DEBATE STRUCTURE

Debate Structure

Resolution: the main argument – always stated in the positive

Affirmative: argues the resolution – tries to prove it correct

Negative: argues against the resolution – tries to prove it incorrect

Constructive Phase: each side will have 2 chances to construct their arguments

Cross-examination: each side will have a chance to question the other side after each constructive argument has been made

Rebuttal Phase: each side will have 2 chances to rebut the statements made by the other side and clear up any confusion surrounding their own arguments

Debate Timeline

Phase:
Time Allowance:
Affirmative Constructive #1
2 min.
Cross Examination
1 min.
Negative Constructive #1
2 min.
Cross Examination
1 min.
Affirmative Constructive #2
2 min.
Cross Examination
1 min.
Negative Constructive #2
2 min.
Cross Examination
1 min.
Team Conference:
Structure Rebuttal Arguments
3 min.
Negative Rebuttal #1
2 min.
Affirmative Rebuttal #1
2 min.
Negative Rebuttal #2
2 min.
Affirmative Rebuttal #2
2 min.
Notes on the Basics of Debate
These notes are a quick overview of the basic parts of a debate. I will be explaining them in detail at the workshop in January but these should get you started.

The Structure of Debates
All debates have a resolution, two sides and a team on each side.

Resolution:
Every debate has a resolution. A resolution is a question or statement that has two sides. It is what the debate is going to be about. A resolution needs to be two-sided to make a good debate.
“Should school be mandatory?” is a good resolution because it has two sides.
“Murder is bad,” is a bad resolution because we all know that murder is bad.

Sides:
Every debate has two sides. One side, called the “yes” (affirmative) team, is in favour of the resolution. In other words, they answer the question with a “yes” and try to convince everyone to do the same. The other side, called the “no” (negative) team, answers the question with a “no”.

In debating you don't get to pick a side and you often have to argue both sides at different times. This means that you have to practice seeing things from different angles.

Teams:
Each side has a team that is made up of two or three people. These people work together to win the argument for their side. They share points and ideas. When they give speeches, they say things that support their partner.

How You Convince People
In a debate you use speeches to tell your audience about reasons and examples that support your side.

Speeches:
The way you convince people in a debate is by giving a speech. When it is your turn to speak, you are the only one allowed to speak. Everyone else has to listen to you.

When it is someone else's turn to speak you can't say anything, you have to write down anything that you might want to say and wait your turn to say it (or get your partner to say it if they are going next).

Reasons:
When you give a speech, you present reasons (arguments) for why the audience should agree with you. Generally you want to think in terms of the word "because". You want to say things like "You should agree with me because..." and then give the reason. When you are responding to your opponents you want to attack their reasons.

Examples:
Examples are facts or ideas that you can use to illustrate and back up your reasons. They aren't reasons on their own but they help make reasons more convincing.




The Main Skills
The three most important skills in debating are (in order of importance):
1) The ability to listen.
This is because debating is about listening to and responding to you opponents.
2) Analysing what you hear.
This is because you need to be able to understand and find mistakes and flaws in your opponents' speeches.
3) The ability to speak in front of people.
This is the most obvious skill - if you can't talk in front of people, you can't convince them. But it is also the third most important skill. There are lots of people who are very good at speaking in front of people but who aren't good at debating.

Everyone Else
There are more people involved in debates than just the debaters. Moderators and timekeepers run the round and the audience and judges listen to you and decide which side to support.

Moderators and Timekeepers:
The moderator is in charge of the debate. He or she tells people when it is their turn to speak and makes sure that everything runs smoothly. Some debates have time limits. In those debates, a timekeeper will keep track of time. The moderator and timekeeper are always impartial.

Judges and Audience:The judges and audience are the people that you are trying to convince. The only difference between them is that, in a competition, the judges mark your performance and decide who wins.