Monash Association of Debaters

by Craig Rawson

To those of you new to debating or more used to debating after two weeks of preparation, secret topics may come as a suprise and a challenge. Many regard secret topics as a more spontaneous and dynamic format which challenges both quick thinking and the depth of a debater's knowledge.

Watch your time
The first thing that all debaters new to secret topic preparation must bear in mind is: don't panic. A one hour (or even fifteeen minute) preparation can be very successful as long as you manage you time. It may sound obvious, but manage your time with a watch! one member should be responsible.

Brainstorm and sift
Start by trying an exercise you probably haven't tried since Grade 5: brainstorm. A brainstorm is where each member spends a few minutes (2-5) jotting down ideas that come into their head. The purpose of this is to allow a team to canvass as many ideas in as short a time. Write down everything. Then, as a group, go through each person's ideas. Often an idea which you could not finish will start a teamate off on a successful development of your case. The purpose of this is to bring out a great quantity of ideas and then to qualitatively analyse them as a group.

Find a definition
The first major obastacle your team has to overcome is to arrive at a definition of the topic. In a debate of one hour you should aim to have your definition finalised after 15-20 minutes at the latest. Remember to select a definition that makes for the best debate don't be tempted to choose the definition most favourable to your case as it could be truistic.

Marshall supporting arguments
Once you have decided on the definition, it's time to marshall some supporting arguments. It's easy to fall into the trap of arguing by example don't. Get a list of the best four or six arguments from your brainstorm and whittle this down to two or three. At this stage you start to decide which arguments go first, second and so on and what your team line is. In a one hour preparation, all this should be accomplished in around 30-40 minutes.

Develop yours and your team's case
Now that each person knows where their arguments fit into the team case, you need to spend some time developing your speech. Remember stick to your team line and team split. This is a good time for third speakers to bounce ideas off their teamates and vice versa. In the last five minutes the third speaker should ask for a synopsis of each of the first two speeches for their own summary; this also to makes sure the case is following the team line.

For 15 minute preparation, the principle of time management is still the same. Keep arguments simple here - one basic argument per speech.

Finally, while many approach secret topics with trepidation, many also get life from a format which requires the debater to react as the debate changes course rather than be locked into a rigidly prepared argument.

Preparation in Secret Topic Debates