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Different styles of debate offer their own distinct format and focus. The most widely used format at the
university level is Parliamentary Debate, although certain regions of the world have their own, slightly
different version of it. IDEA predominantly employs the Karl Popper Debate format with secondary school
students and the Parliamentary format with secondary and university students.
New debate formats are created all the time; some of them stay, some of them do not. If you feel the
following is not comprehensive or there are improvements you could make, please Contact Us.
Online Debate
Online debating formats are meant to allow debaters to engage in short debates using instant messaging
or video conferencing software. These debates will have one debater representing the "affirmative" and
another debater presenting the "negative". While online debates are not meant to replace face-to-face
communication, they are a way to bridge geographic distances and to allow for discussion between
people who might not otherwise have a chance to meet.
IDEA expects the opportunities for debating on the Internet to improve as technology improves and
believes this format will be dynamic and open to change. Starting in January 2012, IDEA will host video
and text debating competitions visit DEBATE NOW to sign up and join in.
Team Debate
Parliamentary Debate
Many formats of debate are described as 'parliamentary'. This is really a catch-all term which simply
means that they are loosely modeled on the practices of the British parliamentary system and other
parliaments around the world that adopted those practices. In practice it means that the motion for
debate is treated in much the same way as a legislative Bill placed before the UK House of Commons.
The motion always stands in the name of the Government (also called 'the Proposition') and it is the job
of the Opposition to demonstrate that the motion is either impractical or immoral.
The distinguishing factor of parliamentary formats, of which there are many, is the use of Points of
Information (PoI). These points allow debaters to interrupts a speaker to ask a question or offer
information which favors their side of the debate. Both Proposition and Opposition speakers can offer
PoIs, but only to the other side. It is not compulsory to accept a PoI, but in competitive debate speakers
are penalized if they fail to take any. Usually the first and last sections of a speech are 'protected time'
during which PoIs may not be offered.
In many parliamentary formats the terminology of the House of Commons has also been adopted with
the first proposition speaker being referred to as the Prime Minister and the first opposition speaker being
known as the Leader of the Opposition. The chair or presiding adjudicator is usually referred to as Mister
or Madam Speaker and all remarks are addressed to them not the other debaters.
Legislative Debate
Legislative Debate is based upon the notion of having representative student leaders consider some of
the problems that actually confront lawmakers. In doing so, Legislative Debate provides unparalleled
insight into the way legislation is drafted and establishes leadership and deliberation skills crucial to
effective participation in democratic processes. Legislative Debate also offers a vehicle for teaching
parliamentary procedure and helps students internalize the value of decision-making processes that draw
on consensus building and majority rule.
Lincoln-Douglas Debate
In Lincoln-Douglas Debate, the motion is a statement, phrased as a sentence that focuses on an issue of
philosophical or political concern and which will be analyzed from a moral perspective. Lincoln-Douglas
Debate places primacy on the ability of debaters to make original, coherent and philosophically
persuasive arguments on issues of ethics. Debaters should present a persuasive moral position that they
can defend from criticism and use to argue against an opposing case, without falling into selfcontradiction or denying the complexity of the issues at stake. Students should familiarize themselves
with the work of major ethical philosophers and should inform their cases with real-world examples and
analysis.
Mock Trial
Mock Trial is an exercise in argumentation and legal procedure and the only educational trial format
based on the International Criminal Court established by the Treaty of Rome. The IDEA Mock Trial hones
both legal reasoning and courtroom technique, while it familiarizes participants with a vital arena of
public debate. Teams representing the prosecution and defense take on the roles of all attorneys and
witnesses. A judge, or judging panel, oversees the round, provides educational criticism and makes a
decision based on each team's performance. Each case argued is an original scenario that the
participants must master. Facts are presented through a variety of legal documents and through the
testimony of witnesses. Although the underlying facts are the same, each round unfolds differently
according to the actions, decisions and interactions of the participants. Teams contest the facts of the
case through direct examination, cross-examination, re-direct and re-cross of both prosecution and
defense witnesses.
Public Debate
IDEA believes that debate should not be limited to the setting of competitive debate tournaments in
which only students take part, but instead feels that debate should operate within a broader context of
public participation and should embrace different segments of a community. IDEA strongly encourages its
members to promote and support public access to debate through the organization of public debates and
by inviting the public to debate competitions.
Speech Events
Interpretative Events
(i) Prose Interpretation
In Prose Interpretation, students must select, analyze and share a cutting from literature (other than
verse or plays) through the art of reading aloud. Prose Interpretation expresses thought through
language recorded in sentences and paragraphs. Prose Interpretation includes fiction (short stories,
novels) and non-fiction (articles, essays, journals, biographies). An effective Prose Interpretation consists
of a selection or selections of materials with literary merit.
(ii) Poetry Interpretation
In Poetry Interpretation, students must find, analyze and share a cutting or rhyme through the art of
reading aloud. Poetry selections express ideas, experiences or emotions through the creative
arrangement of words according to their sound, rhythm and meaning. An effective Poetry Interpretation
consists of a selection or selections of material with literary merit.
(iii) Dramatic Interpretation
In Dramatic Interpretation, a student must select, analyze and share a cutting from a play through the
art of reading aloud. A Dramatic Interpretation consists of a selection or selections of literary merit that
may be drawn from more than one source.
(iv) Duo Dramatic Interpretation
In Duo Dramatic Interpretation, two students must find, analyze and share a cutting from a play through
the art of reading aloud. A Duo Dramatic Interpretation can be either humorous or serious. The cutting
should represent the portrayal of one or more characters presented by the two individuals.
(v) Programmed Oral Interpretation
In Programmed Oral Interpretation students must find, analyze and share a program of thematically
linked selections through the art of reading aloud. The selections should be of literary merit, and must be
chosen from at least two of the three recognized genres (prose/poetry/drama). 'Different genres' here
means that the material must appear in separate pieces of literature and that, for example, a poem
included in a short story that appears only in that short story does not constitute a poetry genre.