Greetings, friends!
Lyle here - the coffee fueled wanderer lost in the hope of coming Spring host of the One Clap Speech and Debate Podcast. I come to you one last time bearing Winter gifts!
Welcome to A Long Winter’s Clap - 12 Days Speech and Debate Event Overviews. Yes, Holidays are long gone… but Winter? Winter never leaves Wyoming…. And officially it is here until mid-March anyway. So, here it is… the final episode!
For these episodes, One Clap gets down to event overviews and resources that I hope will be helpful for novice judges, coaches, or competitors.
What is the deal with these One Clap Winter shows? Well, for each ep I will provide a quick overview of the chosen event, a couple of spicy and sweet tips for each event from expert coaches or competitors, and links to helpful resources to help you rock your performance on our website. These overviews are not meant to be comprehensive, but should hopefully give you some information on each event and then provide resources for an independent deep dive for listeners.
Settle in for a helpful event-overview gift for your speech-loving ears from One Clap Speech and Debate!
Today…
Public Forum Debate
Aka PF
Public Forum Debate is a partner debate that was designed to be an accessible debate in the style of presidential debates on current event topics that change monthly. It is a shorter form debate than Policy Debate, with some very different strategic elements.
Here is a description of PF Debate straight from the NSDA:
“Public Forum involves opposing teams of two, debating a topic concerning a current event. Proceeding a coin toss, the winners choose which side to debate (PRO or CON) or which speaker position they prefer (1st or 2nd), and the other team receives the remaining option. Students present cases, engage in rebuttal and refutation, and also participate in a “crossfire” (similar to a cross examination) with the opportunity to question the opposing team. Oftentimes community members are recruited to judge this event.”
Public Forum Debate has some very unique qualities that make it a popular form of debate for student competitors: the speeches are short and punchy, the cross-examination allows for a back-and-forth question and answer free for all, the topics are constantly changing and feel fresh, and the debates are fast paced and fun. PF is a debate with accessible appeal that can really help students acquire usable argumentation skills and political savvy.
Here are some helpful tips and ideas for Public Forum Debaters from friends of the podcast and superstar speech and debate seniors: YuYu Yuan from Cheyenne East and Josh Hansen from Jackson. YuYu will first drop five tips and tricks for PF debaters. Josh will then jump in and talk about three different areas that he believes help PF debaters find success in a little bit more detail.
YuYu:
Have confidence in your arguments.
Prep by researching and writing blocks.
Make logical arguments and analysis.
Weigh.
Time allocation.
Josh:
You win the rounds you win through the preparation you do outside of rounds.
Get on the same page with your partner.
Structure and presentation matters. Find what works for you.
Thanks so much to YuYu and Josh for their excellent takes on Public Forum Debate. If you’d like to hear more from YuYu and Josh on One Clap - you are in luck! Both are good friends of the podcast, and I will link to their previous episodes on the show. I will also link to other helpful resources for Public Forum Debate on oneclapspeechanddebate.com. If you have or know of more resources for students, coaches, or judges - reach out and let me know. I’ll link to these resources on the website as well!
If you have an idea or a request for One Clap Speech and Debate, shoot me an email at lylewiley@gmail.com or reach out on the One Clap Speech and Debate Podcast website or social media - linked in the show notes.
This Year, maybe consider supporting One Clap Speech and Debate by checking out our patreon page linked in the show notes. You can partner with me on this journey for as little as 1 dollar a month and stop patronage at any time!
Be sure to subscribe, rate, and review the One Clap Podcast wherever you listen! Watch for new episodes of One Clap, Rock On! Debate, Coach Connection, and Speech Love!
Thank you for listening, best of luck to everyone out there competing at tournaments, and Clappy Holidays from One Clap!
