Flowing for Debaters and Coaches Connecticut Middle School Debate - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Flowing for Debaters and Coaches Connecticut Middle School Debate League

Sample Flow:

General Flowing Tips 1. Keep taglines, warrants, evidence, and impacts on separate lines. a. This allows you to connect responses to specific pieces of arguments 2. Use arrows to connect arguments 3. Use as few words as possible! Develop symbols and abbreviations 4. When flowing the Proposition Rebuttal, make sure to flow all new responses to opposition arguments made in the 2nd Opposition Constructive

Flowing for Debaters: Setting Up Your Flow 1. The first speakers on Prop and Opp should pre-flow her contentions (and definitions, plan) a. You can pre-flow individual flow sheets OR b. You can write your definitions, plan (if you have one), and contentions on sticky notes and then transfer them between your flow sheets 2. All debaters should pre-flow their flow sheet definition section with all of the words they think SHOULD be defined. That way, it will be easily apparent if the Prop team forgets to define a term! 3. Use large paper: it’s better to have too much space than not enough a. Don’t use both sides of the paper for the same round!

Flowing for Debaters: During the Round 1. All debaters should flow ALL the speeches a. This way, if a debater misses something, they can ask to see their partners’ flows b. The only exception is the Opp Rebuttal speaker: use the 2nd Opp Constructive speech as time to plan your speech 2. Debaters should try to write down major responses they plan to make DURING their opponent’s speech a. They should also use prep time to flow the responses they plan to make 3. Encourage your debaters to prepare responses to Prop and Opp arguments/evidence. Write each response on a different piece of paper or index card. This will help debaters quickly identify refutations listening to their opponents’ speeches. Then, they can write the taglines of the prepared responses on their flows.

Flowing for Debaters: Teaching Flowing 1. Watch rounds with your debaters. Stop after every speech and review your debaters’ flows. a. Make sure that your debaters got all the key points in each speech b. Practice picking out different ELEMENTS of arguments: warrant, evidence, impact c. Final rounds are great for flowing practice, you can also flow online rounds 2. Practice summarizing points succinctly a. Brainstorm symbols and abbreviations your debaters can use 3. Many middle school debaters don’t signpost very well. Prepare your debaters to flow messy rounds where their opponents don’t clearly identify their contentions.

Flowing for Coaches and Judges 1. Use two colors. Note: some debaters do this too, but I don’t recommend it, because debaters are always flowing and writing responses simultaneously 2. Flow POIs 3. Be sure to write down all pieces of evidence AND (if possible) sources a. Sources are more important for judges than debaters, because you want to be able to give specific feedback about debaters’ cases 4. Rebuttals: the most difficult speeches to flow a. Flow miscellaneous responses the same way you would flow any refutation b. Flow voter issues separately (either on another sheet of paper or the same sheet)