Ultimate Guide to Debate Resources

Beginning in Ancient Greece, debate created a forum to present controversial topics in a structured
manner and argue them with the goal of a final resolution. Today, an example of a modern-day
resolution may be a presidential candidate proving that he or she is the best choice for the highest
political office or a high school debate team proving that their overall rhetoric and logic is superior to
the other competing teams. However, we don’t have prove anything with this guide. Instead, we will
offer you the indisputable facts: Below, you’ll find 40 handpicked, high-quality resources that will allow
you to do things such as learn a basic understanding of the types and components of debate, prepare
yourself to debate with success, give you an opportunity to vote on controversial online debate issues
and much, much more.

General Debate Resources

This section of general resources includes links to videos of actual debates, breathing exercises for more
efficient speaking, debate tips and tricks and more.

Debate.org – Join this free online community to find out the opinions of others, form your own opinion
and cast your vote on the most controversial topics.

The Economist: Debates – The debates that take place and are archived on this site use the Oxford style
of debating applied to participants in an online forum.

The Twelve Best Debate Tips We’ve Ever Heard – Plenty of debate tips are floating around out there, but
these are considered some of the best by the Debate Central website.

Breathing is the Key to Persuasive Public Speaking – Find out how to use breathing techniques to be able
to speak in a confident tone that people tune in to.

Debating Hints and Tips – Samantha Starkey, crowned World Champion of Public Speaking and Debate
in 2015, gives helpful tips on how to improve your debating skills.
Quick Tips for Winning Debates – Check out this helpful resource to learn how to get judges to vote for
you during a debate round.

Debate Format Resources

While this is not an exhaustive list of debate format resources, many of the most popular forms of
debate are included here.

Lincoln-Douglas Format – Lincoln-Douglas debating is a popular high school debate format. Each side has
one debater and they focus on competing values.

Traditional Debate Format – During a round of debate in the Traditional format, each team member
delivers a constructive speech and a rebuttal speech.

Team Policy Debate Format – This format is often practiced in high school settings. Each side has two
debaters, so a total of four people are participants.

Parliamentary Debate Format – Parliamentary debate consists of two students who support the
government side and two students who support the opposition side.

Oxford-Style Debate – Find out the modified rules and structure for the Oxford-Style debate.

Debate Study Resources

This section includes self-study resources to help you increase your debating skill sets through study
guides and other learning aids.

Everyday Debate – This blog by James Kellams, a debate coach, is targeted at high school debate
coaches and their students.

Speech and Debate Terms for Study – Follow this link to find 61 debate terms and definitions that are in
online flashcard format.

Learning Classic Debate – Within the 38 pages of this seven-chapter guide, find helpful information to
prepare you for Classic Debate competition.

Debate Vision – Find plenty of videos of actual debate rounds and lectures over various topics in
different academic settings.

Learn to Debate – This link directs you to resources organized by different types of debating formats
such as American Parliamentary, American Lincoln-Douglas and more.

10 Things Debaters Should Know About Economics – Via this resource, debaters can learn how to use
economic ideas in debates that are not based on economics.

12 Things Debaters Should Know About Law – Learn what you need to know about law and the legal
system to stay afloat during legal debate rounds.

Debate Teaching Resources

Preparing students to successfully debate is a task that takes research, a carefully planned curriculum
and a methodical approach to learning and practice. Find some helpful resources below to help you
achieve your goals.

International Debate Education Association – Recognized as the world’s top provider of debate
education, IDEA has a wealth of resources for educators.

Building a Successful Speech and Debate Team – This A to Z guide, written by Brenda Moe, is for the
novice speech and debate coach. It covers everything from explaining the speech and debate category
to detailing how to prepare for the following year when the current debate season ends.

National Debate Coaches Association – Improve your abilities as a high school coach, and create a more
effective learning environment for your students with the coaching resources found at the NDCA.

Essential Tips for Conducting a Class Debate – Learn how to introduce structured, formal debate
practices to your students via the best practices detailed here.

Debates in the Classroom – Find a variety of debate lesson plans that work well for students in
elementary, middle or high school plus a link to a resource page that features rubrics, topics, strategies
and rules for classroom debating.

Classroom Debates – This no-prep resource provides some sample topics that you can use with the
debate structure detailed on the site.

Logic Resources

When debating, sound logic is key to your success. Educate yourself on the different logical fallacies, and
learn how to think more critically about the information you encounter to avoid them.
Recognizing the Top 20 Logical Fallacies – Fallacies are used by those who base their arguments on false
or flawed information. Discover the top 20 here.

Logical Fallacies Handlist – This logical fallacies list was organized in categories: fallacies of relevance,
component fallacies, fallacies of ambiguity, and fallacies of omission.

Occam’s Razor – This reasoning principle, attributed to William of Ockham, a 14th-century logician and
Franciscan monk, states that the principle of the simplest idea must always be the best one.

Thou Shalt Not Commit Logical Fallacies – This website is uniquely designed to educate people on the
different logical fallacies. It also offers a helpful and free fallacies poster that can be downloaded and
printed in several different sizes.

Rhetoric Resources

Learn more about rhetoric in general, find rhetorical device definitions and examples or learn what’s
important when teaching students of rhetoric via this well-rounded section.

Rhetorical Devices – This list of 29 rhetorical devices, including complete definitions, starts with allusion
and ends with sarcasm.

The Forest of Rhetoric – This guide has links to explanations for over 100 Greek and Latin rhetorical
terms and offers a detailed overview of rhetoric.

Rhetoric – Via this link, find out what rhetoric is, common rhetorical mistakes people make and how
rhetoric works.
A Handbook of Rhetorical Devices – Find definitions and examples of 60-plus traditional rhetorical
devices, which include rhetorical tropes and figures.

American Rhetoric – Interested in learning more about rhetoric? Or perhaps you’re in need of access to
famous historical speeches. This site contains these type of resources and more related to American
rhetoric.

What Do Students Need to Know About Rhetoric? – Teachers of rhetoric will appreciate Hepzibah
Roskelly’s perspective on what students need to know about the subject.

Aristotle’s Rhetoric – Find a comprehensive overview of Aristotle’s Rhetoric in Stanford’s Encyclopedia

of Philosophy, but don’t expect light reading.

Debate-Style Podcasts

Keep your mind engaged throughout the day with the concentrated bursts of information that these
debate-style podcasts can provide.

Intelligence Squared – When Forbes recognizes a podcast as one of the “top podcasts to change the way
you think,” it serves as a source of intrigue. Find out why by listening to IQ2US, which has presented a
plethora of debates on important issues participated in by leading authorities.

Waking Up – This podcast, hosted by Sam Harris – neuroscientist and philosopher – explores issues that
are controversial and relevant in today’s world.
We the People – This podcast broadcasts constitutional debates conducted by Jeffrey Rosen, the
National Constitution Center president. The debate participants include attorneys or judges who are
well-versed in various constitutional issues.

The Rubin Report – The Rubin Report podcast, which is hosted by Dave Rubin, focuses on “big ideas and
free speech.” Discover current and past podcasts on debatable topics that are timely and controversial.

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