Debate · Tools
Flow sheet
Flowing is how debaters take notes: one column for each speech, each argument on its own row, and each answer next to the thing it answers. Write what you hear, then use → to answer it in the next speech's column.
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Start a new flow
Each column's ＋ starts a new argument there. On a card, → answers it in the next column, ⊕ adds another point under it, ⚑ marks it dropped (not answered), and ✕ deletes it. Keys inside a card: Ctrl+Enter answers it, Ctrl+Shift+Enter adds a point below.
Printable blank flows
Paper flows are still what most debaters use at tournaments. Each prints in landscape with a column for each speech. Formats with two sides print two sheets: one for the affirmative's case and one that starts with the negative's first speech, for the negative's own arguments.
Flowing tips
- Write less than you think. Short tags ("C1: uniforms cut cost") beat full sentences. Make up abbreviations and use them every time.
- Keep answers on the same row as what they answer, so a judge (or you) can read across a row and see the whole fight over one argument.
- Mark what's dropped. An argument nobody answered usually counts as true in the round, so point it out in your next speech.
- Use two colors on paper, one for each side, the way this sheet colors its columns.
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