The Basics of Starting a Debate Team
By Rick Pecka
Let me start by saying this: there’s no “formula” for starting a team.
This may seem like a copout, but the reality is that every school has different dynamics at play, so my path to starting a team could be dramatically different from yours. However, there are some general truths that likely apply to all new coaches:
Know what’s involved in starting a club or team. For some schools, you need a charter. Others simply need an email to confirm you’ll be the adviser/coach. Whatever the process, be sure you’re aware and adhere to it.
Recruiting underclassmen is ideal. If you teach juniors or seniors, you’re more likely to have a short shelf life with a lengthy rebuilding stage. These students will only be involved for a season or two at best, and they might not develop the skills to mentor newer members. The more freshmen and sophomores you recruit, the more likely you are to sustain a team.
Expect some “one-and-done” competitors. On paper, many students love the idea of debate, but the actual competitive environment can be more than they anticipated. It’s not unusual for anxieties to spike, and as a coach, you can’t push students to compete. Don’t get discouraged. Two years ago, my team had over 30 kids signed up at the start, and eight at the end of the season. Despite this, the eight who remained became a strong nucleus, and quality outweighs quantity.
Your debaters will be your best recruiters. Kids want to compete alongside their friends, so the truly dedicated members will go out of their way to bring their peers into the fold. If this happens, and they get a couple wins under their belts, expect their enthusiasm to build.
So How Do You Recruit?
As mentioned above, school culture can dictate a lot of what you’re able to do, but there are definitely multiple opportunities that exist regardless of district variables:
Have an introductory meeting with food. It’s a simple lure, but a couple of pizzas or snacks can be enough of a hook to draw a crowd. Cast a wider net, and you’re bound to catch a few prize fish.
Be a promoter as well as a coach. You can’t rely on the Field of Dreams mentality of, “if you build it, they will come.” Be a voice for your team; create flyers, make regular morning announcements, have students create an Instagram account to increase visibility. Know what your school allows and where you need to ask permission, but do what you can to let everyone know the team is active.
Leverage school messaging platforms. If your school uses ParentSquare or some similar messaging platform to communicate with students and parents, creating a post about introductory meetings for new members is a simple way to drum up some interest. Oftentimes, parents may catch a post and encourage their children to attend.
Work with your humanities departments. No matter what your content area as a teacher, ask your Social Studies and ELA department chairs to disseminate information about your team to their Grade 9 and 10 teachers. Definitely ask if they can post your flyer in their classrooms. This is a constant visual reminder to students that your team exists.
Appeal to elective teachers. If your school offers elective courses such as public speaking, current events, philosophy, or even journalism, these could be underrated avenues to recruit new members. Students generally take these courses out of interest, so you may uncover some hidden gems in the process.
Meet during advisory if able. If your school has an advisory period or common schoolwide study hall, this is an optimal time to invite potential new members to learn more about the team. See if you can send your students to a colleague or neighbor so you and your team can have the room, and of course, make sure there are no mandatory activities planned for that period.
Be visible during open house, club expos, and freshman orientations. These are real opportunities to attract members. Get approval from your administration to have a table and bring your materials. If your team can collaborate on something like a tri-board display with pictures, this will be really eye-catching. Freshman orientation in particular is an excellent chance to inform incoming ninth graders about the team. Last year, I hosted a general information session for all students regarding clubs, and had a QR code for them to receive information about any club they found interesting. In the end, we attracted close to 20 freshmen, half of whom competed throughout the season.
Clarify the expectations. Once you have an introductory meeting, make sure students know this is more than just a typical club. They don’t have to debate at every CDA competition, but the expectation is that at some point they will do more than just attend practices. This may scare some away, but it will also ensure that those who want to compete will commit. Again, quality over quantity.
Talk up the benefits. Don’t hesitate to tout the benefits of debate. Students in honors or AP classes will be happy to know that this will build more than just their public speaking skills. Students also typically grow in their argumentative writing skills, and AP assignments such as DBQs become less daunting the more they compete. During my coaching days at my first school, one of my sophomores made the jump from a CP English class to AP, leapfrogging honors altogether. She attributed this growth to her time on the team. Also, it’s not a cheap move to say that colleges love seeing debate on student resumes. In fact, many prefer debate to other oratory-based extracurriculars such as Model U.N. or mock trial because the focus for those activities may be more narrow. Debate covers far more than just politics and law, making for more well-rounded students.
By now, you probably have more than a few ideas about what you can do to build a new team. There are probably other opportunities exclusive to your school that aren’t listed above. Start by having a conversation with administration and then pursue two or three of these recommendations, then evaluate which were most effective. This way, you can stick to which ones had the most return on investment in your second year and abandon whatever didn’t move the needle.
If you put in the effort and only wind up with six debaters, that’s actually a good start, especially if you’re a new coach. Beginning with a smaller team gives you more room to work with students one-on-one to build their skills. As your team grows and your debaters get the hang of things, they’ll have a better grasp on their blind spots, and you can continue to work closely with new members each season.
Next Steps
Get parental buy-in. In CDA, we need one judge for every four students within a division, and you won’t be able to take on all judging responsibilities yourself. Parental involvement is crucial to your ability to compete. Take advantage of the materials for judges on our Resources page to help them understand what’s involved, and begin planning for your first competition.
Work out transportation for competitions. Arranging transportation can be tricky with district budgets, so your students may have to work out carpooling scenarios. Treat competitions like field trips, even if they are on the weekends, and ensure permission slips are signed and submitted on time.
Observe and practice. Oftentimes, observing a competition before debating can be a sound method of improving understanding for students and yourself. If you manage to put together a team early in the season, take advantage of our annual Novice Scrimmage, in which new novice competitors get to observe a demo round from varsity debaters and attend workshops before participating in practice rounds. As for how to run your own practices, our Resources page has multiple tools and links for new debaters. Review them before meeting with students to determine what will best meet their needs.
Compete as much as you can. Cliché as it may sound, there’s no substitute for experience. Debaters learn from competing and getting feedback. If your students can make at least three competitions a season, they will grow quickly.
Did we miss anything? Any recruitment strategies you’d recommend? Email us with your thoughts and we can continue to grow this list of best practices together.
Rick Pecka is the coach for Fitch High School and incoming Executive Director of the CDA.
