Practice Speech

Can be done by yourself. 

You will "redo" a speech that has been given in a practice debate, tournament, or where a mock up has been created by a coach. 

After preparing the speech, will want to film the speech and upload it for the coaching staff to watch and give feedback. 

Extend O'Rama

Two people are needed for this drill 

Will want to take a singular claim that could occur in a debate round. Think Economic Decline causes war, Nuclear war causes extinction etc. (Try to use claims on the impact level. 

The first person will pick their first card, then the second person will pick a card in direct response to that card. 

The two people should now alternate minute long speeches practicing the 3 Rs and C and debating a specific claim. 

Speed Drill

Can be done by yourself or with others. 

If you are doing it by yourself, your goal is to just read as fast as you can for 20 minutes out loud. Make sure you are really opening your mouth and keeping your tongue unrestrained. 

If you are working with someone else.
- one person should try to read as fast as they can for 20 minutes.
- the other person should practice flowing. Really work on getting the tag, author, date, and writing down key warrants to the evidence read
- If the person reading becomes unclear, the person(s) flowing should yell clear to emphasis the importance of overennunciation. 

Translation Drill

Can be done by yourself or with others. 

Each person will prepare a speech that would occur later in the debate, OR if early speeches, needs to focus on the tags and not the cards. 

Give the speech within normal time requirements. Every 10 to 40 seconds the person not giving their speech should yell translate. At this juncture, the person giving the speech should move from Debatease (IE with all the jargon) to an explanation of the concept that would be included to a lay judge. 

You will want to move back and forth between lay and debatease many times in your speech. When done, switch with the person who was listening and have them give their speech translating back and forth. 

5-4-3-2 drill 

Can be done by yourself or with a partner. 

Will prepare a rebuttal redo of a speech already done before. The best speeches are the 1ar, 2nr and 2ar. 

Once the speech is prepared and given in 5 minutes, the speech is immediately redone with only 4 minutes of time. Once the speech successfully covers everything that needs to be covered in the 4 minute allotment, move the speech down to 3 minutes. 

When the speech is successfully covering everything in 3 minutes, give the speech again in 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Once the speech has successfully been given within 2 minutes and 30 seconds, give the speech one more time back at the original time. 

The primary goal of this drill is to force communication to occur in a more efficient manner. 

Card Flowing Drills

Must be done with at least two people. 

Will need a deck of cards. 

One person will pull playing cards out of the deck and announce what card it is. For example, the Queen of Hearts. 

Everyone else will flow the playing cards as they are announced. 

The person drawing the cards should randomly change pieces of paper (flows) and mock up separate speeches. IE stop drawing for the 1ac and change to the 1nc. 

Flow and Judge

This can be done by yourself or with a group. 

You will have a member of the coaching staff give you a debate that you can watch. While watching the debate you are going to be flowing the debate and rendering a decision at the end of the debate. 

High School debaters are notorious for voting affirmative. Make sure when preparing your ballot you think of every single reason why the negative could win, and then explain why the affirmative should still win. This should be discussed in your group or on your ballot. The more you think and try to vote negative, the more it will force you to understand "big picture" things in debate rounds. 

Categories 

This can only be done as a group. 

There will be an agreed upon "category" for the round that is being play. Think of  things like soda, cereal, candy bars etc. 

People will be in a "circle" and the next person to provide an answer is clockwise to the person that is answering at the moment. 

People are out of the round if they can not come up with an answer within the category, OR if they repeat an answer that has already been said. 

All other decisions about what is and is not within the category is bound by the objection, argument then vote system. 

1. If someone thinks an answer is not within the category, they will object to the answer verbally in order to stop the game to discuss. 

2. Both sides of (its an allowable answer, and its not an allowable answer) will make arguments. 

3. Once both sides have made their arguments, or the arguments being made are too repetitive, then the answer will be put to a vote of all members who have partaken in that round. 

The process of answers, objections, and getting out of the round will repeat until only one person is left. After that, a new round may be started. 

***This activity is teaching a few things, first, how to argue about what definitions are good versus what definitions are bad. Second, this game requires good listening skills to ensure you can call out repeat answers and not make a repeat answer yourself.