Negative Strategies
This is the first strategy of the negative team.
What is meeting to determine who will research which topics and how to organize the research to share?
This is a problem that exists because of the current policy.
What is a harm?
These are the four major issues that the affirmative must prove and the negative may attack.
What are the stock issues?
This purpose of this part of the debate is to shore up your constructive arguments against the pressure the other team has applied.
What are the REBUTTALS?
The rebuttals are given to persuade these people.
Who are the judges?
This is the format of the negative argument that both partners will use.
What is the outline?
This is the specific law or policy change the affirmative team's plan is proposing.
What is the mandate?
Whether or not the affirmative's HARMS are caused by the current policy and thus can be fixed by changing it.
You should open and close your rebuttal with these.
What are introductions and thanks?
During the rebuttals, the speaker may appeal to these.
What are logos, ethos, and pathos?
This is the second most important strategy of the negative team in complex debates.
What is research the policy itself: what it is, how it works, who it benefits, and who it hurts?
This is a positive outcome, typically REVERSING a harm, resulting from the affirmative PLAN.
What is an advantage?
Whether or not the affirmative's HARMS or ADVANTAGES are important.
What is Significance?
Before you refer to your case, you should do this in the early part of your rebuttal.
The Negative Team doesn't need to defeat every point of the Affirmative Team's case. If they prove that the audience doesn't understand what is being argued they have attacked this.
What are the Definitions?
In order to construct a case against a resolution, the negative team should gather this.
What is evidence to provide additional support for their case?
This is a brief explanation in your own words of how your evidence proves your point.
What is a summary?
Whether or not the affirmative case will solve the HARMS it has identified.
What is solvency?
You should spend the majority of your rebuttal on these.
What are your best argument, rebuilding your case and leaving a strong impression on the judge?
If the negative team can prove that affirmative team's solution will not correct the problem or is too expensive or unenforceable, then the negative team has effectively attacked this.
What is the Plan?
During the round, it is essential that the negative team actively do this.
What is listen enough to ask good cross-examination questions?
Both partners should be listening and can share questions with one another before cross-examining begins.
This is the affirmative's obligation to substantiate claims, where the negative may simply cast doubt.
What is burden of proof?
Whether or not the affirmative case stays with the boundaries of the RESOLUTION.
What is Topicality?
Due to poorly braced roofs, and later the height of cathedrals and castles, creating enormous pressure on the building materials, architects added these to diffuse the pressure on walls.
What are buttresses?
If the negative team can effectively attack the affirmative team's definitions, harms, or plan, it is safe to conclude that these are smoke and mirrors since they will never happen.
What are the Advantages?