General Definition: The first speaker for the closing government in a British Parliamentary (BP) debate. MG 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: The first speaker for the closing opposition in a British Parliamentary (BP) debate. MO 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 practice technique that includes fewer or shortened speeches to focus on improving specific aspects of one’s performance. 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: Arguments decreasing the impact of an opponent’s argument, preventing them from scoring points or adding weight to their side. Also known as “Defense“, mitigation is often framed as reasons the judge shouldn’t vote for an opponent. Mitigatory arguments are generally weaker than “Offensive Arguments“, although they can play …
General Definition: The proposition’s ability to determine the agency or actor that enacts the motion, as well as define terms and burdens for the motion. Public Forum: Not used in PF, where actors and resolutional mechanisms are explicitly stated in the “Resolution“. World Schools Debate: In WSD, a model is …
General Definition: The topic or subject offered to debate. Motions are written as statements that create clear affirmative and negative ground, or positions. See also “Resolution“. 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: Any action, attitude, or behavior that is used to relay a message to an audience, including gestures, facial expressions, voice quality, eye contact, posture, and other body language. Public Forum: see general definition. World Schools Debate: see general definition. British Parliamentary: see general definition. Canadian National Debate Format: …
General Definition: Arguments reversing or “stealing” the impact of an opponent’s argument, showing how an argument actually benefits the other team. Also known as a “Turn“, offense is often framed as reasons the judge should vote for your team. Offensive arguments are generally stronger and more strategic than “Defensive Arguments”, …
General Definition: The side opposing the motion in a debate Public Forum: Opposition is not a common phrase in PF, where “Con” or “Negative” are used instead. World Schools Debate: see general definition. British Parliamentary: see general definition. Canadian National Debate Format: see general definition.
General Definition: The second speaker for the closing opposition in a British Parliamentary (BP) debate. OW 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 judge’s educational philosophy; a perspective that guides a judge’s decision. All judges have assumptions about the relative importance of substance, style, technical argumentation, and even format, and while judges are instructed not to allow their personal bias to influence their decision, debaters should do their best to …
General Definition: Appeals to emotion; rheoric designed to persuade an audience with emotionally impactful stories or examples. Public Forum: see general definition. World Schools Debate: see general definition. British Parliamentary: see general definition. Canadian National Debate Format: see general definition.