This month's lesson on HOW TO BE A BETTER DEBATER! is my top ten list of do's and do not's. Look for next month's HOW TO BE A BETTER DEBATER! lesson. Until then.... Here's the list:

10. Do not be like me! Just kidding. Do not procrastinate on writing cases and getting ready. Unless you are already a good debater, putting off writing your cases isn't a good idea.

9. Do not play the game. A certain school in Hawaii (who shall remain nameless) uses the pysche out tactic ALL the time. The best pysche out tactic is not to be intimated at all. Be calm cool and collective. Try to imagine yourself whipping your opponent's butt. That should at least get you calm.

8. Practice makes perfect, but... know when to give it a rest! Spend the night before the tourny mostly relaxing. Look at your cases, mobile cards, and other materials for about an hour or two in the afternoon or early evening. Then spend the rest of the night relaxing.

7. Have seperate outlines for each case. This way you don't have to search for your contentions in case your opponent asks for them. It makes you look more professional and prepared.

6. LABEL EVERYTHING CLEARLY! I say this from experience. I once read my Negative Contentions when I was on the Affirmative! Luckily I noticed the difference before my judges or opponent did. However, you might not be as lucky.

5. Set up all your materials and have a nice bag to put them in. Judges take their first impressions of you into the actual debate. Being prepared gives you poise and feeling that you care about the outcome of this debate.

4. Flow ALL of the debate. If your Negative, DON'T start packing up while the

Affirmative makes it's Second Affirmative Rebuttal! That's rude! Also, your opponent could bring up arguements they're not supposed to at this time. If you don't at least give some sort of body language to the judges, they might not get the full picture. This could make the difference.

3. Don't overdo it. I totally believe in using post-it notes to anticipate attacks, but know when to give it a rest. Start with a set of pre-planned CX questions to set up logic traps. Then move onto possible arguements, but be warned that overdoing this will definately drain your energy.

2. Pace yourself not only while debating but during the breaks. If you have a biround, it's okay to be a little goofy or to socialize. But don't lose track of time. You want to center yourself about 5 minutes before you go to your assigned room. This is a MUST if you get nervous before you talk.

1. Don't take things too seriously, have fun. I've had some judges be quite mean, downright nasty. The trick is not to let it get to you. Besides have some lucky charms around do what I sometimes do with my friends. Each person take a sheet of paper and write their name on it. Then pass the paper around to other people who write down your best quality or what they like about you. This always helps me. When you feel down, pull the sheet out and look at it.