How do you do a Public Forum Debate?
Public Forum Debate involves opposing teams of two, debating a topic concerning a current event. Proceeding a coin toss, the winners choose which side to debate (PRO or CON) or which speaker position they prefer (1st or 2nd), and the other team receives the remaining option.
What does a Public Forum Debate look like?
A Public Forum debate consists of 8 speeches and 3 crossfires, each with a time limit. The first speech is pre-written and presents the team’s “contentions,” arguments either supporting or opposing the resolution. The two speakers from each team who presented cases then participate in a 3-minute crossfire.
How many people are on a Public Forum Debate team?
Public Forum Debate features four high school students on teams of two debating a timely issue in highly struc- tured speech times. The teams compete for the vote of a judge or panel of judges, who will decide the round based on which team debated better.
Is Public Forum Debate hard?
Why? Well, basically because PF is a difficult event. For starters, the topic changes almost every month, so while debaters and coaches are involved with tournaments on one topic, they are preparing for the next month. PF debaters basically debate the resolution like Policy debaters would debate “whole res.”
What is flowing in debate?
In policy debate, Lincoln-Douglas debate, and public forum debate, the flow (flowing in verb form) is the name given to a specialized form of notetaking or shorthand, which debaters use to keep track of all of the arguments in the round.
How do you begin a debate?
The Debate Introduction
- The Attention Grabber. Securing the attention of the audience is crucial.
- Introduce the Topic. Now, once the audience’s attention has been firmly grasped, it’s time to introduce the topic or the motion.
- Provide the Thesis Statement.
- Preview the Arguments.