Public Forum Debate is held at a conversational pace that the average person should understand.
Public Forum resolutions tend to discuss highly relevant and timely world issues.
Debates involve two teams — pro and con — composed of two speakers each.
Public Forum begins with four-minute constructive cases, followed by four-minute rebuttals; each side then gives a three-minute summary and a two-minute final focus.
After the constructive speeches, the rebuttals, and the summaries, there is a crossfire period where the debaters ask one another questions.