REBUTTALS

Most debaters, coaches, and judges would agree that rebuttals are the most difficult and yet the most important parts of the debate. Not only is there less time within each speech, but each debater has to sort through all of the issues to determine which ones are the most important ones! What a debater does or does not do in rebuttals will decide who wins the debate. Very few debaters (especially beginners) can hope to extend everything that happened in the constructive speeches. Debaters don't have to do that and just because a team may have dropped a point or an argument is not an automatic reason to vote against that team. What matters is the type of argument that is extended or dropped in rebuttals-this will determine the winner of the round.

Think about these four issues when rebuttals happen:

1. Which arguments have more weight at the end of the round?

2. Which outcomes (disads, counterplans) are more likely given lots of internal links?

3. What about time frame-what happens first?

4. What about the quality of evidence?

Here are some other helpful hints:

1. Avoid repetition. Don't just repeat your constructive arguments. Beat the other team's arguments and tell the judge why your arguments are better.

2. Avoid passing ships. Don't avoid what the other team said. You must clash directly with their responses.

3. Avoid reading evidence only. You must be explaining and telling the judge why these issues win the debate.

4. Avoid rereading evidence that has already been read in constructives. You can make reference to it by referring to it, but don't re-read it.

5. Avoid"lumping and dumping."Don't try to go for everything. You can't make 12 responses to each argument in a few minutes.

  1. Be organized. Don't jump from issue to issue at random. Be specific and logical about winning issues.

  2. Don't be a blabbering motormouth. Speak quickly but not beyond your ability. If you speak too fast, you will stumble and not get through as much.

  3. Don't whine to the judge about fairness or what the other team might have done that you think is unethical. Make responses and beat them.

9. Don't make new arguments. You can read new evidence but you can't run new disadvantages or topicality responses. You are limiting to extending the positions laid out in the constructive speeches.

10. Use signposting . Make sure the judge knows where you are on the flowsheet. This is not the time to lose the judge on the flow.

11. Use issue packages. Organize your arguments into issue packages. Choose arguments which you want to win. Don't go for everything. Extend those arguments that you need to win.

12. Cross-apply arguments. If you dropped an argument in a prior speech that you think was important don't act like your losing. Cross-apply arguments you made somewhere else in the debate to answer it.

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