FLOWING

INTRODUCTION:

Taking notes properly ("flow sheeting"or"flowing"is the debate term) is an essential entry level skill for novice debaters. In order to answer arguments by your opponents, you must be able to write them down so that you can remember them and respond to them in order. Likewise, your flow sheet becomes the text which you use when you speak...it becomes the notes which you speak from. You must work at improving your flowing and you will never be too good at it. More than any other skill besides speaking itself, flowsheeting is important to your debate experience....and important to winning.

WHAT TO WRITE WITH

Write in black, it is easier to read. Use something which moves smoothly over the paper and allows you to write quickly. Use something which does not smear. Use something which is comfortable in your hand. Try a medium point pen, though if you write small use a fine point, and if you write large you can get away with a broad point pen. Always have lots of the right kinds of pens.

WHAT TO WRITE ON

Most debaters flow on yellow legal pads. Yellow because it is easy to read (especially with black ink!), and a legal size (8.5"x 14") because it allows for more room. Some debaters buy a ream of white legal size paper and just use that as it is more economical. Legal paper in pads allows you to have several pages attached together at the top.

HOW MANY COLUMNS TO USE

There are 8 speeches in the debate, but you will only need 7 columns. This is because the 2NC-1NR occur one right after the other without an intervening affirmative speech, so they can share the same column.

Thus, the 7 columns would be: 1AC, 1NC, 2AC, 2NC-1NR, 1AR, 2NR, 2AR. My advice is to draw these columns in on your pages well before the debate starts. You should flow the entire debate, even after you have given your rebuttal, so that you can help your partner. For new issues introduced in 2NC (which happens from time to time) you will only need 4 columns: 2NC, 1AR, 2NR, 2AR. [SEE APPENDIX TWO FOR A SAMPLE FLOW]

USE OF SEPARATE PADS/SHEETS

It is often useful to have several different pads, and put different kinds of arguments on each one. For example, the affirmative case could be on one pad, the negative topicality and procedural arguments could be on another, the negative disadvantages could be on a third pad, and the negative counterplan could be on a fourth pad...depending on if these issues make an appearance at all. This use of separate pads allows you to keep your notes organized around major types of issues in the debate. You don't want a bunch of loose sheets of paper flying all over.

LEAVE ROOM ON YOUR FLOW

As a speech is given, you write down what is being said in that speech's column. If, for example, it is a negative argument against the case made in 1NC you would flow it on the case pad, in the 1NC column, next to the part of the case the argument clashes with. But it is very important not to crowd things together. If things are all packed together on your flow it will be hard to refer to it and read from it when you are speaking. Do not be afraid to use many pages, with a different major point on each page. Also, when you flow issues just being introduced into the debate (affirmative case, negative counterplan, etc.) do not try and put them one right under another on your flow...space them out. Leave open space in the beginning and then it will be there if and when you need it.

SYMBOLIC VOCABULARY

People speak more quickly than you can write, therefore your flow will not contain a word for word version of what you and/or your opponents say, but it will (hopefully) contain a shortened and meaningful version of the idea they are expressing. One useful way to do that is to use symbols to stand for concepts we commonly encounter in an argumentative situation. By turning their statements into a new symbolic and abbreviated form, we can boil down what they are saying into what they mean.

Logic symbols: Some useful symbols of this type include: [imagine the drawing if it is in brackets]

[arrow up] means increasing or increases.

[arrow down] means decreasing or decreases.

= means is, or the same as

----> means causes or leads to

> means greater than

< means less than

Also, all of these can be negated (turned into not) by putting a line through them, so you get not increasing, not decreasing, not equal to or not same as, not lead to or not cause, etc.

Debate symbols:

x piece of evidence used by speaker

? no answer to this

[triangle] change

[small circle with line through it] assertion which should have been proven

[small circle with x through it] evidence does not prove argument claimed

ABBREVIATIONS VOCABULARY

Also, you will develop abbreviations for common debate terms as well as common terms in the topic. If you are making an abbreviation for the first time try just leaving the vowels out, thus"hospital"becomes"hsptl."As you become more familiar with an abbreviation you can drop out more and more characters to increase efficiency.

Debate abbreviations:

T=topicality

DA=disadvantage

K=critique

H=harm

SV=solvency

AC=aff case

AP=aff plan

CP=counterplan

VI=voting issue

You will develop your own.

Topic abbreviations:

You will develop your own.

When you combine argument and debate symbols with debate and topic abbreviations, you are able to quickly write down what the arguments of your opponent mean in a way that can make sense to you and that you can interpret to the critic.

EXAMPLE:

"Legislating new mandatory minimum sentences would let criminals know that they will do time if they get caught, and so they will think twice about committing more crimes."

BECOMES:

"[arrow up] MM ---> percep of crims = [arrow down] Cr"

HELPFUL TIPS

1. Never give up. If you miss something, get the next argument. Once you stop flowing in a debate, you are opting out of meaningful participation in it.

2. Try and write down everything you can. Pour your entire attention and energy into this task.

3. Ask to see the flows of your coaches and fellow debaters. Learn from them.

4. Practice...go and watch a debate and try to take the best flow you can.

5. Look at your flows and see how many of these techniques you have used.

6. Don't be disorganized. When flowing the disorganized speaker, do not follow his or her example. Write all of his or her arguments in one column on a separate legal pad. Then in you speech, answer all of his or her arguments. Then go back to the structure and point out what you are winning and what your opponent failed to answer in his or her speech.

7. Use structure. Structure and label all the arguments on your flow the same way that the speaker you are flowing is structuring and labeling his or her arguments. Be sure to write down all the numbers and letters you hear on your flow so that you can refer to specific subpoints of your partner or the other team later in the debate.

8. Use pre-flows. Flow all of your arguments clearly before you speak. Before the debate, it will sometimes be possible to pre-flow generic arguments on post-it notes.

8. Use your partner. If you cannot flow all of Your arguments before you speak, hand your flow to your partner during cross-examination and have him or her fill in your flow for you. Use the other team's prep time to talk to your partner about arguments you might have missed.

9. Label your arguments. On your briefs and pre-flows, label your arguments with short, accurate, precise, and specific labels, which are no more than four words long. As you are labeling, put the crucial words first. If you label arguments correctly, you will be able to give a better speech because your judge, partners and opponents will find you easier to f low.

Flowing Speech by Speech

1NR: Everyone flows this speech.

1AR: Everyone flows this speech.

2NR: Everyone flows this speech.

2AR: Everyone flows this speech.

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