Resources · Cheat sheet
First Speaker cheat sheet
The first speaker builds the house everyone else lives in: definitions, stance, the split, the metric, and the first two arguments. This printable sheet walks through every required element in order. Fill it in during the prep hour and your speech structure is done before you stand up.
First Speaker / Leader
wsdcacademy.comWorld Schools Debate · fill in during prep, deliver in order
Introductionone rhetorical device: historical example · emotional appeal · logical link
Opening frame: how do we make the judge see the debate our way?
Set-up
Key definitions (only if genuinely unclear)
Trade-off / core tension in the debate
Team stance (We believe that…)
Speaker 1 will argue…
Speaker 2 will argue…
Winning metric: how should the judge decide who wins?
Argument 1
Tagline (short, memorable title)
Mechanism 1
Reasoning: why is this true?
Example / evidence
Mechanism 2
Reasoning: why is this true?
Example / evidence
Mechanism 3
Reasoning: why is this true?
Example / evidence
Impact & weighing
Impact: depth and scale of what follows
Weighing vs. the other side
Argument 2
Tagline (short, memorable title)
Mechanism 1
Reasoning: why is this true?
Example / evidence
Mechanism 2
Reasoning: why is this true?
Example / evidence
Mechanism 3
Reasoning: why is this true?
Example / evidence
Impact & weighing
Impact: depth and scale of what follows
Weighing vs. the other side
Conclusion
Summary of what we have proven
Final framing / caseline (the sentence your whole bench repeats)
How to use this sheet
- 1
Set-up before arguments. Judges reward first speeches that make the debate easy to follow. If your definitions, stance, and metric are clear in the first ninety seconds, everything after lands harder.
- 2
Three mechanisms is a target, not a quota. Two fully reasoned mechanisms with sharp examples beat three thin ones. Never deliver a mechanism you cannot explain in your own words.
- 3
The caseline is the whole team’s job. Write one sentence that captures your side of the debate. Your second and third speakers should be able to end their speeches with the same line.
- 4
The metric is your quiet weapon. Telling the judge how to decide the round, then winning on that metric, is the single most strategic thing a first speaker can do.
New to the format? Start with what World Schools Debate is and how the 40/40/20 judging works. Then grab the sheets for your teammates: second speaker and third speaker. For the full walk-through of the role, read the first speaker guide.
The template is the easy part.
In our judged practice rounds, first speakers get written feedback on exactly these elements: set-up, mechanization, and framing.
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