Alrighty everyone, welcome to my guide! This might seem like a pretty open and shut topic, but I bet some of you are doing some of these things without even realizing it. Please note that this guide will not discuss how to prepare your arguments or carry out your speech, as other guides will be covering those already. So without further ado, here’s what not to do…

1. …during your 15 minute prep:

1. Don’t sit silently by yourself and think about points:

While this might seem like the right thing to do, by doing this you are in fact gimping yourself and your team, and for a very simple reason: 3 minds are better than one! You should bounce ideas off one another constantly, as one of your teammates might think of a strong rebuttal for a point you thought sturdy, thus saving you time developing that point and potentially not weakening your argument.

2. Don’t talk too loudly:

This one is pretty obvious. Doing so will instantly bias your judge against you, which apart from potentially ruining your friend’s debate, might also ruin your own.

3. If all members of your team speak another language, don’t talk in English:

What’s the one thing you can count on in the World Scholar’s Cup? Everyone you meet will know English. So to eliminate the chances of the opposing team overhearing you and preparing rebuttals ahead of time, just speak a different language.

4. Don’t attempt to write out your entire speech:

This harkons back to the 1st point: if you’re writing out your entire speech, you won’t have ample time to discuss your points and strategy with your teammates!

2. …during the debate itself:

1. Don’t distract the speaker in any way:

Once again, pretty self explanatory. Like talking too loudly during the prep time, doing this will instantly bias the judge against you, and you will see it reflected in your scores. Examples include making exaggerated facial expressions, excessive gestures, or talking with your teammates.

2. Don’t bother your teammate if they ask to be left alone:

During the minute you get in-between speeches, if your teammate asks you to be quiet and let him write, do it. DO NOT tell him the amazing rebuttal you just thought of or that one point you all forgot about during the prep. This can and will throw them off during their upcoming speech. I’ve seen it happen multiple times, and it usually leads to fighting after the debate is over, in addition to everything else.

3. Don’t attempt to look at the judge’s timer to see how much time you have left:

It will most likely be seen as an attempt to peek at the scores. Instead, just bring a timer (though not a phone, as those now need to be put away before the debate starts).

3. …after the debate itself:

1. Don’t ignore the judge’s instructions:

Again, pretty obvious. Listen to the judge! If they say not to keep arguing the motion during the feedback session, don’t do it! Your scoring will reflect it if you do.

2. Don’t dunk on the opposing team in the feedback:

Pretty simple one, try to be positive in your feedback, but don’t say only positive things. A good rule of thumb for your feedback is to sandwich the critiques between compliments. So start your feedback by complimenting the speaker, then say what they can improve, and then follow up with another compliment. You should try to include at least one aspect they can improve upon if you can find one, but don’t include too many, as you don’t want to be too negative.

4. General things to avoid:

1. Don’t take small talk too far:

If you see 2 teams outside your room, or if all members of both teams are ready to start, now isn’t the time to talk to your judge about whatever random topic you just thought up. This might seem extremely obvious, but I’ve seen it happen more than once, so I thought it to be worth mentioning here, just in case.

2. Don’t be disrespectful:

Again, self explanatory, but please don’t curse, call the opposing team idiotic for making the arguments they did, and definitely don’t mention the Holocaust or 1984.

And that’s it! I hope you learned something from this guide, and will improve your debate etiquette going forward. Thanks for reading!