What to Expect Coaching Lincoln-Douglas Debate
Lincoln-Douglas Debate (LD) is a one-on-one debate event. Topics focus on questions of morality, philosophy, and justice, often exploring the tension between competing values such as individual freedom versus the collective good or economic development versus environmental protection. Students may consult evidence gathered prior to the debate. A debate is roughly 45 minutes and consists of constructive speeches, rebuttals, and cross-examination. Eva Lamberson describes what it is like to coach the event.
What makes coaching Lincoln-Douglas Debate unique?
The most unique aspect of Lincoln-Douglas (LD) is the framework. As a coach, you not only need to advise students on the ins and outs of resolutions, but also help them craft thoughtful and strategic frameworks. For me, this means teaching my students the basics of relevant philosophical schools of thought (social and political, ethics, etc.) and giving advice on how to apply that to topics. This adds a layer of complexity, but it is a great way to teach students philosophical thought—the heart of Lincoln-Douglas debate!
Another major unique aspect of LD is the kind of squad community it can foster. Students may enter the round alone, but ideally their preparation has been aided by the combined efforts of every squad member. Managing an LD squad can be challenging because you need to balance individual interests while creating a shared sense of community. Setting clear guidelines can aid immensely in this. For example, on my squad, each student has assignments each week to then access our shared group file. Students compete as individuals but they move as a community: helping each other prep into the night, competing in practice rounds, watching and supporting teammates in elimination rounds, and making countless positive memories.
How does competing in Lincoln-Douglas Debate benefit your students?
Of course, students learn a lot about a number of topics depending on the resolution: current and historical events, politics, economics, etc. But, since the most unique thing about LD is framework, learning philosophy is probably the single biggest and most unique benefit. Most high schoolers don’t get the opportunity to take courses dedicated to philosophy. LD is unparalleled in making the subject accessible to high schoolers. As a former competitor myself, LD helped me forge a love for philosophy that pushed me to study it in college and now teach it.
Eva Lamberson
Eva Lamberson coaches Lincoln-Douglas Debate and is a humanities teacher at the Hawken School in Ohio. As a competitor, Eva placed in the top 14 at the 2018 NSDA National Tournament was the 2018 National Catholic Forensic League champion in Lincoln-Douglas. Since 2018, Eva’s students have reached late elimination rounds at tournaments across the country, and they have coached students to championships or final tournaments like the NSDA National Tournament, National Catholic Forensic League Grand Nationals, the Ohio State tournament, Durham, and Columbia. They also work in publishing for the National Symposium for Debate, where they create topic briefs, post round recordings, and write educational content about Lincoln-Douglas Debate.
Students compete as individuals but they move as a community: helping each other prep into the night, competing in practice rounds, watching and supporting teammates in elimination rounds, and making countless positive memories.
Students in LD also benefit from a large amount of independence. Unlike other debate events, students work without a partner. This forces students to learn to be completely present in rounds, build confidence in themselves, and be accountable to themselves. It also allows students to pursue their own interests; whereas partnerships need to decide on arguments together, LDers benefit from a large amount of autonomy when it comes to argument choice and style.
What do you most appreciate about coaching Lincoln-Douglas Debate?
The thing I most appreciate about LD is something I already mentioned: argumentative independence. I have coached hundreds of students and each of them developed their own style: different approaches to arguments, presentation, and strategy. I have worked with students who get deep into the weeds of esoteric philosophical ideas, students who read hundreds of pages of new research about conflict or economics or health, and students who do a little bit of everything. I get to know my students as individuals through their styles, and I feel like I am truly helping them foster a sense of self through the ways they debate.
I also appreciate how much I learn from coaching all of these different styles. I have learned to be a better teacher of philosophy, and I have learned about the niches of many different other subjects to help my students get where they want to be. If I didn’t coach LD, I would know significantly less about…pretty much everything imaginable!
What should a new coach know about coaching Lincoln-Douglas Debate?
I know a number of coaches who find LD to be among the hardest events to get into coaching; there are a lot of moving parts, technical nuances, and debate lingo that can keep it from feeling accessible. New coaches should first and foremost know that they are not alone in feeling this way, but also that there are a number of resources that can help. The NSDA’s website alone houses elimination round videos, event intros, and coaching guides to make learning LD easier. Private debate companies also publish a lot of free resources like blog posts, even more recorded rounds, and topic webinars. Resources like the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy can help you learn the basics of philosophy you might need to guide your students’ framework.
In addition to resources, coaches also will learn a lot about the event from judging. I know this sounds intuitive, but I also know there are a lot of new judges and coaches who are wary of diving into LD rounds headfirst. Of course, you can practice judging by watching recorded rounds or practice debates, but ultimately you will learn the most from judging competition rounds. As long as you are doing your best to take good notes and render an impartial decision, you belong there! I have judged thousands of rounds across my coaching career, from middle school practice debates to NSDA finals, and I become a significantly better judge every season as a result. This spills over into being a better coach; keeping up with the nuances of the event as the season progresses informs the advice you can give your students on arguments, strategy, and style.
If new coaches could take one thing away from this, I would want it to be that a coach is better than no coach at all. Whether you are completely new to speech and debate, transitioning from coaching speech events, or a seasoned expert, it is your commitment to coaching that allows your students to not only participate but thrive in LD. Take the leap—your students will be grateful and better for it!