Public Forum Debate Introduction
Public Forum debate is the most popular K-12 speech and debate format in the United States. Known as “PF”, it builds teamwork, strengthens research and persuasive writing skills, helps students improve at public speaking, and hones critical thinking. Competitions happen at tournaments across the United States. Each debate is called a “debate round” and has two teams and at least 1 judge. Each team has 2 competitors. Topics are pre-assigned by the National Speech and Debate Association and change on a rotating basis. The “debate season” runs from August to June, culminating in several capstone events including state championships, NSDA Nationals, and the Tournament of Champions (TOC).
The event follows a 2 versus 2 format where one side defends a “resolution” and the other attacks it. In this article, we will cover the basic structure of Public Forum debate and then apply it to a real round.
What Topics Do You Debate?
Tournaments use a pre-set PF topic that rotates every 1-2 months. Topics cover relevant ethical, international, economic, and domestic issues. Debaters call topics resolutions. While there are different types, their core purpose is to set the stage for debate.
Some examples of resolutions include:
- Resolved: The United States should substantially reduce its military support of Taiwan.
- Resolved: In the United States, collegiate student-athletes should be classified as employees of their educational institution.
- Resolved: In the United States, right-to-work laws do more harm than good.
How Many Students Compete In A Public Forum Round?
Public Forum debate rounds occur between two teams. Each team is called a partnership and consists of 2 debaters. Each team is pre-assigned a “side” of the topic by the tournament: Pro or Con. The Pro team upholds, or affirms, the resolution. The Con team attacks, or negates the resolution. At most tournaments, teams debate as the Pro and the Con side an equal number of times. The 2 vs. 2 style is meant to foster communication and provide students with a sense of camaraderie. A partnership has a “first speaker” and a “second speaker.” Each speaker is responsible for a certain set of speeches and questioning periods, which we will cover below.
Tournaments & Debating Both Sides of the Resolution
Tournaments occur on the weekends. They can be local, regional, state-wide, or national. Middle schools, high schools, and private debate clubs register teams (consistent of two people) to compete at tournaments. Tournaments range from single-day events made up of 5 debate rounds (where teams are ranked based on their final record of wins vs losses) to three day long events with 6 preliminary debate rounds and then single elimination debate rounds. One of the consequences of having multiple rounds is students are required to prepare the Pro and the Con sides of a resolution and will debate both sides of the resolution throughout the tournament.
Key Takeaways
- PF debate is a 2 vs. 2 competitive debate format for kindergarten to 12th grade students, and is most popular at the middle school and high school levels.
- Competitions occur on weekends, ranging from 1 day events to 3 day events.
- A new “resolution” is released every one to two months by the NSDA.
- Debaters must be prepared to defend both sides of the resolution.
Now that we have discussed the very basics of public forum debate, the next article dives into the structure of a PF round.
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