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Debate 101

What is debate and why should I do it?

Debate is like a contest, or a game, where two or more people present arguments in order to persuade a judge to vote for them. Mankind has been doing it since the beginning of time, but for different reasons. In high school competitive debate, we don't do it for awards, although you will get some. We don't do it to prove our ideas are superior, although you will have to do that as well. Debaters primarily do it to grow as people and as speakers. You will also learn to analyze, distinguish between the vital and the unimportant, support statements with valid proof and then demand the same from others, and learn to present yourself and your arguments in a clear effective manner. Besides, you build muscle from carrying around boxes of evidence!

The three types of debate
  1. Lincoln-Douglas Debate (LD): Named after the famous congressional debates of Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas, this category is largely based on values and ethics. There are two sides to every resolution, Affirmative and Negative. The Affirmative debater must 'affirm' the topic of resolution, or show why it must be upheld. The Negative, means just the opposite; they must 'negate' the resolution, or show why it is faulty. The resolutions, and hence arguments, usually involve ethical and moral issues. Heavy emphasis on logic and philosophy.
  2. Cross Examination Debate (aka Team or Policy Debate): Just as in LD, there are two sides to every resolution. Unlike LD, where there is a single debater, policy debate is made of an Affirmative team of two debaters against a Negative team of two. Policy resolutions are typically matters of "policy" and require statistical and concrete evidence. Therefore policy usually requires more research and evidence, but since you have a partner, the burden is shared. You must be able to work well with your partner and enjoy the thrill of battle to do well in this category.
  3. Parliamentary Debate (Congress): The setup and design of H.S. Congress is much like Congress at the state and federal level. You are given bills and resolutions (in the form of legislation) on which you debate. Speeches are three minutes long and sometimes involve cross-examination. These contestants are usually interested in politics. Speeches are often done impromptu (on the spot) and the research burden is relatively low compared to Policy and LD. Unfortunately Congress isn't offered at every tournament, so most debaters pick it up as an alternative event when they can't do Policy or LD. Some people though focus solely on Congress.

"If it is a disgrace to a man when he cannot defend himself in a bodily way, it would be absurd not to think him disgraced when he cannot defend himself with reason in a speech."
-- Aristotle in The Rhetoric