Flow (policy debate)

In policy debate, Lincoln-Douglas debate, and public forum debate, the flow (flowing in verb form) is the name given to a specialized form of shorthand which debaters use to keep track of all of the arguments in the round.

It incorporates specialized and individualized abbreviations, notations, and symbols that allow debaters to keep up with the rapid speed of delivery in most speeches while making a record of as much as possible. Some examples of these abbreviations used on a flow are "DA" for a disadvantage,"K" for a kritik (critique), "CP" for a counterplan, or "T" for topicality.