(this is something I wrote to distribute at tournaments-- please comment. And no, I did not steal this from the front page, thankyouverymuch. :-))
Welcome to the NCFCA Openness Project!
Opening the door to better debate.
This is a project within NCFCA dedicated to increasing the quality of debate within our league, and thus ultimately our ability to glorify God. This project deals with being open within our debates the same way we would in the real world. Because we can't keep our case secret when we're defending Christ.
And so, that is why the openness project began. We're a undefined bunch of individuals who are open with arguments, cases, even entire briefs. While this may seem like a strange thing to do, it's really just one step out of Debateland ™ and into the foreign place called the Real World © .
But more specifically, what does it mean to be open? Well, there are varying degrees of openness. Some go as far as posting their 1AC up on the wall at tournaments, others merely post their case title on a caselist, or even something as small as handing your 1AC to the other team before the round instead of during cross examination. In any case, being open will not only bring experience that must be had for the Real World ™, but it will also increase the skill with which you debate. Already knowing the negative team's arguments because your case has been thrashed over by dozens of fellow debaters is invaluable. In knowing the arguments, you can research deeper and have more persuasive responses.
In fact, this mindset has been proven with many top debaters. For instance just this last year, the Region 4 Champions Maisano/Morgan posted the full text of their case online for anyone to read. The Region 8 Champions Cooper/Fetchel did so also, along with runners-up McWaters/Nelson. And I might mention that the Region 3 (Colorado, Utah, and other states in that area) Champions Paul/Wolkenhaur posted the entire case online as well. They went on to get 18th place at nationals with 1st and 2nd speaker awards. Openness was also proven effective by the team of Carr/Shipsey, Region 2 champions and double-octafinalists at nationals, with a 9th place award at the largest NCFCA tournament ever, the 2009 Texas National Open.
Clearly openness is hardly detrimental; it's in fact quite beneficial.
So what should you do now? No one expects you to post your case up on the wall; instead simple things like asking for critiques of your case after the affirmative rounds, offering a copy before the round begins; it's simple things that often prove most effective.
The primary beginning for this project was on Homeschool Debate Forums (homeschooldebate.com). I'd urge you to check it out and consider creating an account so you can join in on some of the virtual debates going on, critique some cases, or get your own critiqued by other debaters. It's an excellent place for trying out new arguments and improving your debate skills.
I would also urge you to make this your philosophy for debate-- one of not just wanting to win, but one of education, so that we may be effective evangelists for Christ in the future.
Because we can't keep our case secret when we're spreading the Gospel, NCFCA Openness Movement