General Definition: An offensive refutation strategy that reverses the value of an impact, arguing that bad impacts are actually good or that good impacts are actually bad. Debaters arguing an impact turn should never argue a “Link Turn” at the same time (see “Double Turn“). Public Forum: see general definition. …
General Definition: Any means of comparing impacts in a debate. See also “Weighing Mechanism“ Public Forum:In PF, students may explicitly or implicitly state their comparative weighing, including aspects of magnitude/scope, probability/likelihood, and timeframe. PF may use “Framework” arguments to prioritize certain impacts over others, although debates typically default to a …
General Definition: The final result of a cause and effect relationship that explains why the argument has meaning or value. A good impact answers the question, “Why does this argument matter?” See also “Impact Weighing“. Public Forum: see general definition. World Schools Debate: see general definition. British Parliamentary:see general definition. …
General Definition: A motion given at a tournament before a designated round. After providing the motion, teams are moved to preparation areas and are given time to create cases before the debate. Public Forum: Not used in PF, where all topics are prepped and announced prior to a tournament. World …
General Definition: The reason a problem exists, also understood as the issue creating a problem or preventing us from solving a problem in the status quo. For example, if the federal government passed a discriminatory law, then that law would be the inherent barrier to a just society. Public Forum: …
General Definition: The causal connection between events that result in an impact. While “Links” explain the connection between the resolution and a chain of events, Internal Links explain the resulting chain of events and can be individually refuted as distinct from the initial link. Public Forum: see general definition. World …
General Definition: The beginning of a speech, often including a hook to get the audience’s attention, a statement of the motion, and a roadmap of what content will be discussed in the speech. Public Forum: In PF, debaters typically aren’t expected to deliver a formal introduction, although they may consider …
General Definition: In debate, the logical justification for why a claim is true, including examples, logic, studies, data, or expert opinion. See also “Evidence“. Public Forum: see general definition. World Schools Debate: see general definition. British Parliamentary: see general definition. Canadian National Debate Format: see general definition.
General Definition: Providing argumentation that contradicts or directly refutes a previous partner or front half argument. Debaters should never knife their own side. Public Forum: Not a common phrase in PF, although debaters should be careful not to contradict their partners. World Schools Debate: See general definition. British Parliamentary: In …
General Definition: The first speaker for the opening opposition in a British Parliamentary (BP) debate. LO is a five-minute speech. Public Forum: not used in PF. World Schools Debate: not used in WSD. British Parliamentary: see general definition. Canadian National Debate Format: not used in CNDF.
General Definition: A form of impact weighing that analyzes the probability of an impact to occur. See also “Probability“. Public Forum: In PF, likelihood is developed through both the specificity of examples or analysis, as well as statistical analysis drawn from expert research. World Schools Debate: In WSD, likelihood is …
General Definition: Going down the flow in order and addressing each argument one-by-one, or “line-by-line”. See also “Point-By-Point“. Public Forum: see general definition. World Schools Debate: Not a common phrase in WSD, where “Point-By-Point” is used instead. British Parliamentary: Not a common phrase in BP, where”Point-By-Point” is used instead. Canadian National …