Teach · Train · Adjudicate
Debating, done properly.
The 2027 Handbook is the working manual for a real school debating season — how a debate actually runs, what adjudicators reward, and how to take young speakers from nervous to match-ready.
By J. Whately — former debating champion at school and university.
Why this book
Written from the chair, not the sidelines.
Most debating guides teach rhetoric in a vacuum. This one is built around a real, working competition — a full season of scaffolded debating for young speakers, from the Monday the topic lands to the moment the adjudicator hands down a decision. Every page answers a practical question: who speaks when, how long they get, what the bells mean, and what the judges are actually listening for.
If you are coaching a team, teaching a class, chairing a debate or judging one, this is the manual you keep in your bag.
“Matter, Manner, Method. Three words on a scoresheet — and everything a young speaker needs to understand about persuasion.” — from the Handbook’s chapter on adjudication
Who it’s for
One book, three jobs.
Teachers & coaches
Turn two school days of preparation into a coherent team case. Speaking order, timing discipline and rehearsal structure, laid out so you can run it straight from the page.
Adjudicators & chairs
What Matter, Manner and Method mean in practice, how a chairperson keeps proceedings moving, and how disputes get resolved without drama.
Parents & new debaters
A plain-language picture of what happens on debate day — the bells, the speeches, the support member’s role — so nobody walks in cold.
What you’ll learn
The mechanics of a real debate.
- How a debate actually runs — two teams of three speakers plus a support member, a chairperson, a timekeeper, and four-minute speeches with a bell system that keeps everyone honest.
- What adjudicators reward — the three judging categories of Matter (arguments and evidence), Manner (delivery and persuasion) and Method (structure and teamwork).
- How to prepare in two school days — topics released Monday for a Wednesday debate, and how coaches guide a team through building and rehearsing a case in that window.
- How a season fits together — a nine-round round-robin, standings and count-backs, semi-finals and a final, with the full draw and calendar as a worked example.
- How to keep it fair — cross-assigned adjudicators who never judge their own school, dispute resolution, forfeits and short-notice cancellations.
Get the book
One season. One handbook.
$30Australian dollars
- The complete guide — format, preparation, adjudication and season structure
- Full nine-round draw and season calendar as a worked example
- Written for teachers, coaches, adjudicators, parents and young speakers
Ordering opens soon — the first run is at the printers. Details on the FAQ page.