Episode 7: Debate Lessons from a World Champion with Ryan Lafferty

In this episode, WUDC Champion Ryan Lafferty spends 2 hours attempting to convince us that he is of sound mind, despite admitting to writing well over 2000 pages of 12-point font, 1.15 spaced notes on everything from the fall of Avdiivka to Lesbian Separatism. In the process, he reveals that, even after making it to semifinals of WUDC in 2024, finishing the 2024 season as the #1 ranked APDA debater individually, and winning WUDC in 2025, he is STILL not finished with debate and in fact has an entire year left to keep terrorizing the circuit. From my observations, I am at once excited and terrified to report that this man is not slowing down at all. Not a week after hosting the US Universities Debating Championship in person at Dartmouth, Ryan has turned his talents toward altruism with the announcement of a new series of world-class debate workshops. All you have to do to gain access to this wealth of knowledge and experience is to donate to either the Malaria Consortium or the Humane League. Workshop topics include finance, American politics, International Relations, and how to research / construct a matter file. Details and a registration form can be found in this document, linked below:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/18...

For more info on the Malaria Consortium, check out this website: https://www.malariaconsortium.org/pag...
For more info on the Humane League, check out this website: https://thehumaneleague.org/our-mission
I highly encourage you check these out!

If you want to see some videos of the force of nature that is Ryan debating, you may find them with some ease on YouTube. Here are some of my favorites. The WUDC Semis speech on the Sudan topic is especially worth listening to in my opinion:
   • Panama WUDC 2025 Open Semifinals Pt2  
   • Vietnam WUDC 2024 Semifinal - Oxford, Stan...  
   • WUDC PANAMA 2025 OPEN FINAL  

0:00 Introduction
8:25 How to Get Better
11:15 Depth vs Breadth
14:00 He's a JUNIOR??
15:00 Ryan's Learning Process
18:30 Primary Sources and Narratives
23:30 Applying Lessons to PF
33:10 Nuke Terror is a Reasonable Argument
35:20 WUDC Matter File
47:00 Take Notes!
49:50 Listen More, Write Less
55:30 Concessions Are Ok, Actually
1:02:40 Get Excited About Losing
1:04:10 The People We Talk About in Debate Are Real And This is Worth Remembering
1:14:15 Nuclear Energy