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: 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: Flawed, deceptive, or false arguments that can be proven wrong with effective reasoning. 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: Appeals to logic; rhetoric designed to persuade an audience with logic or reason. 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: 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 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”, …