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Differences between Public Speaking and Policy Debate
Differences
Audience or Judge?
Structure of Speech
Introduction?
Evidence Incorporation
Contentions
Conclusion
Transitions
Flow
Other
Policy Debate Speech
A judge and an opponent.
Goal is to win = you must create clash.
Your judge is there to weigh your arguments.
Contention structure: plan text, inherency, and advantages.
No formal introduction: inherency and plan text are presented.
Shortened citations: this is possible as files are shared between opponents.
Contention structure is presented, which is mainly jargon.
No formal conclusion is given; the first affirmative constructive speech ends with advantages and impacts.
Transitions are dependent on roadmapping keywords and jargon.
A physical flow paper where judges are tracking arguments exists.
A case is mostly a compilation of expert words across many fields, with little self-made analysis.
Public Speech
A formal audience.
Goal is to create a persuasive argument.
You are there to promote awareness.
Speech structure: introduction, body paragraphs, conclusion.
A formal introduction: the introduction gains the interests of the audience.
Full-length citations: this is to create the credibility of your speech.
No contentions are given; you present pertinent issues.
A formal conclusive device properly wraps up the speech: it presents a summary at the end of the speech.
Explicit transitions are given: “Next”, “Thus”, “My second argument is…”
Your speech must naturally flow without any note-taking.
A speech is fully in your voice – the experts you quote back your claims. This makes your speech unique and stand out.