Public forum debate

Common card · No. 491837

Public forum debate is a form of competitive debate where debaters use their evidence and impacts to outweigh the benefits and harms of the opposing side. The topics for public forum have to do with current-day events relating to public policy. Debaters work in pairs of two, and speakers alternate for every speech. It is primarily competed by middle and high school students, but college teams exist as well. Invented in the United States, public forum is one of the most prominent American debate events, alongside policy debate and Lincoln–Douglas debate; it is also practiced in China and India, and has been recently introduced to Romania. Individuals give short (2–4-minute) speeches that are interspersed with 3-minute "Crossfire" sections, questions and answers between opposed debaters. The winner is determined by a judge who also serves as a referee (timing sections, penalizing incivility, etc). The debate centers on affirming or rejecting a position, "resolve", or "resolution", which is...

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