Debating Skills Course

Lesson 1 • Ethical Standards in Debate

Establishes norms of intellectual honesty, source integrity, and respectful conduct. Ethical grounding prevents misuse of persuasive techniques learned later.

Lesson 2 • Anatomy of a Single Argument

Breaks down the Toulmin model into claim, data, warrant, qualifier, and rebuttal. Students practise identifying each component in sample arguments.

Lesson 3 • Core Vocabulary of Argumentation

Introduces essential terms: claim, warrant, evidence, rebuttal, and resolution. Shared vocabulary enables precise communication throughout the course.

Lesson 4 • What Debate Is and Why It Matters

Defines debate as a structured exchange of opposing positions with rules and purpose. Establishes the relevance of debate skills across academic, civic, and professional contexts.

Lesson 1 • Finding Credible Sources

Surveys academic databases, government publications, and expert commentary as source categories. Students apply credibility criteria to distinguish reliable from unreliable sources.

Lesson 2 • Organising an Evidence File

Introduces filing systems that allow rapid retrieval during a round. Students build a labelled, indexed evidence file organised by argument category.

Lesson 3 • Identifying Research Needs

Maps the resolution to specific knowledge gaps requiring research. Students create a research agenda aligned with their assigned side.

Lesson 4 • Evaluating Evidence Quality

Applies criteria of recency, relevance, sufficiency, and authority to assess evidence strength. Students rank evidence and discard weak cards.

Lesson 1 • Deductive and Inductive Reasoning

Contrasts syllogistic deduction with evidence-based induction and their roles in debate. Students construct valid deductive arguments and strong inductive generalisations.

Lesson 2 • Abductive Reasoning and Inference

Introduces inference to the best explanation as a tool for policy and value debates. Students practise selecting the most plausible explanation from competing hypotheses.

Lesson 3 • Applying Logic to Live Rebuttals

Integrates reasoning skills into real-time rebuttal construction during timed drills. Students evaluate opponent arguments for logical validity before responding.

Lesson 4 • Common Informal Fallacies

Covers ad hominem, straw man, false dichotomy, slippery slope, and appeal to authority. Students learn to name, expose, and rebut each fallacy under time pressure.

Lesson 1 • Affirmative Case Strategy

Focuses on constructing a proactive case that defines terms favourably and establishes the burden. Students draft a complete affirmative case with two to three contentions.

Lesson 2 • Crafting Contentions

Guides students to write clear, defensible contentions supported by evidence and warrants. Each contention is tested for logical coherence and relevance to the resolution.

Lesson 3 • Revising and Stress-Testing the Case

Applies peer review and devil's-advocate questioning to expose weaknesses. Students revise their case based on structured feedback before the next chapter.

Lesson 4 • Case Architecture Overview

Presents the standard case structure: introduction, contentions, and conclusion. Students map their evidence onto this skeleton before drafting.

Lesson 1 • Extending and Collapsing Arguments

Covers strategic selection of which arguments to extend and which to drop. Students practise collapsing to the strongest two arguments in late-round speeches.

Lesson 2 • Cross-Examination as a Rebuttal Tool

Uses questioning during cross-examination to expose weaknesses exploited in later speeches. Students design question sequences that set up specific refutations.

Lesson 3 • The Four-Step Refutation Method

Teaches the point-because-evidence-impact framework for structured refutation. Students apply all four steps to sample arguments before live practice.

Lesson 4 • Turning Arguments Against Opponents

Demonstrates how to flip an opponent's argument so it supports your side. Students identify turnable arguments and practise executing turns in drills.

Lesson 1 • Adapting Delivery to the Audience

Teaches real-time adjustment of style, vocabulary, and tone based on judge and audience type. Students practise delivering the same argument to different simulated audiences.

Lesson 2 • Rhetorical Devices in Debate

Introduces anaphora, antithesis, tricolon, and rhetorical questions as persuasive tools. Students embed at least two devices into a revised speech draft.

Lesson 3 • Physical Presence and Nonverbal Cues

Addresses posture, eye contact, gesture, and movement as credibility signals. Students practise eliminating distracting habits identified through video review.

Lesson 4 • Vocal Technique for Debate

Trains rate, volume, pitch, and pause as tools for emphasis and clarity. Students record and self-evaluate a two-minute speech segment.

Lesson 1 • Post-Round Evaluation and Feedback

Establishes a structured process for reviewing judge ballots and self-assessing performance. Students create a personal improvement plan based on round feedback.

Lesson 2 • Flow Sheeting Techniques

Teaches the flow sheet as a real-time tracking tool for all arguments in a round. Students develop a personal flow notation system and practise on recorded rounds.

Lesson 3 • In-Round Decision Making

Covers strategic choices about argument selection, time allocation, and concession during a round. Students simulate decision points in a live practice round.

Lesson 4 • Speech Order and Time Allocation

Maps the speech sequence and time limits for each format covered. Students practise managing prep time and speech time simultaneously.

Lesson 1 • Constructing Winning Impact Calculus

Teaches magnitude, probability, and timeframe as the three dimensions of impact comparison. Students write and deliver impact calculus blocks for their strongest arguments.

Lesson 2 • Developing a Tournament Strategy

Covers bracket management, energy conservation, and round prioritisation across a multi-round tournament. Students draft a full tournament game plan.

Lesson 3 • Scouting and Opponent Analysis

Teaches methods for researching opponent tendencies, preferred arguments, and stylistic patterns. Students build a scouting report and adjust their case accordingly.

Lesson 4 • Full Competitive Round Simulation

Runs a complete judged round under tournament conditions with real-time feedback. Students apply every skill from the course in an integrated performance assessment.