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How to Plan a Case Outline

First things first

Upon receiving your topic, the first thing that you and your team should do

is an individual brainstorm. Separate yourselves out and spend about 15

minutes thinking about the wording of the topic, what it could mean, what

your view of it is and any current examples or case studies that you know

of. At the end of this 15 minutes, reassemble the team and share ideas. It

is a good idea to write these down in the form of a mind map or list.

Define the issue

Now that you have a general overview of what the topic could include it is

time to define it. Both teams, affirmative and negative, must define the

topic but you only have to include the definition in the first speakers

speech if you are affirmative. If you are negative, you should assume that

you are going to agree with your oppositions definition. Disagreeing will

result in a definition debate where the two teams are arguing over the

meaning of the topic rather than the topic itself. Definition debates should

be avoided as much as possible.

When defining, you do not need to recite a dictionary definition of each

word, simply explain what the wording means in the context of the debate

and in the context of current global events. Your definition should only be

one or two sentences long.

Initial research

Since you have now defined the topic, each member of your team can now

go and do some initial research. A quick Google search is often a good

place to start. Find as much background information on the issue as you

can including statistics, case studies, legislation, quotes etc.

Brainstorm points

During your individual brainstorming it is likely that you came up with

several possible arguments for your side of the case. It is now time to

assemble those points with any relevant examples you were able to find

through your initial research. Once you have decided on 4-5 points, try to

group them together in a split with some being allocated to the first

speaker and some to the second speaker. A common split is social and

individual where the first speaker examines the impact the topic has on

society while the second speaker examines its impact on individuals.

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Devise a model (if needed)

If your side of the topic is one where your team must propose a change tocurrent practice or a current system, then you must develop a model.

Your model is an outline of what you propose and how you are practically

going to put it in place. This is presented and explained by your first

speaker in their introduction.

Write your points

You can now write your speech. For an in-depth outline of how to structure

a speech, visit the Method tab.

Synchronise

Now that your team has written their speeches, it is time to meet again and

ensure that your case flows from one speaker to the next. Here you should

practice your speeches for one another, making notes and interrupting

where necessary to clarify points. Once you are satisfied that your case is

fluent, make the suggested changes.

Download the Case Outline Worksheet to assist with

planning your caseline. Answer each of the questions

upon receiving a topic to ensure you are not missing any

part of the research and writing process.