Information and Utility by English Debate Gurukul. “Information and Utility” is the topic of today’s video. We are currently publishing a series called “Introduction to English Debating”. “Preparation Time” is the 16th class of our new series “Introduction to English Debating”. In this series, you will get to know all about English Debating.
Information and Utility
Aside from the actual experience of debating against opponents, feedback is the most important element of a debate tournament. It is important to ensure that you get the most out of the debate tournament by maximizing your opportunities for feedback, as this represents the single best way for you to learn from rounds and improve at the activity.
After each round, the adjudicator will take some time to consider their decision. They will then let you know the result, explain the reasons for their decision, and will normally make themselves available for some team or individual feedback. Take the opportunity. There is always something you can learn from talking to the judge, and always something that you could have done to improve your chances of winning the round. Find out what it is, and try to improve on it in future debates.
When asking for individual feedback, or clarification of the reasoning for the result, always be respectful. Even if you disagreed with the decision, or even are upset at the judge for giving you a loss, your judge is likely more experienced in debate than you are. That is not to say that adjudicators are perfect, or always make the “right” call, but they are approaching the debate with a degree of objectivity that you are not.
It’s easy to think in retrospect that you explained something that an independent observer found unclear, or made an effective rebuttal that somebody else thought didn’t really take down an opponent’s argument. Learn to see yourself in debates as others see you, and you will find that your results improve.
Many tournaments will have a so-called “silent round” towards the end of the preliminary rounds. This is a round where you will not get the result and feedback afterward, as it is withheld to allow for more suspense when the breaking teams are announced.
After the break announcement, you are allowed to approach the judge for feedback on the round – admittedly, the longer this happens after the debate takes place, the harder it will be to get very detailed feedback on the round, but it is still worth trying. Try not to approach them late at night during a social event – judges don’t love this!
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