Final Focus

The best two minutes of your (debate) life.

The First and Only Rule of Final Focuses

• The Final Focus is not for new argumentation or most types of clash

• Leave the rest of the debate behind and just illustrate to the judge what your final focus of the round is.

CHEESY WORD ART FOR EMPHASIS

Acceptable things for a Final Focus

• Recapitulation of Framework and any other observational debate

• Impact Calculus• Considerations to the particular round• The goal is to lead the judge to vote for you

Framework

• As we have discussed before the Framework links your contentions the resolution in addition to framing the round.

• Therefore discussion of the framework in addition to an impact calculus should be the only thing you need to win.

Impact Calculus

• Calculus: A particular method of calculation or reasoning

• The other inclusion in a good Final Focus is an impact calculus.

• Represent each of your contentions and their impacts.

• Then you present an interpretation or method of reasoning to describe why your impacts outweigh your opponents.

Why?

• Well if your final focus includes those things as well as any considerations particular to the round. You have…– An interpretation of the debate up until this point,

and a system of reasoning as to why your points are valid/preferable with regards to the resolution.

– And a set of reasons for why your impacts or contentions completely outweigh your opponent’s.

– If you successfully integrate both elements then you should win.

But Wise Master Scott How? For I am but a lowly mortal.

-Practice: For every debate you ever do, practice and otherwise obsess over each final focus that you give. 99.9%a of losses can be traced, in part, to the content of the final focus. Therefore study the impact calculus, your discussion of frameworks and any possible mess ups. Then do rebuttal redos.

a. Source: Science

Novice/JV Tip• If you have researched enough you can come to the

profound realization that there is a finite amount of viable arguments and your own cases will not change that much.

• Therefore you can practice, in part, what you will say in your final focus. If you want to really do extra work you can even come with a sort of template for your final focus specific to your current topic.

• The best practice is rebuttal redos for actual rounds that you have done. But if you are feeling overwhelmed by your final focus then there are steps you can take to prepare yourselves.

How you look about now…

Don’t Worry

• If none of that makes sense we will be lecturing in much more depth on argumentation strategies such as impact calculuses.

• And we are going to go over some examples from old cases now.

How You Will Feel When You Deliver an Awesome Final Focus