Debating is a powerful tool for communicating ideas, challenging assumptions, and promoting understanding. And there are several different debate formats that allow debaters to engage in meaningful and dynamic discourse. Let's explore some of the most popular debate formats and the sample topics they cover.
Lincoln-Douglas Debate (LD)
The Lincoln-Douglas format is named after the famous debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas during their 1858 campaign for the United States Senate. In LD, there is a single debater arguing for the affirmative and one for the negative. The debate centers around a moral or ethical issue, and each speaker has a set amount of time to present their case and rebut their opponent's argument. Here's a sample time duration table for a typical LD debate:
Affirmative constructive (6 minutes)
Negative cross-examination of affirmative (3 minutes)
Negative constructive (7 minutes)
Affirmative cross-examination of negative (3 minutes)
Affirmative rebuttal (4 minutes)
Negative rebuttal (6 minutes)
Affirmative summary (3 minutes)
Negative summary (4 minutes)
Sample LD debate topics:
In a democracy, voting should be mandatory.
The United States ought to guarantee universal health care for its citizens.
Public Forum Debate (PF)
Public Forum debates focus on current events and issues in the news. In PF, teams of two debaters argue for or against the resolution, and the debate is structured to allow for cross-examination of both teams. Here's a sample time duration table for a typical PF debate:
Affirmative constructive (4 minutes)
Cross-examination of affirmative by negative (2 minutes)
Negative constructive (4 minutes)
Cross-examination of negative by affirmative (2 minutes)
Affirmative rebuttal (3 minutes)
Negative rebuttal (3 minutes)
Affirmative final focus (2 minutes)
Negative final focus (2 minutes)
Sample PF debate topics:
The United States should increase its use of nuclear power.
The United States should join the International Criminal Court.
Policy Debate (CX)
Policy debates focus on governmental policies and actions. In CX, teams of two debaters each argue for or against the resolution and engage in a complex and detailed examination of the issue. Here's a sample time duration table for a typical CX debate:
Affirmative constructive (8 minutes)
Cross-examination of affirmative by negative (3 minutes)
Negative constructive (8 minutes)
Cross-examination of negative by affirmative (3 minutes)
First affirmative rebuttal (5 minutes)
First negative rebuttal (5 minutes)
Second affirmative rebuttal (5 minutes)
Second negative rebuttal (5 minutes)
Sample CX debate topics:
The United States should significantly increase its use of renewable energy.
The United States should legalize marijuana.
Parliamentary Debate
Parliamentary debate is a format used in many countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. In parliamentary debate, teams of two debaters each are given a topic and only 15 minutes to prepare their case before they present it. Here's a sample time duration table for a typical parliamentary debate:
Prime Minister constructive (7 minutes)
Leader of the Opposition constructive (7 minutes)
Member of Government rebuttal (4 minutes)
Member of Opposition rebuttal (4 minutes)
Prime Minister final focus (5 minutes)
Leader of the Opposition final focus (5 minutes)
Sample parliamentary debate topics:
This House believes that college athletes should be paid.
This House believes that social media does more harm than good.
World Schools Debate
World Schools Debate, or WSD, is a popular format used in international debating competitions. In this format, two teams of three or four members each debate a motion that is presented to them at the start of the debate. The teams are given a set amount of time to prepare their arguments, and then take turns presenting them in a series of speeches.
Here is an overview of the speaker time duration tables for a WSD debate:
Prime Minister (Proposition) - 7 minutes
Leader of the Opposition - 8 minutes
Member of the Government - 8 minutes
Member of the Opposition - 8 minutes
Deputy Prime Minister (Proposition) - 4 minutes
Deputy Leader of the Opposition - 5 minutes
Government Whip - 4 minutes
Opposition Whip - 5 minutes
Sample debate topics for a WSD format:
This House believes that social media has done more harm than good.
This House believes that college education should be free for everyone.
This House would ban single-use plastic.
This House would legalize euthanasia.
This House believes that the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sports should be allowed.