Learn Debate
Free guides on debate formats, adjudication, speaker training, and tournament organisation. Whether you're a first-time debater or an experienced chief adjudicator, there's something here for you.
A Beginner's Guide to Competitive Debate
Everything a first-time debater needs to know — what competitive debate is, how tournaments work, essential skills to develop, and how to get started in your local circuit.
Understanding Debate Adjudication Panels
How adjudication panels work in competitive debate — chair and wing roles, panel deliberation, consensus vs. majority decisions, and how to disagree constructively.
How to Prepare for a Debate Tournament
A complete preparation guide for competitive debaters — from research and casebuilding weeks before the tournament to warm-ups on the morning of competition.
Reply Speeches: Strategy and Structure
How to deliver an effective reply speech — structuring your summary, framing the debate, and maximizing impact. Essential for Australs and WSDC debaters.
Using NekoTab to Run Your Tournament
A walkthrough of NekoTab features — setting up a tournament, importing data, running rounds, and publishing results. The complete guide to using NekoTab for tournament tabulation.
The Role of the Chief Adjudicator
What chief adjudicators do, how they set motions, manage panels, and ensure fair adjudication across a tournament. A guide for aspiring CAs.
Points of Information (POIs): A Complete Guide
Master the art of giving and responding to Points of Information in parliamentary debate. Covers timing, strategy, etiquette, and common mistakes.
Organising Your First Debate Tournament
A step-by-step checklist for hosting a competitive debate tournament — from venue booking to tab release. Everything a first-time tournament director needs to know.
How to Write a Good Motion
Guidelines for crafting fair, debatable motions — including balance testing, clarity, and avoiding common pitfalls. Essential reading for chief adjudicators and tournament organisers.
Building Strong Arguments in Debate
Learn the fundamentals of argument construction — from assertion to reasoning to evidence — to make your debate speeches more persuasive and structurally sound.
Speaker Scores: What the Numbers Mean
Demystifying speaker score ranges — learn what constitutes an average, good, and excellent speech across major debate formats, and how judges should calibrate their scores.
How to Judge a BP Debate
A practical guide for adjudicators new to BP debate — covering team ranking, speaker scores, the principles of fair adjudication, common mistakes, and how to deliver clear oral adjudications.
WSDC Format Explained
An overview of the World Schools Debating Championship (WSDC) format — the premier format for high school debate worldwide. Covers structure, motions, scoring, and preparation tips.
Understanding Australs 3v3 Format
Learn about the Australs (3v3) debate format — a two-team structure with three speakers per side widely used in Asia-Pacific debate circuits. Covers structure, roles, reply speeches, and strategy.
What Is British Parliamentary (BP) Debate?
A comprehensive introduction to British Parliamentary debate — the most widely used format in university-level competitive debating worldwide. Learn about the structure, speaker roles, extensions, and scoring.
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