Guess who that problem affects the most

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Exit Ticket - https://tinyurl.com/cafoexit

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I’m Thankful for the BDL

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Monday

Nov 4

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Is Debate an Essay Competition?

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Materials:

Legal Pad

Outline of speech
PASS or FAIL at top
Bill title at top

Printed out prep doc
Sticky notes

for Clash OR new evidence OR questions OR impact

Binder Clip(s)
Different Color Pens!
Laptop (or iPad)

Use for prep during round
Write out questions in big font on blank word doc

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You have to FLOW.

Consider having two legal pads with you, one for flowing and one for your speech.

Track name, side (A/N), and arguments

Write down questions that come to mind - my strategy is writing them on an empty word doc on my laptop

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When to Give Your Speech?

Framing

Mid-Cycle

Crystallization

- Basic Args

-Pre-written Speeches

-Go if no one else wants to

-New Arguments

-Refuting arguments made in the round (clash)

-Unique Arguments

-Weigh

-Which side is winning/won and why

-NO NEW INFORMATION!

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Research in-the-round!

Find new evidence directly responding to other arguments

Clarify points of confusion

Always refer to the senator’s name first

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Clash

They Say

I say

Because

Therefore

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How to Rebuttal

Senator [x] tells you [y], but that’s…

False

2. Unsupported

3. Irrelevant

4. Outweighed

(rare) It’s just demonstrably untrue.

“Senator Li says raising wages leads to Communism. That’s simply untrue – look to past precedent. Raising wages helps the American people - that’s why you pass.”

It lacks evidence or factual support.

“Senator Lytle tells you that CAFOs are an important source of jobs, but can’t tell you how many. Let me be the first to show that CAFOs actually threaten American jobs. Look to Brookings…”

Not pertinent to this legislation. LOOK TO SPECIFICS OF BILL

“Senator Kasravi tells you that this bill would cause a food shortage, but that’s not the case because this bill has an implementation mechanism of 40 years and allows large CAFOs to downscale to medium-size.

Counter-args have more impact.

“While Senator DiCo’s argument that CAFOs cause disease might be true, that only happens sometimes - the fact that they employ millions of Americans and feed this country outweighs.

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Crystallization

They Say

We Say

I Say

We Win

Senators Lytle, Long, and Lopez on the negation tell you that this bill saves lives.

But Senator McGhie proved to this chamber in his speech that its actually the private insurance saving those lives.

But Senator McGhie - it’s not only private insurance - it’s the private hospitals too, and that’s important because…

Senators Lytle, Long, and Lopez - if you actually want to save lives, you PASS today because the private hospitals and private insurance need our support to get patients treated.

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Coach Angie’s Example of Speech Prep:

What do you notice?

I would print this out (with less highlights) and bring it with me to the tournament

I would reference it when copying down the outline of my speech

AND when prepping DURING the round

I would potentially use a binder clip and secure it to my legal pad, and bring the entire thing with me when I give my speech

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This is what your legal pad should look like

If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, I don’t want to know where America’s roads lead to.

JOBS

In the Status Quo

Bureau of Transportation Statistics

Transp. sector unempl. all time high 2020 - 16%

Section 2: $4 billion for new roads

Creates jobs

Impact: Economy

University of Michigan Ann Arbor

“job loss is associated with a 73 percent increase in the probability of death – the equivalent of adding 10 years to a person’s age.”

Sen. Johnson (we should wait)

if not now, when?

New Roads Bill AFF (1/2)

What’s written at the top of the page? Why?
What’s the first sentence? Why is it a full sentence?
Why are some words underlined?
What’s written in red? Why?

2. LIVES

In the Status Quo

NYT 24 US roads are falling apart

Section 3: Weather resistant paving

New, safer roads

Impact: Public Safety

TRIP (road safety non-profit)

Just New York State: 50% of roads in poor condition

1000 preventable deaths per year

NYT 2015

Poor road conditions

14k deaths

$11.3 B medical expenses

Per year

Enough is enough.

We can’t afford to wait.

We can’t afford not to spend.

Pass this bill.

Sen. Crawford (too expensive)�how many deaths is worth�the money?

New Roads Bill AFF (2/2)

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This is what your legal pad should look like

If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, I don’t want to know where America’s roads lead to.

JOBS

In the Status Quo

Bureau of Transportation Statistics

Transp. sector unempl. all time high 2020 - 16%

Section 2: $4 billion for new roads

Creates jobs

Impact: Economy

University of Michigan Ann Arbor

“job loss is associated with a 73 percent increase in the probability of death – the equivalent of adding 10 years to a person’s age.”

Sen. Johnson (we should wait)

if not now, when?

New Roads Bill AFF (1/2)

Don’t: Write out your entire speech

Because:

Don’t: Have scattered notes

Because:

Don’t: Make your AGD up as you go

Because:

2. LIVES

In the Status Quo

NYT 24 US roads are falling apart

Section 3: Weather resistant paving

New, safer roads

Impact: Public Safety

TRIP (road safety non-profit)

Just New York State: 50% of roads in poor condition

1000 preventable deaths per year

NYT 2015

Poor road conditions

14k deaths

$11.3 B medical expenses

Per year

Enough is enough.

We can’t afford to wait.

We can’t afford not to spend.

Pass this bill.

Sen. Crawford (too expensive)�how many deaths is worth�the money?

New Roads Bill AFF (2/2)

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This is what your legal pad should look like

If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, I don’t want to know where America’s roads lead to.

JOBS

In the Status Quo

Bureau of Transportation Statistics

Transp. sector unempl. all time high 2020 - 16%

Section 2: $4 billion for new roads

Creates jobs

Impact: Economy

University of Michigan Ann Arbor

“job loss is associated with a 73 percent increase in the probability of death – the equivalent of adding 10 years to a person’s age.”

Sen. Johnson (we should wait)

if not now, when?

New Roads Bill AFF (1/2)

Don’t: Write out your entire speech

Because: You’ll be reading the whole time

Don’t: Have scattered notes

Because: You’ll get lost or confused

Don’t: Make your AGD up as you go

Because: It will be too long, it might be hard to understand. Not effective

2. LIVES

In the Status Quo

NYT 24 US roads are falling apart

Section 3: Weather resistant paving

New, safer roads

Impact: Public Safety

TRIP (road safety non-profit)

Just New York State: 50% of roads in poor condition

1000 preventable deaths per year

NYT 2015

Poor road conditions

14k deaths

$11.3 B medical expenses

Per year

Enough is enough.

We can’t afford to wait.

We can’t afford not to spend.

Pass this bill.

Sen. Crawford (too expensive)�how many deaths is worth�the money?

New Roads Bill AFF (2/2)

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T shirts!!! Or hoodies (?)

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How to Stop Giving an Essay

Identify the Argument

2. Explain your Response

3. Provide the Evidence

4. Tell the Impact

Then WEIGH! Compare your impact with others’

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6 Ways to Respond to an Argument

“No Link”

Argument Turn

Impact Turn

“No Impact”

5. Outweigh

6. “ Non-unique”

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No link

Show that the thing your opponent says is happening is not, in fact, happening

Break down the why/how of their argument

Example:

They say: “This bill would cause a massive increase in forest fires, which devastates ecological diversity”

You say: “a meta-analysis by MIT shows that a plan similar to that outlined in our legislation would result in no net change in the amount of forest fires. No fires, no problem.”

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2. Argument Turn

Show that the root of the opponent’s argument is actually good for YOUR side of the argument
Example:

They say “This bill would cause a massive increase in forest fires, which devastates ecological diversity”

You say: “Forest fires are actually a good thing,, as the National Geographic Society finds that periodic fires are necessary for this ecosystem to regulate itself.”

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3. Impact turn

Show that the result of your opponent’s argument is actually good for YOUR side of the argument
Example:

They say “This bill would cause a massive increase in forest fires, which devastates ecological diversity”

You say: “This decrease in ecological diversity is good, as the IUCN finds that many of the species in this area are invasive, thus hurting the ecosystem as a whole.”

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4. No Impact

Show that there is no actual impact of your opponent’s argument
Example:

They say “This bill would cause a massive increase in forest fires, which devastates ecological diversity”

You say: “Forest fires will increase under our plan, but the National Forest Service reports that indigenous species have adapted to forest fires and will survive just fine in our world.”

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5. Outweigh

Show that even if your opponent’s argument is true, your arguments are more important to the debate
Example:

They say “My opponent’s plan causes a massive increase in forest fires, which devastates ecological diversity”

You say: “Sure, but our legislation saves approximately 30 million human lives , according to the UN. It is more important to save human lives than animal lives, so we outweigh.”

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6. Non-unique

Show that your opponent’s impacts happen no matter who wins the argument, so it can’t matter in the debate
Example:

They say “This bill would cause a massive increase in forest fires, which devastates ecological diversity

You say: “Sure, but the EPA reports that forest fires will increase in the next 10 years regardless of whether or not we enact this legislation, so don’t consider this argument.”

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Good Arguments

Each argument has four elements: a tagline, analysis, data, and an impact.
A tagline serves as the title for an argument; it conveys the main idea of the argument while also providing a compelling reason to support one side or the other.
Analysis is the logical reasoning why the claim is true; it is the underpinning of the argument.
Data is the research used to support the argument; it comes from sources found outside the debate round.
An impact is the reason the argument is significant; it establishes a compelling reason why the argument matters in a broad context.
While arguments should contain each of these elements, strong arguments also contain illustration and in-depth explanation; arguments should not merely be four sentences long.

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TYPES OF ANALYSIS

Solvency

Precedent

Impact

Explanatory

Weigh your impacts against the other impacts in the round. Tell us why your impact is the most severe/probable/quickest to materialize/affects the most people.

Identify the problem, and tell us HOW the legislation is or is not the solution.

Tell us if a similar legislation has been passed before, and if it has/hasn’t worked.

Pass my legislation. Let me clarify what it does - within 180 days of passage, xyz will be implemented.

Remember my statistic about [x]. That occurs because [y] happens and [x] is an effect.

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Impact

The Impact is what happens in the world once you’ve used Warrants to prove that your Claim is true – the “Who cares?” of your argument

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Both sides of the debate will present impacts, and while you can often refute or mitigate them, sometimes you’ll just have to prove why your impact is better than your opponent’s.

Remember Response #5?

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5. Outweigh

Show that even if your opponent’s argument is true, your arguments are more important to the debate

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6 Ways to Weigh Impacts

Magnitude

Scope

Probability

4. Timeframe

5. Reversibility

6. Duties & Obligations

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Magnitude

How severe is the impact in terms of size?

What’s got a greater magnitude: a double homicide or a nuclear bomb?

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2. Scope

How broadly is an impact felt? Is it impacting just one group of people or across many groups of people?

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3. Probability

How likely is the impact to actually happen?

What’s more likely to occur: nuclear war in space between the US and China, or border conflicts between Israel and Palestine?

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4. Timeframe

When is the impact going to happen? Which impact happens first? Is the impact short term or long term?

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5. Reversibility

Can the impact be undone, or is it permanent?

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6. Requirements and Obligations

Does the actor in the debate have obligations to other actors? Are they required to behave in a certain way that would enable/prohibit certain impacts?

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Let’s talk about:

Impacts

What makes an argument important?

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Talking about Impacts.

A good argument needs to be true and important.

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Talking about Impacts.

A good argument needs to be true and important.
The part of an argument that explains its importance is called the impact.
Comparing your impacts to someone else’s is called “weighing” impacts.
Weighing impacts is almost exactly like the game Would You Rather.
Most debates are much more about the impacts than about the evidence.

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Weighing Mechanisms

Your impact is more important because it affects more people

Scope’

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Weighing Mechanisms

Your impact is more important because it affects more people

Your impact is more important because it has a bigger effect on a person’s life

Scope’

Severity’

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Weighing Mechanisms

Your impact is more important because it affects more people

Your impact is more important because it’s more likely to happen

Your impact is more important because it has a bigger effect on a person’s life

Scope’

Severity’

Probability’

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Weighing Mechanisms

Your impact is more important because it affects more people

Your impact is more important because it has a bigger effect on a person’s life

Your impact is more important because it’s more likely to happen

Your impact is more important because it will happen sooner

Scope’

Severity’

Probability’

Timeframe’

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Which of these has the higher:

scope?

Making college education free

Curing Parkinson’s Disease

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Which of these has the higher:

scope?

Scope’

Severity’

Probability’

Timeframe’

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Exit Ticket

How would having strong impacts help you in a debate?

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01

02

03

In order to say an argument is bad, we have to understand what makes an argument good.

A good argument is…

Relevant

(on topic)

Accurate

(supported by

quality evidence)

Significant

(has strong

impacts)

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When your opponent’s argument isn’t relevant

Remind your judge what your opponent said that you think is not relevant.
Point out that it doesn’t matter if that argument is true or if it has big impacts – it doesn’t pertain to the bill you’re here to discuss.
Be as specific as you about what is different about what your opponent is talking about and what the bill says.

How common is this flaw?

MEDIUM

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Common reasons an argument isn’t relevant

Their argument is about a different kind of government action than the bill talks about.

Ex: Legalization vs Decriminalization

Their evidence is from about a different situation than the bill you’re discussing.

Ex: Their evidence is about car crashes on freeways, but the bill is talking about car crashes in parking lots

How common is this flaw?

MEDIUM

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When your opponent’s argument isn’t accurate

Remind your judge what your opponent said that you think is not relevant.
Point out that it doesn’t matter if that argument is true or if it has big impacts – it doesn’t pertain to the bill you’re here to discuss.
Be as specific as you about what is different about what your opponent is talking about and what the bill says.

How common is this flaw?

LOW

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Common reasons an argument isn’t accurate

Their source is not written by an expert.

Ex: blogs, opinion articles, social media posts.

Their source has a significant bias.

Ex: oil company writing about climate change.

Their evidence is too outdated for this topic..

Ex: evidence about how many people rely on internet access in the US from 1994.

How common is this flaw?

LOW

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When your opponent’s argument isn’t significant

Remind your judge what your opponent said that you think is not as significant as the impacts on your side..
Make a direct comparison between the impacts they talk about versus the impacts on your side..
Use the skills we discussed in impact weighing.

Scope
Severity

How common is this flaw?

HIGH

Using impact weighing you can always argue your side has bigger impacts

Probability
Timeframe

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01

02

03

04

Good clash in 4 steps!

Listen Carefully!

Take notes on other debaters’ speeches and their evidence

Remember: Relevance, Accuracy, Significance!

Pinpoint what they said that you will refute and what you’ll say

Say who you’re refuting, what they said, and why you disagree

Look for Weaknesses

Plan Your Response

Be Detailed

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01

02

03

04

05

The Five “Winning” Impacts in Debate

Any impact that’s on this list will *usually* beat any impact that isn’t

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01

02

03

04

05

War

Poverty

Public Health

Economic

Collapse

The Five “Winning” Impacts in Debate

Environmental

Collapse

Any impact that’s on this list will *usually* beat any impact that isn’t

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Your goal when you’re writing argument is connect the topic to one of these impacts

This is what being a real member of Congress is like! Imagine these are your platforms

War

Poverty

Public Health

Economic

Collapse

Environmental

Collapse

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Conventional war

Ukraine
Gaza
Iraq war/afghanistan

Risk of nuclear war

US vs Russia/China/north korea
US vs Iran? Israel?
Pakistan vs India?
Iran vs Israel?

War

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Health effects

“Diseases of poverty”
Mental health

Generational consequences

Cyclical poverty
Lack of access to education
crime

Poverty

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Pandemics

Covid
Tuberculosis

Health Infrastructure

Hospital closures
Lockdowns

Costs

Economic impact on an individual
Economic impact on the country

Public Health

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Economic

Collapse

Stock Market Crash

No one wants to invest

National Debt Default

We have to stop spending our money on our own government and give it to other countries

Unemployment

Entire categories of jobs are lost

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Damage to places

Ocean acidification
Icebergs melting

Damage to life

Extinction of keystones species
Damage to ecosystems

How to Use Impacts for Research

For example, if the topic is about hydraulic fracking

“ fracking causes environmental collapse ”

1st result

2nd result

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How to Use Impacts for Research

For example, if the topic is about hydraulic fracking

“ fracking prevents war”

5th result

1st result

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Your Turn to Try

War

Poverty

Public Health

Economic

Collapse

Environmental

Collapse

Keywords from�the topic

“ causes ”

“ prevents ”

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War

Poverty

Public Health

Economic

Collapse

Environmental

Collapse

Keywords from�the topic

“ causes ”

“ prevents ”

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War

Poverty

Public Health

Economic

Collapse

Environmental

Collapse

Keywords from�the topic

“ causes ”

“ prevents ”

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War

Poverty

Public Health

Economic

Collapse

Environmental

Collapse

Keywords from�the topic

“ causes ”

“ prevents ”

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Keywords from�the topic

“ causes ”

“ prevents ”

7 minutes to prep a case

WRITE OUT A SHEET THAT LOOKS LIKE THE EXAMPLE TO THE RIGHT

You can prep aff or neg

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Monday, Dec 9

With special guests

Pace Debate Team

BDL

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Talk about yourself.

Warm up

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Sign up for Regis! + the scrim

“Christmas Chlassic”

December 21

Tabroom.com

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Legal Pad looks like this

This is not an Essay Contest

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https://tinyurl.com/pacepolice

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Open clean prep doc + legislation

How to Prep

Read, annotate, write questions

“The research writes the speech”

Drop and cut cards in prep doc

#1

#2

#3

#4

REVIEW - WHAT WE DID LAST TIME

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Review doc to find fav argument

How to Prep

Make a tagline for the argument

“The research writes the speech”

Make another tagline using 5* impacts

#1

#2

#3

#4

TODAY:

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Let’s Debate!

✅ Use the Speaker’s Triangle

✅ Use a legal pad draft from your prep time

✅ Meet basic organizational structure

(AGD, 2 taglines, at least 1 piece of evidence per arg)

✅ Speak confidently for at least 2 minutes

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REBUTTALS

Senator [x] tells you [y], but that’s…

False

2. Unsupported

3. Irrelevant

4. Outweighed

(rare) It’s just demonstrably untrue.

“Senator Li says raising wages leads to Communism. That’s simply untrue – look to past precedent. Raising wages helps the American people - that’s why you pass.”

It lacks evidence or factual support.

“Senator Lytle tells you that CAFOs are an important source of jobs, but can’t tell you how many. Let me be the first to show that CAFOs actually threaten American jobs. Look to Brookings…”

Not pertinent to this legislation. LOOK TO SPECIFICS OF BILL

“Senator Kasravi tells you that this bill would cause a food shortage, but that’s not the case because this bill has an implementation mechanism of 40 years and allows large CAFOs to downscale to medium-size.

Counter-args have more impact.

“While Senator DiCo’s argument that CAFOs cause disease might be true, that only happens sometimes - the fact that they employ millions of Americans and feed this country outweighs.

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Pair Up and Compare 2 Random Things

AND… USE NO FILLER WORDS!

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Upcoming Events

BDL

Return UPenn Eligibility Letters

Regis this Saturday

Bake Sale

Senate and House - PLEASE SIGN UP @Kata, Ndey, Kailee, Arami

If you want to go, your parents and you need to know what we’re looking for

Yum

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Student Portal

BDL

Brooklyndebateleague.org/student

Password: cafo

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RAPID FIRE PREP

3 BILLS - 30 MINS

tinyurl.com/dec16pace

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Transfer your fav to legal pad

At least ONE Tag

At least ONE card

Title + Side on top