Resources for Coaches

Welcome Coaches!

Welcome to a new year with SEDA! Whether you're returning or joining us for the first time, we’re thrilled to have you as part of our debate community. Your dedication helps students find their voices and think critically.

Debate club registration and benefits 

Why register?

  • Voting privileges at our Annual General Meeting
  • Access to lesson plans and tailored support
  • Access to a club view to track your clubs registrations
  • **NEW** Access to a $200 credit for your students towards tournament registrations
  • **NEW** There is no fee for club membership!

Student membership fees

Students who want to participate in SEDA events must register as a student member and pay the student membership fee of $50. Additional fees apply for:

  • Online tournaments ($20)
  • In-person tournaments ($40)
  • Workshops (variable pricing)

Financial assistance is available and can be requested on registration forms. A parent or legal guardian must fill in the student membership form.

SEDA will provide coaches with a handout for parents to introduce them to SEDA.

Tournament registration & Schedule

The Event Calendar shows upcoming tournaments. Each event has its own detail page and registration link. Please note:

  • Registration opens a minimum of two weeks before and closes one week before the event
  • Coaches or parents can complete tournament registration. Coaches must know the student’s financial aid preference if submitting
  • You’ll receive a link to track your club’s registrations

Volunteer Judges

Our tournaments depend on volunteer judges to support debaters.

  • Each team must provide one judge (parent, family, friend, teacher) at every event they compete in
  • No experience is needed
  • We offer judge training at every tournament

National Debate Opportunities 

If your students are highly competitive debaters who would like to participate in national debate opportunities, please refer to our qualifying criteria in the programs section of our website. This page will list the national opportunities and how to qualify for them.

 

Basic Argument Construction

Everyone has made an argument before. If you’ve ever persuaded your parents to let you out of the house late, or convinced your teacher to raise your grade, you already know the basics of building an argument. In debate, argumentation is the foundation of every speech. In order to be successful at debate, developing the skills to make a persuasive, organized argument is key.

When constructing an argument for any case, it’s important to have organization not just in your speech as a whole, but in your argument as well. For younger debaters learning the basics of argumentation, we use an acronym to remember the structure of each argument. 

Label

Before developing an argument you need to tell the judges what your argument is about. A label should clarify to your judges the main idea of your argument in less than a sentence. 

Explain

Once you’ve told the judges what your argument is about, you need to explain what exactly you meant. This section of your argument is also referred to as analysis. It is very important that as you explain your argument you walk your judge logically through the steps of your point. Your ultimate goal is to show the judges why your argument is true.

Example

After explaining why your argument is true, it is very useful to provide an example or evidence to support your claim. In a prepared motion, you might use statistics or a very specific example. But in an impromptu round, it is unlikely that you know tons about the topic. If you do, that’s great! Otherwise, using general examples or linking your argument to another idea can be just as useful. Make sure to explain why your example is relevant; if you don’t tie it to your argument, the example doesn’t serve a purpose. 

Tieback

A tie back is a few sentences explaining what makes your argument so important to the round and why it belongs in your case. Think of it as the concluding sentence in a written paragraph. 

An example of LEET (motion: THW install bike lanes in major cities)

Label: Bike lanes are safer for cyclists

Explain: Both being on sidewalks and unprotected roads can be dangerous for cyclists. If unknowing pedestrians or cars fail to see cyclists, it can be incredibly dangerous. Cyclists are threatened in both places making cycling an inaccessible option for people. 

Example: In New York city, the introduction of smart bike lanes led to a 56% reduction in injuries to all street users. This included large reductions for cyclists, pedestrians, and fewer collisions overall. 

Tieback: Because bike lanes provide a safer environment for all traffic it is critical that we form protected bike lanes on all major streets. 

How do I practice?

Pick a motion and a side. Think of one argument that you would want to make, then following the steps of LEET, try to fill out your argument. When it’s written ask yourself:

  • Does my argument have an introduction that would tell the judges what I was going to say?
  • Does my argument have several lines explaining my topic sentence? Would judges now think my argument was true?
  • Does my argument have examples or evidence that I can link to the explanation?
  • Did I explain why my evidence is important or directly related to my argument?
  • Does my argument have a concluding sentence that explains why my argument matters?

Practicing with a partner also helps. Even if you think your argument makes sense, another person might not understand it. Deliver arguments to another person and ask them the questions. If your argument doesn’t meet all the elements of LEET, how could you improve it?

Kids Explain LEET

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