The third season of the 3NR Podcast gets off to a belated start with a special guest edition featuring James Herndon (of Emory University) and Whit Whitmore (of the University of Michigan) alongside Scott Phillips. Topics covered include international fiat, impact turning new block impacts after link turning in the 2AC, and research practices/qualifications. The [...]

The 40th Tournament of Champions is in the books and this episode begins with a lengthy discussion of it: Could the schedule be improved? Was the “entourage rule” effective? How could the judging pool for late elimination rounds be strengthened? How does the class of 2011 stack up against its predecessors? Consider this the official [...]

Recorded at the end of April (Apologies for the delay. – ed.), the latest episode of the podcast features the return of Malcolm Gordon (his previous appearances include s01e03, s01e12, and s01e13). Several topics are covered during this hour-long discussion:  Topicality: after judging two T debates together at the National Debate Tournament (round eight between [...]

Scott Phillips and James Herndon are back for part two of their discussion of TOC preparation. This time, the goal is to help students prepare to debate on the negative. How can you prepare topicality arguments to protect yourself against new cases? How does the politics disadvantage fit into your preparation? What counterplans should you [...]

Preparing for the season-ending tournaments? Heading to Lexington in a few weeks for the TOC? In this episode of the podcast, Scott Phillips and James Herndon discuss affirmative preparation and strategy. When should you read a new case? What makes a new case strategic? How should you write your plan? These questions and more are [...]

The first episode of the calendar year that features the whole 3NR crew, this episode of The 3NR Podcast focuses entirely on reader/listener-submitted questions. Topics covered include email evidence, the way that judges should (and do) balance explanation versus evidence, debating the case against COIN affirmatives, and more. We didn’t get to everything, so we [...]

The 3NR Podcast returns with a midseason premier featuring special guests James Herndon (Director of Debate Programs and Debate Coach at Emory University) and John Turner (M.A. candidate in Communication and Assistant Debate Coach at the University of Georgia). Along with Scott Phillips, James and John discuss affirmative approaches to debating critiques. The discussion centers [...]

As the first semester draws to a close, this episode of The 3NR Podcast assesses the evolution of this year’s topic and provides practical advice for students as they prepare for the rest of the season. The news is chock full of stories that are relevant to debates about U.S. military presence: the Lisbon NATO [...]

Chock full of practical advice for debaters, this episode of the podcast covers backflowing, 1AR strategy, affirmative preparation, and paperless efficiency and includes a discussion of whether judges should access evidence during debates. Are you having trouble debating on the affirmative? Does the 1AR give you nightmares? Are you frustrated that your pre-tournament preparation isn’t [...]

This special edition of The 3NR Podcast features a discussion between Scott Phillips, Maggie Berthiaume, and James Herndon, the Senior Program Associate and Debate Coach at Emory University in Atlanta. One of the judges of the final round of this past season’s Tournament of Champions, James was previously a highly-successful coach at Chattahoochee High School [...]