Prep & Competition Team

Think you have a knack for arguing? Want to win awards? Join us as we practice, prepare and compete at some of the nation's most prestigious speech and debate tournaments online. With a coaching team of former debate competitors, national champions, and current debate coaches you will have the opportunity to learn from some of the best coaches in the nation.

Each weekly class will give learners a chance to learn new tactics and practice debating other learners in the class.

Each month, learners will be given the opportunity to participate in a debate tournament.

Tournaments will have students competing one-on-one with other students internationally to see if they’ll advance to the next round. All students are guaranteed a certain number of preliminary rounds before the bracket splits. Students will debate one topic that changes every two months and is determined by the National Speech and Debate Association. These tournaments are held outside of Outschool and do require a separate registration fee.

Learners will be responsible for creating a debate case consisting of three reasons why they support the motion and three reasons why they don’t support the motion. Students will be tasked with communicating their positions to the judges and then must rebuttal their opponents' points with an emphasis on clear communication, use of evidence, and ability to attack their opponents' arguments using logic and reasoning.

An awards ceremony is often held after the competitions. All students will receive a virtual certificate of completing the tournament as well as a virtual award.

Note that this class does not cover the cost of the tournament entry fees (typically around $50 per tournament).