What to Expect Coaching Congressional Debate
Congressional Debate (Congress) is a simulation of the U.S. legislative process. In this event, students generate a series of bills and resolutions for debate and alternate delivering speeches for and against the topic in a group setting. Students are assessed on their research, argumentation, and delivery skills, as well as their knowledge and use of parliamentary procedure. Joanna Ellis describes what it is like to coach the event.
What makes coaching Congressional Debate unique?
No other event is quite like Congress! Congress is the “best of both worlds” of speech and debate, where students must display both the persuasion and delivery skills of public address events alongside the flowing and clash techniques of traditional debate events. In addition to delivery and argumentation, coaches need to prepare students for the roleplay aspect of the event, especially parliamentary procedure.
Congress also provides a completely different tournament experience than other events for students, coaches, and judges. Students in other events may compete with different people for every round of the tournament, but Congressional debaters often compete with the same group of students for the entire day. Additionally, Congress rounds often run on a completely different schedule than speech or debate rounds. Judging Congress is a very unique experience because judges must keep track of students’ speeches, questions, and overall decorum to create final rankings. Competing and coaching in Congress comes with many unique challenges, but it is a great experience that I recommend for anyone starting out in competitive speech and debate.
How does competing in Congressional Debate benefit your students?
Congress is a great opportunity for students interested in pursuing careers in law or public service, but every student can benefit from the experience. As students prepare their speeches, they build research and argumentation skills that are more vital than ever in college and career fields. Through practicing
Joanna Ellis coaches speech and debate and teaches debate and AP Capstone at South Walton High School in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. Originally from Birmingham, Alabama, she graduated from Troy University with a bachelor’s degree in History Education and is currently working on her master’s degree in History at the University of West Florida. Her team regularly competes at regional, state, and national tournaments, including Tournament of Champion qualifiers, the Florida Civics & Debate Initiative State Championship, and the National Catholic Forensic League Grand Nationals. When she’s not teaching or coaching, Joanna enjoys singing in her local choir and playing flute in her community concert band.
Congress is the “best of both worlds” of speech and debate, where students must display both the persuasion and delivery skills of public address events alongside the flowing and clash techniques of traditional debate events.
their delivery, students build the confidence and professionalism they will need to present themselves to college admissions officers and potential employers. When students are following their competitors’ arguments throughout the round and preparing questions and rebuttals, they are sharpening their reasoning skills and learning to think on their feet. Students interested in serving as presiding officers will gain valuable experience in preparation, leadership, and conflict management.
Also, competing in Congress is fun! Students find themselves immersed in fast-paced, ongoing debates. Being able to choose whether they side with the affirmative or negative allows them to feel personally invested in their arguments. Because students often compete with the same students all day, they will build relationships with students from other teams and form lasting friendships. If a student is unsure if they want to pursue speech and debate, Congress is a great starter event.
What do you most appreciate about coaching Congressional Debate?
Coaching Congress was an excellent introduction to building my school’s speech and debate program. While my background in teaching social studies and AP Capstone equipped me to teach research and argumentation, I was not involved in debate in high school or college, so I was unfamiliar with running a team. Almost every established coach I talked to when I started coaching told me to “start with Congress,” and I’m so glad I took their advice! I was able to run a team of mostly Congress students. Congress is a fairly popular event across various debate leagues and circuits, so teams will likely find plenty of tournament opportunities. Since students can pre-write their speeches without needing to memorize them, it is a great starter event. Once a student builds their confidence, they can then choose to try another event or to continue developing as a Congressional debater. If you did not compete in speech or debate in school but are now interested in coaching, I strongly recommend that you start with coaching Congress.
What should a new coach know about coaching Congressional Debate?
The best way to familiarize yourself with the format is to experience it in real time. As a new coach, observing a large Congress round at a qualifying tournament was when it all clicked for me. You can also find lots of resources to help you learn about competing in, coaching, and judging Congress. For example, the NSDA has an archive of final round videos and a variety of print resources.
In addition, ensure your students prepare speeches in advance for multiple bills and resolutions. When I first started coaching, I found myself putting too much focus on having my students write legislation and learn procedure instead of pushing them to prepare speeches. Speeches from templates are a great resource for helping students build confidence and eventually get to a point where they no longer need them.
Regardless of your team’s competitive results, you are facilitating an incredible experience for your students that they will take with them for the rest of their lives!