The document serves as an overview for a speech and debate class, detailing its goals, tournament structure, and requirements for participation and grading. Students are encouraged to work independently and collaboratively, while being informed of important resources, such as the national speech and debate association. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of maintaining professionalism during competitions and understanding the structure of various events.

1. Speech + Debate
Team
Be ready to give a short speech...

2. Table of contents
Points are impacted from effort
Understanding the Tournaments and
your involvement
Not just winning…
Tools and information you will need
to be successful
01 02
04
03
Class Overview Goals of the Tournament
How to Earn Points Resources

3. Speech practice
1) Scan the code to the right
2) Click “Generate Random Topic”
3) When I start the timer, you will have 7 minutes to
develop a 2 minute speech (250-300 words)
4) Assume NOBODY knows very much about the topic.
5) 15 seconds of grace for speech

4. Today’s Overview:
● What it means to be in the class/on the team
● Tournaments
● Earning points
● Gaining access to important resources
● Overview of different events

5. - Frank Sonnenberg
“You don’t win a debate by suppressing discussion; you
win it with a better argument.”

6. Speech and Debate Class
Details, details, details…
01

7. What is this class?
This course has fees:
● $XXX Course fee
● Special Trips - $ varies
● Incidentals - $ varies
● Drop Fees - $ varies
● Parent Participation (Booster Club)
○ Optional $XXX
Course Cost
You wouldn’t go to a basketball game
expecting to play without
attending/working hard in practice — this
is the same idea.
You earn “points” for your grade through
hard work in class, attending/competing
in tournaments, and getting help from
your varsity team & coaches.
Grades
This class acts as your practice/prep time to ready yourself for tournaments while enhancing
your overall knowledge of Speech and Debate.

8. You are NOT alone?
The team is structured in
a way for you to be able
to work independently
and also get the help you
need.
We have an Executive
Council and many varsity
members who are willing
and able to help.
(get to know them at practice)
You can get help from
your coaches during
class/practice.
In debate, you will likely
have team members
who can help.

9. Speech & Debate is a Sport
We meet and uphold all NSDA regulations.
You MUST maintain a passing average (for all classes) or you’re
benched for the quarter.
You can Letter in speech and/or debate.
Academic integrity is at the highest standard.
not a club

10. Tournaments Season…
Is right now.
02

11. Competition season
You have the ability to
compete in several
tournaments before
the National Qualifier,
Regionals, and the State
Tournament.
Nearly every tournament
is Friday night and all
day
Saturday.
Bring snacks & comfy
shoes.
I pay for every
tournament we attend
and every event you
enter in — if you no show
or drop after the
deadline, you will get a
fee.

12. Earning points
How you track your progress
03

13. ?

14. Points Breakdown:

15. Important Resources
Tools for Success
04

16. Everyone pull these up now:
Tabroom.com is the
tournament “hub”
I will walk you through this.
(bookmark this one)
The National Speech and
Debate Association is
found at
speechanddebate.org/join
You will be in your Google
Drive account a lot for this
class. Do yourself a favor
and create a “Speech &
Debate” folder for all things
speech and debate.
Tabroom NSDA Google Drive

17. What kind of event is best for me?

18. Questions?
Wanna
argue?

19. Events
So Many Choices
05

20. Events
You have many different events to choose from when looking at how you want to compete for
the team.
It’s recommended to have 2-3 events that you can strengthen and be competitive with in order to
compete at any tournament and earn as many points as possible.
You’ll get to pick what you want to learn about through the modules on Canvas. You’ll want to
learn at least 4 events before you can start choosing your specialty.

21. Dress Code and Behavior
Expectations
Debate tournaments often have
specific dress codes to maintain a
professional environment. Dressing
appropriately shows respect for the
event and enhances your credibility.
Additionally, maintaining proper
behavior during rounds is essential.
Being respectful and attentive to all
participants, including teammates and
opponents, is crucial for a positive
experience.

22. It's important to understand what to expect during a
round. Familiarize yourself with the structure, time
limits, and speaking order of each event.
Pay attention to the rules regarding cross-
examination, rebuttals, and questioning periods.
Being well-prepared for the round procedures will
give you a competitive edge.
Round Procedures

23. Understanding the Outcome
After completing a round, you may wonder how soon you will
know the results.
Sometimes, judges provide feedback immediately after the
round. Other times, you will only see feedback when ballots
are released.
It's essential to be patient and respectful while waiting for the
decision. Remember, winning or losing a round does not
define your overall performance.

24. What we discussed today…
01
02
04
03
Class Overview
Goals of the Tournament
How to Earn Points
Resources