Drill of the Week – Responding to Spec Theory

Instructions

This drill is adapted from an exercise we ran during the Premier Debate Online Winter Camp. For this drill, we will be responding to a common specification theory argument read on the 2018 January-February topic. You can download it here.

Step 1: Flow the shell, either reading it yourself or having a teammate spread it (good for practicing flowing too).

Step 2: Assuming you defend the whole resolution (in other words, you violate), take prep time to develop a counter-interpretation (why non-specification is good) and objections to the shell.

For beginning theory debaters:

• Step 3: Take up to 2:00 of prep and try to come up with 10 arguments (summing your counter-standards and any objections to the shell).
• Step 4: Deliver your responses in under 2:00.

For advanced theory debaters:

• Step 3: Take up to :60 of prep and try to come up with 15-20 arguments (summing your counter-standards and any objections to the shell). You might not hit 15-20 written on your flow but instead have them in your head, and that’s okay.
• Step 4: Deliver your responses in under :90.

Points of Emphasis

• No generalities about ground. Give concrete examples of ground (arguments) that would be allowed or eliminated by your interpretation and theirs. Explain why the ground they want is not valuable, allowed by your interpretation, or trades off with better ground.
• Predict the 2NR. It’s important to see where the theory debate is going: What are the weak points? What is your opponent likely to extend? Is this ultimately a fairness vs. education debate or reasonability vs. competing interpretations? Etc. Think about where you want to be in the 2AR and ‘protect’ or ‘bulk up’ those options in the 1AR with some extra analysis and weighing.
• Round focus or norms? Decide whether you’ll focus on the effects in this debate (e.g. “I didn’t have prep on a hyper-specific affirmative” or “they could shift in the 1AR to eliminate this disadvantage I ran”) or the effects if the interpretation were adopted by everyone (e.g. “we would have the same general debate about plea bargains every round”) or both! Advanced: argue for why your model is better.
• Reasonability vs. Competing Interpretations is no risk. If you’re not initiating theory in the 1AR, you almost always want to defend reasonability. If you’re going for theory in the 2NR, you almost always want to defend competing interpretations. Determine whether the time it takes to win that debate is worth the reward.

Extensions & Variations

• Efficiency. For beginners, try to cut off :30 in an immediate redo (no extra prep). For advanced, try to cut off :15. To keep your flow going, focus on good signposting (e.g. “On ground. One. Turn – you kill X ground because…” or “Use reasonability. One…”). Don’t waste time cross-applying your own standards or summarizing their arguments in too much detail.
• Micro issue selection. For beginners, take prep to select your 5 best arguments and deliver your speech in :60, weighing or ‘blowing up’ those 5 to have maximum impact. For advanced, do the same with 8 arguments. Which responses get you the most mileage?
• Micro mastery. Take :90 of prep and deliver a :60 1AR that only goes for…
  • CX checks (i.e., asking me to specify in CX solves all the abuse).
  • Offense linking to Education OR Fairness, but not both. Say why the one you go for outweighs the other.
  • Reasonability (include a brightline and argue why it’s best).
• Metatheory. Can you think of a metatheory argument against this shell? Does it isolate genuine, structural abuse? Deliver a metatheory shell in :45 with :15 of “metatheory first” weighing (aim for 3 unique arguments).
• Now you’re neg. For beginners, deliver a 4:00 2NR going for spec theory against the best version of your 1AR. For advanced, 6:00.

Want to learn more drills like this? Apply to attend Premier Debate Institute in Summer 2018! Learn more at premierdebate.com/camps.

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