Getting involved as a novice in the world of debate can often be overwhelming – what with the seemingly impossible skill gap and the pretentious jargon. To help you along this process, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best resources to help you better get involved in both our club and the world of debating at large.
Formats
- To learn about the formats we use in debate, refer to the video by the Vancouver Debate Academy about the British Parliamentary (BP) Format and this slideshow by our very own Elaine Zhao on the Canadian Parliamentary (CP) format.
- We typically debate BP in most large tournaments through the year, and CP in some tournaments in winter.
Jargon
- To demystify debate jargon, refer to the Debate Dictionary by Nyx Kucharski! A must read for new debaters!
Learning
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To kickstart the process of getting better (listed in increasing order of complexity):
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BP Role Fulfillment Cheat Sheet by the Toronto Debate Academy
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BP Cheat Sheet by the Bard Debate Union
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Building Arguments 101 by Nyx Kucharski – to get you started on how to go from thinking of an idea to ironing out a good debate argument
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BP Guide Book by the Toronto Debate Academy. This is the most advanced resource on this list, for if you really want to start getting a grasp of some strategic debate tools used commonly in the circuit.
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If you’re serious about competing and have a good grasp of the basics, check out the Advanced Resources page.