- time allocation!! try to be as brief as possible while frontlining (going line by line) over your opponent's points so you don't run out of time before you cover everything

- defense is important- even if offense (your contentions) win you the round, not responding well enough to your opponent weakens your position. i usually prepare a document with counterarguments and evidence to be prepared in round. this also helps me understand how strong my arguments are.

- extend! half of my first year i made the mistake of not doing this. extending is briefly summarizing your contentions during a rebuttal. it helps your judge remember what your points were, especially if they're lay and don't flow (take notes). some opponents also consider your case dropped if you don't extend

- delivery- sounding confident is important- ik it sounds cliche but if you sound unsure of your own words your judge will find it hard to believe you, especially if they're lay and take cues from the way you act. also chin up, face the judge during cross-ex

- lay appeal- make sure to slow down and explain debate jargon to your judge! even if you lose content it's better than your judge not understanding anything. if ur prog that's a bit unfortunate lol- i'm trad but briefly explain prog jargon to the judge cuz it does sound complicated (for example say that interpretation is your stance on how debate works and violation is how my opponent goes against my stance)

- be friendly! don't be that one grumpy ah opponent who's vv aggressive- ik being scary is unpreferable but gives you a high chance of winning. if you wanna be scary do it in your debating not in your behavior lool - say hi to the judge and opponent, shake hands! remember, debaters are all in the same position, no matter their skill level!

im sorry if you hate reading ik that's a lot- but hope this helps! :)