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Introducing Policy Debate
Debate Structure
Introduction
Policy debate is a team sport. Students must each give a constructive speech, a rebuttal speech, and cross-examination (CX). Here is a chart to summarize a debate round:
The 1AC is the 4 minute first affirmative constructive speech, given by the 1A, with 2 minute cross-examination by the 2N. The 1NC is the 4 minute first negative constructive speech, given by the 1N, with 2 minute cross-examination by the 1A. The 2AC is the 4 minute second affirmative constructive speech, given by the 2A, with 2 minute cross-examination by the 1N. The 2NC is the 4 minute second negative constructive speech given by the 2N, with 2 minute cross=examination by the 2A. The 1NR is the 2 minute first negative rebuttal speech given by the 1N. The 1AR is the 2 minute first affirmative rebuttal speech given by the 1A. The 2NR is the 2 minute second negative rebuttal speech given by the 2N. The 2AR is the 2 minute second affirmative rebuttal speech given by the 2A.
Here are some key points about the format:
Debaters receive designated speaker positions. Debaters speak first on one side of the resolution, and they speak second when on the opposite side. They’ll either be a 2A/1N, which means they speak second for the affirmative and first for the negative, or a 2N/1A, which means they speak second for the negative and first for the affirmative. If their job is to speak second, that means they should be the “captain” for that part of the debate.
A constructive speech introduces arguments. That’s when your debaters will set up the key points that they’ll use in the rest of the round.
Each constructive speech is followed by a cross-examination. The debater from the opposing team who is not going to speak next asks the questions, and the debater who just gave the speech answers them.
After the constructives, debaters have rebuttal speeches. These last two minutes, and that’s when your students will refute their opponents’ arguments using what they have already read.
One quirk of policy debate is the “negative block.” Because the affirmative team gets to speak first and last, the negative team gets to give a constructive (2NC) and rebuttal (1NR) speech back-to-back. Students giving the first negative rebuttal shouldn’t repeat arguments that their partner just made, however, and you should encourage students to talk about different issues in their two speeches. This is called splitting the block.
Each team gets a total of five minutes of prep time to take between speeches throughout the round.
Learning Objectives
In this section, students should:
Learn the different types of speeches in policy debate and their order.
Learn the different speaker positions and their responsibilities.
Understand what the block is and that they should split it.
Points of Improvement
Whether you’re a debater or a coach, the structure of policy debate can be hard to learn. It’s like a second language, and immersion through practice debates and tournaments is the best way to learn it. As your students increase their exposure to policy debate, look out for these common mistakes:
Debaters can often forget to split the block. Remind them to coordinate with their partner before the 2NC to decide what both the 2NC and 1NR will discuss!
Sometimes, debaters will forget who is responsible for cross-examination. Make sure they know it’s the person who is NOT going to deliver a speech immediately afterward! While they can work together during cross-examination if the judge allows for tag-teaming, they must ask first.
Make sure that debaters know the basic purpose for each speech. Constructives are meant to set up arguments, so debaters should read their evidence in these speeches. Rebuttals are meant for developing and responding to arguments, so debaters should know not to read evidence that makes entirely new arguments.
Signs of Progress
Here are some signs that debaters are successfully learning debate structure. While some of these are tied to the lesson plans we’ve included, it’s often hard to gauge students’ understanding of the rules outside of debate rounds. As a result, some of these are written in terms of activities that you’ll do later!
After this lesson, students:
can correctly repeat the order of a debate round. o understand the two speaker positions that they can choose from.
know what the block is and cover different arguments during the 2NC and 1NR speeches.
can correctly identify who is responsible for each cross-examination.
During practice debate rounds, students:
follow the order of a debate round without being prompted.
know their speaker positions without being reminded.
remember to split the block.
ask questions during their assigned cross-examination sections.