IPDA Rules/Expectations

The critical principles and elements of Public Debate were listed in the preamble to the Constitution.

The following more specific event description is intended to provide a practical set of guidelines for competitors and tournament directors. Public Debate is an academic public speaking exercise which is defined by the following elements, rules, and procedures:

A. Eligibility: Individual competitors must be at least 18 years of age or be a currently enrolled college student representing the collegiate institution where they are currently enrolled. Otherwise, there are no restrictions on competitors within the organization.

B. Judges: Individual judges must be at least 18 years of age or be a currently enrolled college student representing the collegiate institution where they are currently enrolled. It is actively recommended that judging pools be made up of as wide a range of backgrounds, abilities, and perspectives as possible. Tournament directors are encouraged to use class or volunteer undergraduate students as judges.

C. Ballots: An official ballot will be used in judging Public Debates. Copies of this ballot will be made available by the Managing Director. They may be purchased at cost plus 20% from the Association or members are free to have their own versions produced. Any substantial deviation from the official ballot must be approved by the Executive Committee.

D. Seating: Contestants should seat themselves such that, from the audience’s point of view, the Affirmative is on the left and the Negative on the right.

E. Topic Areas & Resolutions: The topic areas and specific resolutions for Public Debate are left to the discretion of Tournament Directors. Topics should be fair to all parties attending Public Debate tournaments. Tournament Directors should avoid local issues which are inaccessible to visiting competitors. Resolutions should be as balanced as possible giving equal ground to both the Affirmative and Negative. Tournament directors are encouraged to include a variety of fact, value and policy resolutions.

F. Topic Draw: All division contestants will meet in a central location for an extemporaneous topic draw before the scheduled start of the debate. The official recommended draw time is 30 minutes but the exact time is up to the Tournament Director. Contestants will be offered five (5) topics. Each pair of opponents will independently select the topic they wish to debate. Starting with the Negative speaker, each contestant will alternatively strike one of the five until only one remains. That will be the debate resolution for the round. Contestants must complete the topic selection process independently and without outside assistance. Tournament Directors may set their own policies concerning the specific issues that come up during the draw including what to do about competitors who show up late and topic draw protests.

G. Preparation: Debaters are permitted to use reference materials during their preparation time before debating. They may utilize extemporaneous speaking type files, dictionaries, reference books, libraries, or anything else for that matter. They may also consult with teammates and/or coaches for ideas and advice.

H. Format: Public Debate will use the following formats:
Individual Debate Format:
5 minute 1st Affirmative
2 minute Cross Examination
6 minute 1st Negative
2 minute Cross Examination
3 minute Affirmative Rebuttal
5 minute Negative Rebuttal
3 minute Affirmative Summary

Team Debate Format:
4 minute 1st Aff. Constructive
2 minute 2nd Neg. Cross Examination
5 minute 1st Neg. Constructive
2 minute 1st Aff. Cross Examination
5 minute 2nd Aff. Constructive
2 minute 1st Neg. Cross Examination
4 minute 2nd Neg. Constructive
2 minute 2nd Aff. Cross Examination
3 minute 1st Neg. Rebuttal
4 minute 1st Aff. Rebuttal
4 minute 2nd Neg. Rebuttal
3 minute 2nd Aff. Rebuttal

Tournament directors must receive Executive Committee approval to deviate from the individual debate format; tournament directors may establish longer time limits for team debate, but those times must be published in the official invitation for the tournament. The IPDA recommends that speakers be prepared to speak immediately following each other; competitors may be allowed up to 10 seconds. This is a matter of the Tournament Director’s discretion and it is recommended that the policy be included in the tournament invitation. In the absence of an announced rule, special prep time beyond the aforementioned reasonable time between speeches is not allowed. Judges should be made aware of prep time rules and count off for abuses.

I. Use of Evidence During Debates: Contestants may not bring printed reference materials into the round with them. No “reading” of evidence will be permitted. They may only bring and reference handwritten case outlines and limited notes which they have worked up during the round’s preparation time. Evidence must be memorized or paraphrased for use during debates. This is another case where judges should be made aware of this rule and instructed to count off for abuses. Serious violations of this rule should cause the judge to automatically award the decision to the opponent.

J. Fairness: Debaters will, as much as possible, be left to their own devices. Affirmative’s are allowed to define resolutions; however, Affirmative interpretations and definitions must fit within the resolution and leave Negatives fair ground for the debate. If an Affirmative’s case is too lopsided and/or tautological (used to define itself as winning by definition), this opens the door for the Negative to provide an alternate set of definitions. But the Negative can only redefine terms if the Affirmative has abused its prerogative. If the Affirmative can demonstrate they have met the aforementioned burdens when challenged, then Affirmative definitions will have presumption. The judge is the final arbiter of definitional squabbles.

K. Nomenclature & Procedure: The two sides in a Public Debate will be known as the Affirmative and Negative. There will be no “rising” to points of order, standing with one hand on your head, or heckling during speeches. If debaters have questions or problems they should ask about them during cross-examination and/or raise them as points during their next speech.

L. Style: The goal of the International Public Debate Association is to promote a highly rhetorical and oratorical style of public speaking. For this reason, it is recommended that judges be instructed to award the decision in a close round to the superior speaking style rather than to the negative.

M. Etiquette: Public Debaters are expected to maintain a highly polite, civil, and professional demeanor during rounds. Judges should be instructed to reward appropriate ethos and count off for abusiveness.

The philosophic foundations of the International Public Debate Association include:

Inclusivity: All interested individuals are encouraged to participate regardless of educational background, prior experience, or any other demographics.

Lay Judging: Tournament directors are encouraged to use as many real-world judges as possible. Training should be minimal and should emphasize fairness and how to properly conduct the round and fill out the ballot.

Multiple Topics: Each round should open with a set of five resolutional choices and the contestants themselves should select the topic they will debate.

Limited Preparation: Debaters should be allowed sufficient preparation time to give serious thought to their upcoming round. The use of extemporaneous preparation files and collaboration with coaches and colleagues is encouraged.

Extemporaneous Delivery: The use of evidence cards and/or verbatim printed materials is prohibited. Such materials may be studied, memorized and/or paraphrased and handwritten notes made, but printed information may not be physically present in the round.

Rhetorical Delivery: Students should be encouraged to develop winning oratorical styles. The speaking style of the top Public Debaters should be highly effective when transferred into real world settings.

Ethos: High quality speaking styles and courtesy should be prized, promoted, and rewarded. The use of appropriate humor is encouraged.