25 TIPS FOR TAKING A BETTER FLOWSHEET by David M. Cheshier Notetaking is a prerequisite skill for torn off the pad, which risks losing critical left between answers on a difficult or im- debate success, and yet as many students pieces of paper. So try this: use multiple portant position. Spreading out the flow of struggle with “flowing” as with any other pads, even as many as ten, and only flow responses leaves you with room, should it aspect of speaking or researching. I’m of- one argument per pad. It is harder to lose a prove necessary, for multiple responses ten surprised to discover how many super- whole tablet of paper than a single page. from your opponent. So if your innocuous lative in-round arguers admit to terrible Some react to this idea by wondering if they “no link” press is destined to elicit twenty notetaking habits, and by the number of top- aren’t wasting paper, but a moment’s con- new link arguments from the 2NC, at least flight debates where a student confesses sideration eases the concern. After all, it’s you’ll have some extra paper to get them all to losing the key argument because she or not more paper you’re using, just more down. he simply missed it. I’m also surprised at pads. One more benefit of multiple how many smart debaters, when asked why flowpads, where each pad holds only one TIP 6: their flowing suffers so much, simply shrug position and where pages are never torn Anticipate the overviews. and say “flowing fast makes my hand hurt.” off, is that it will quickly break students of The circuit has been overtaken by the Of course successful flowing is a skill the bad habit of flowing on the back side of rebuttal overview, now even characteristic that for most does not come naturally. It paper sheets. of most constructives, but our flowing hab- takes a combination of legible handwriting, its have by and large not kept pace. We sophisticated listening skills, genuine con- TIP 3: flow the 2AC answers right at the top of the centration, a lot of practice, a refusal to be Try different colors. column, leaving no room at all for major distracted by other apparently urgent tasks The idea is basic, and some resist it overviews. Leave a couple inches at the (like preparing the next speech), and some on that account alone, but many debaters top of the page, if not for their overviews, experience. Sometimes coaches don’t even find their flowing is improved by use of then for your own. teach flowing after the novice year — after multiple pens of different colors. Make one all, individual notetaking styles are neces- color your own (“our side is always blue!”), TIP 7: sarily idiosyncratic, and after students make and they are speaking. I’ve often wondered Flow yourself. it past the novice year, it can seem a little if the assistance provided by using multiple Only in the rarest of circumstances insulting to review so basic a skill with stu- colors isn’t offset by the hassle of switch- should you leave major flowing it seems like dents whose other debate aptitudes are ing pens as you write your own responses, an efficient usage of preparation time, or of quickly reaching maturity. But the need is but the advocates of multiple colors are the cross examination, and my point is not great and the skills involved are more than adamant about its benefits. Especially if recommending that you keep it to a mini- secretarial. Thus in this essay I want to sug- you find that the flowpad is visually con- mum, where you flow as much of your own gest some tips for improving flowing. Some fusing to you in the rush of speaking, using speaking as possible given the constraints are obvious — skip the ones you already different colors may help. of the debate. It is easier for you to read know. For the others, try them in practice your own handwriting than someone else's, debates and see if they help. TIP 4: apart from the unusual circumstance where TIP 1: Are you a lefty? Try flowing right to left. you award. Practice, practice, practice. The problem with flowing in the regu- Better flowing involves increasingly lar left-to-right direction if you are left- TIP 8: precise muscle memory, and, let’s be handed is that your writing arm obscures Work on your handwriting legibility. honest, making the hand stronger. This the arguments you’re writing responses for. Practice writing more clearly. Here is can only happen with practice. Debaters And as you write quickly, ink in the preced- where the old drill of flowing the television who don’t completely flow everything in ing column often smears. Many students news can come in handy. You may have elimination rounds they’re not debating in I’ve coached have discovered that by flow- heard some recommend that you try to get are missing out on great practice. Use ing in columns from right-to-left (where the word for word a teacher’s lecture, or the elimination rounds as flowing exercise: 1AC is all the way on the right side of the evening news. I know many students who flow them from beginning to end, working page and each subsequent speech is a col- can honestly say they tried the drill, but to get every single argument and a umn over to the left), their notetaking dra- very few who do it seriously or for an ex- citation for every piece of evidence. matically improves, often without a major tended period of time (that is, past a minute transition to the new direction. or two). Some end up too bored to con- TIP 2: tinue. Or their writing hand starts to tire Use multiple flowpads. TIP 5: (though of course, that is the point of the Some students flow the case on one Spread it out on the page. drill). But whether students find it an effec- legal or art pad, and all the off-case argu- Responses to an argument should tive drill for flowing more quickly or not, it ments on another. But as the debate grows never be closer to one another than an inch can be a good way to improve the quality of more complicated, pages must inevitably be and a half, and even more space should be handwriting. A warning: Some students end up gravitating to writing in all capital can make sense of it afterward is a good OK, so the handwriting improvement letters as a fast cure for illegibility. But it goal anyway. After all, part of the reason to project is taking a little longer than planned. takes more work to write in all CAPS, and take a good flowsheet is so it can be refer- What to do in the meantime? Concentrate students who do it almost invariably end enced later, and made the basis for later on legibly writing the argument tags, so they up getting less down than those who use a speaking drills. can be plainly signposted in subsequent more natural cursive style. speeches. Work on filling in the details as TIP 12: you acquire more experience and practice. TIP 9: Don't stop flowing the debate just Write more down. because your part in it is through. TIP 16: If you are well rehearsed and effec- There are good strategic reasons to Sit closer if necessary. tive at getting down the tags, then work on continue flowing after your 1NR (for ex- Sometimes it’s not your fault, hon- getting down a portion of the cite. Start with ample) is done. For one, it can serve as a estly. Maybe the room’s acoustics are bad, the author name and then try to get the date. double check on your colleague, a way to or perhaps the speaker is just downright And if you can get both, work to get down prevent later disasters like dropped topical- incomprehensible. In such cases move something of the substance of the evi- ity arguments where the colleague sits there closer to the speaker. This accomplishes a dence. The practice will speed up your flow- oblivious to the apocalypse in the making. double benefit: the flow will probably im- ing, and force you to attend more closely to But it can be good flowing practice too. prove, and a not-so-subliminal signal will the details of the evidence. Too many great have been sent to the judge that the speaker debaters write the tag down, perhaps with a TIP 13: cannot be understood. notation signifying that evidence was read, Integrate flowing into the squad's and then they simply sit there, pen poised, speaking drills. TIP 17: waiting for something else to come along. If a debater is working to improve his Try art pads. Get in the habit of constantly writing. or her emphasis of key words, the drill can Running out of room? Expand the and should become a flowing drill for oth- writing surface. Buy some of those huge TIP 10: ers observing the speech. If speed drills art pads and see if that helps. Some find Think about using Post-It tape. are underway, the others should take notes. larger pads difficult to manage, especially if The Post-It people sell rolls of tape Flowing in this way is a good check on what their impromptu podiums are constructed designed for people who still use typewrit- is actually heard as fast talking proceeds, out of stretched out expanding files.