Debate Rules

Rules of World Individuals Debate

The debates will be impromptu, co-ordinate debates. Each team will consist of two debaters who have been paired randomly, but who are normally not from the same country. A list of roughly three resolutions will be presented to the teams roughly 45 minutes before the start of the debate.

One team (designated on the schedule) will choose the topic, after which the other team will select the side that it will take. Different lists of topics will be used for each round. During the preliminary rounds, each debater will normally choose the topic once and the side once. Government teams will prepare in the rooms allocated for each debate. The opposition teams will prepare outside of the room. Within 10 minutes of the commencement of the preparation period, the opposition will get a written copy of the definition from the proposition.

The resolution must be interpreted in a reasonable manner which reflects the spirit of the resolution. If the opposition feels that the proposition definition is undebatable or unreasonable, it must appeal to the tournament director or someone appointed by the director, whose decision is final. The definition may not be changed or challenged during the debate.

The length and order of speeches are as follows:

1st Proposer: 6 minutes, 1st Opposer: 6 minutes, 2nd Proposer: 9 minutes, 2nd Opposer: 9 minutes.

One minute break

1sr Opposer: 3 minutes reply, 1st Proposer: 3 minutes reply.

Since different parts of the world have different debating traditions, picayune quibbling over rules is not encouraged. Debaters are advised to debate the resolutions and not the rules.

The results of the debate will be based entirely upon speaker’s points. Win/loss records are irrelevant. The debater who does the best debating—and therefore the person to whom receives the highest score—may not be on the side which wins the argument. This is similar to the situation in court where the side with the better lawyer may still lose the case—the facts may overwhelmingly favour the other side. Competitors advance as individuals based on their own scores, not as a team. Competitors will have a different partner for each of the two preliminary rounds. Even though they are debating as a team, they are scored individually and advance separately.

Competitors may not bring in any information resources including access to the internet, nor will the host school provide any. Speeches must be based on their knowledge of the subject.

Points of Information (POI’s) Permitted

Points of Information may be made in the central part of a speaker's main speech, but not in the first or last minute. Points of Information may not be made during Reply speeches. Either member of the team that is not speaking may offer a Point of Information at any time in the permitted period. To do so, he/she will stand and say "On a Point of Information". They will say no more at this time, but remain standing. The person who is giving his/her speech is free to accept or to decline the Point of Information. Whichever may be the case, he/she would normally complete his/her current sentence before revealing the decision. If he/she wishes not to accept it, he/she may say "No thank you", or "Declined", or may indicate with a suitably polite gesture that the person offering the Point should sit down. If he/she wishes to accept it, then this should be indicated with the words such as "Accepted" or "Yes please" or "Go ahead."