Debate
Debate Zoom Rules:
AISB personnel will
provide the Zoom link to debaters, judges, coaches - posted on the Schedule on this website
appoint students or teachers to host the Zoom and be the Timer
record the Zoom (to be deleted after the tournament unless parent permissions are obtained)
All debaters, whether in virtual school or not, will be on their own Zoom, away from their partner
Debaters can only use Zoom during the debate.
Private chat will be for “passing notes”.
No internet searching or file accessing is permitted
Debaters must have notes either printed or handwritten - not on a screen
Cameras should be on the whole time; mics off except when speaking
Zoom host will place debaters in breakout rooms for 90 second prep time before rebuttals
During the Preliminary Rounds:
The allowable Zoom participants: debaters, judges, host, and each team’s coach as observer, if available.
Judges will use the Affirmative Debate google form and the Negative Debate google form to record scores and comments.
Google Forms are due within 15 minutes of the conclusion of the debate.
In the case of technical glitches:
The host will allocate extra time, as appropriate
Should a major glitch occur, the host will decide whether to instruct the judges to submit their ballots based on the available evidence
Should the glitch be so significant that the debate cannot be adjudicated, the host will inform the tournament director, who will assign the debate to a subsequent time slot, if available.
Should all else fail, the tournament director will make a judgment call.
DEBATE FORMAT
The format for all debates will be as follows:
Preliminary Rounds:
First Affirmative Constructive (6 minutes)
Second Negative cross examines, first Affirmative responds (2 minutes)
First Negative Constructive (6 minutes)
First Affirmative cross examines, first Negative responds (2 minutes)
Second Affirmative Constructive (6 minutes)
First Negative cross examines, second Affirmative responds (2 minutes)
Second Negative Constructive (6 minutes)
Second Affirmative cross examines, second Negative responds (2 minutes)
90 seconds preparation period
Negative Rebuttal (2 minutes)
Affirmative Rebuttal (2 minutes)
Semi-Final and Final Rounds:
First Affirmative Constructive (8 minutes)
Second Negative cross examines, first Affirmative responds (2 minutes)
First Negative Constructive (8 minutes)
First Affirmative cross examines, first Negative responds (2 minutes)
Second Affirmative Constructive (8 minutes)
First Negative cross examines, second Affirmative responds (2 minutes)
Second Negative Constructive (8 minutes)
Second Affirmative cross examines, second Negative responds (2 minutes)
90 seconds preparation period
First Negative Rebuttal (3 minutes)
First Affirmative Rebuttal (3 minutes)
Second Negative Rebuttal (3 minutes)
Second Affirmative Rebuttal (3 minutes)
SPEAKER ROLES
First Affirmative Constructive (6/8 min)
Defines the motion
Sets out the case of the proposition (refers to own and partners’ arguments for the debate)
Presents two/three arguments
Cross Examination: 2N cross-examines – 1A response
The purpose of any cross-examination is to weaken or to destroy the opposing argument by requests for clarification, not by refutation or rebuttal. No new contentions or support for any contentions may be introduced into the debate by the cross examiner. The cross-examiner can gain advantage from new information only by his/her team’s introducing it into subsequent constructive or rebuttal speeches.
First Negative Constructive (6/8 min)
Deals with definition (if necessary)
Explains important differences between affirmative and negative
Rebuts the arguments of the First Affirmative Speaker
May present a counter case
May present one/two arguments
Cross examination: 1A cross-examines – 1N responds Second Affirmative Constructive (6/8 min)
Brings the debate back to the Affirmative's case (defending the definition(s) if necessary)
Rebuts arguments given by the First Negative Speaker
Presents one/two new argument(s)
Cross examination: 1N cross-examines – 1A responds Second Negative Constructive (6/8 min)
Brings the debate back to the Negative's case (addressing the definition(s) if necessary)
Rebuts arguments given by the Second Affirmative Speaker
Presents one/two new argument(s)
Cross examination: 2A cross-examines–2N responds Affirmative Rebuttal(2/3min.): done by either speaker
Focuses on the most important issues of the debate as a whole
First rebuts case of the Negative and then finishes with own case
No new arguments are presented
New examples are welcome
Negative Rebuttal (2/3 min) (done by either speaker)
Focuses on the most important issues of the debate as a whole
Rebuts case of the Affirmative and then concludes with the case of the Negative
No new arguments are presented
New examples are welcome
CONSTRUCTIVE SPEECHES:
First Affirmative: It is the duty of the First Affirmative speaker to:
Present the proposition being debated
Define the terms of the proposition from the affirmative point of view
Present the case in favor of the proposition.
In debates of policy, the case usually includes the need for a change in the status quo. In all cases, the speaker should summarize and press the negative to reply.
First Negative: The First Negative speaker provides direct clash by debating arguments presented by the First Affirmative speaker. The first negative speaker should:
Comment on the terms of the proposition from the negative point of view and may contest the validity of those terms
Clearly state the negative position
Specifically challenge the contentions of the affirmative's case
In debates of policy, this usually involves contesting the need for a change and supporting the status quo. In all cases, the speaker should summarize and press the Second Affirmative to reply.
Second Affirmative: The Second Affirmative speaker has three primary duties:
Re-establish the affirmative position in the debate
Refute the major arguments presented by the First Negative speaker c) to extend the affirmative arguments and present any remaining constructive materials for the affirmative.
The speaker should end with a brief summary of the affirmative position and press the Second Negative to reply.
Second Negative: The Second Negative speaker replies to arguments made by the Second Affirmative. They should:
Restate the negative position
Re-build the negative case, refuting the affirmative contentions.
They should summarize the entire negative case and press the Affirmative to reply.
REBUTTAL SPEECHES:
Following the constructive speeches, a second preparation period is allowed. This is the only time that team members may communicate verbally with each other. At all other times, including between constructive speeches, all communication must be in writing. During the rebuttal speeches, no new contentions by the Affirmative, and no new lines of attack by the Negative, may be introduced into the debate. However, more support, e.g. another source, may be given to points previously made.
PRELIMINARY ROUNDS:
Either member of the team may deliver the rebuttal.
Negative Rebuttal: The Negative Rebuttal attacks the affirmative case, restates the negative position, and presses the affirmative speaker to reply.
Affirmative Rebuttal: The Affirmative Rebuttal replies to the Negative Rebuttal, summarizes the affirmative case, and urges the acceptance of the proposition.
SEMI-FINAL AND FINAL ROUNDS:
Both members of the team must speak in the rebuttals. They may speak in any order they choose.
Negative Rebuttal 1: The first Negative Rebuttal attacks the affirmative case and its claimed advantages and presses the Affirmative to reply.
Affirmative Rebuttal 1: The first Affirmative Rebuttal counters the attack by replying to the First Negative Rebuttal and the Second Negative Constructive. It then presses the Second Negative to reply.
Negative Rebuttal 2: The second Negative Rebuttal replies to the major attacks on the negative case, responds to the First Affirmative Rebuttal, summarizes the major negative arguments against the affirmative case, presses the Affirmative to reply, and urges the audience to reject the Affirmative's proposals.
Affirmative Rebuttal 2: The second Affirmative Rebuttal rebuilds the entire affirmative case by replying directly to the major arguments against it. The speaker summarizes the major affirmative arguments against the negative case and strongly urges the acceptance of the proposition.
Note for Timers:
Show the appropriate time on the clock (see “Debate Format”) and time DOWN for each speaker. Turn off the ringing feature on the timer.
When STOP comes up say "STOP". The speaker may finish a sentence. If speaker does more than that you should hold the timing device above your head, turning it so the judges also see STOP.
DEBATE ETIQUETTE
INFRACTIONS OF THESE RULES WILL RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION, EITHER FROM THE ROUND OR FROM THE ENTIRE TOURNAMENT
Decorum: Debate is by definition a formal discussion of a proposition. The participants should therefore at all times:
observe the rules of common courtesy and respect both for their fellow participants and for the judges;
refrain from deliberate use of exaggerated and/ or intimidating remarks, gestures or movements;
communicate with partners only in writing, except during the 9O-second preparation period before rebuttals begin;
refrain from giving evidence cards or visual aids to, or accepting them from, other schools once the tournament has begun.
KEY CONCEPTS OF DEBATE
All judges and participants should be familiar with the following terms as they are used in debate parlance.
AFFIRMATIVE TEAM: The affirmative team is the one which supports the proposition.
CASE: The outline of a logical argument being put forth by one team in the debate.
CLASH: A point of clash in a debate occurs when one team directly responds to a contention made by the opposing team. Both teams are expected to clash. The clash is the process of meeting and dealing directly with an argument of the opposition; dealing with an argument implies denial or minimization, but not agreement.
CONSTRUCTIVE SPEECHES: The first four speeches during a debate are the constructive speeches. During the constructive speeches, each team builds its case, developing and defending its arguments, and responding to the contentions of the opposing team.
CONTENTIONS: The contentions in a debate are those points which either support or challenge the proposition.
CROSS EXAMINATION: Each constructive speech will be followed by a two minute cross-examination period. Under no circumstances same round.
EVIDENCE: The citation of evidence is essential to a debate. Evidence may consist of facts, figures or expert opinions that support the contentions made by the speakers. The opposing team must demand evidence to support contentions if none has been cited.
FALLACIES: Are errors in logical reasoning.
FLOW SHEET: A flow sheet is an outline of the debate that keeps track of contentions and successful clashes.
NEGATIVE TEAM: The negative team is the one which challenges the proposition.
PROPOSITION: A debate proposition is the subject of the debate. It is a debatable accept arguments on either side. Debate theory incorporates three types of propositions: fact, value and policy.
REBUTTAL SPEECHES: The final two/four speeches of a debate are the rebuttal speeches. In the rebuttal speeches, the speakers rebuild arguments that have been attacked, refuting opposing arguments and summarizing the debate from their own perspective. New contentions may not be introduced.
SIGNPOSTING: Explicit references to the structure of the speech are known as signposting. Marking the main points of the case, e.g. by numbering, helps the participants and judges to follow the arguments.
STATUS QUO: Status quo refers to existing conditions or the way things are