Resources
-
The following is a collection of planners, resources, and outlines that are designed to help debaters understand parliamentary debate and its nuances. These are great tools for beginning debaters, but as you hone your craft, you may find you need to rely on them less. Use what works for you!
Speaker Roles and Responsibilities
Understanding POIs, POOs, and POCs
-
Being a new coach can be daunting, whether it is registering students on Tabroom or figuring out how to train them. Here are some items to assist. If anything is unclear, feel free to contact us for support.
-
We recognize that most judges have no prior experience in debate. All judges will receive training on the day of a competition, but if you feel like you want to get a head start on learning what to expect, the following links will be useful.
-
There are many resources available online for new debaters, and it can be overwhelming to sift through them all. The following links may be useful as you begin your debate journey.
-
The International Debate Education Association has published a number of texts on speech, debate, rhetoric, logic and related topics. May of these are available for free download as pdf files, though they can also be purchased in soft- or hardcover. The texts may be found by selecting Publications on the Resources drop down menu.
Three parliamentary debate textbooks are of particular interest, and all three may be downloaded free in pdf form:
On That Point: An Introduction to Parliamentary Debate, by John Meany and Kate Shuster. Meany and Shuster are with the Claremont Colleges and sponsor the High School Public Debate Program. The book uses the same 2-on-2 debate format but slightly different speech timings and nomenclature than CDA.
Art, Argument and Advocacy: Mastering Parliamentary Debate by John Meany and Kate Shuster. Similar to the above, but a bit more advanced. The speech timings and nomenclature is the same as that used by CDA.
Debating in the World Schools Style: A Guide, by Simon Quinn. Quinn was a champion debater from Australia at the turn of the millenuma, and this is one of the best debate texts available. This text uses the World Schools format, which is 3-on-3 debating and different speech timings, but the material on argumentation, case prep, etc., is universal.
-
The CDA is not the only outlet for students to debate! The following tournaments are generally open to all of our members.
-
One advantage of sharing a debate format is taking advantage of training material prepared by others. The following debate leagues use a parliamentary format, and have material that may be of interest.
-
Westfield Academy
New York Parliamentary Debate League Online Summer Camp
“Rostrum” (NSDA Online Magazine - Frequently Advertises Summer Programs)