Types of Debate - A Complete Overview & Examples

Brief Overview of Debate Writing

A debate is a formal and organized argument where the participants discuss a subject from two opposing sides. Those who agree with the idea are on the "Pro" side. On the other hand, those who disagree are on the "Con" side.

Each side presents the argument to persuade the audience of their point of view. They achieve this by presenting relevant examples and evidence to support the claim.

The primary purpose of a debate is to convince the audience that your viewpoint is right. Moreover, a mediator decides the winner during formal debate tournaments. Nevertheless, the informal debate continues until the time when any one of the debate team gives up.

On the other hand, a writer needs to follow the proper format and structure for writing a debate. Remember, a well-written debate will leave a long-lasting impression on the audience.

Types of Debate

Below are the popular types of debate writing that will help you get started.

Team Policy Debate

Team policy debates involve two teams, each with two debaters. These are the most commonly used types of debates in high school and middle school. Here, the structure includes the following elements.

• Eight speeches
• Four constructive speeches
• Four rebuttals
• Four periods of cross-examination

This debate consists of an affirmative team that supports a proposition, and a negative team that argues against it. The primary objective of team policy debate is to present a huge amount of evidence quickly and coherently.

Below given is the basic format of a team policy debate.

Check out the example for a better understanding.

Cross-Examination Debate

Cross-examination is another type of two-on-two debate. It is mainly defined as a period between speeches. Here, the opponent debaters ask questions to clarify and understand each other’s points of information.

A cross-examination debate provides you with an opportunity to engage with your opponent.

Here is a detailed format structure of the cross-examination debate.

Refer to the below example of the cross-examination debate.

Lincoln-Douglas Debate

Lincoln-Douglas is an open style of debate. It is mainly inspired by the debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas in the 1850s.

Moreover, this is a one-on-one debate that focuses on arguing for or against a topic. Here, the participants agree on the time limits and topics beforehand.

For example, in the United States presidential debates, one debate is entirely focused on domestic policy. At the same time, the other one is devoted to foreign policy.

The main purpose of the Lincoln-Douglas debates is to speak persuasively, clearly, and logically. Similarly, it is very structured in nature and allows people to express their viewpoints openly.

A typical format of the Lincoln-Douglas debate is as follows.

Have a look at the below example to get a better idea.

Spontaneous Argumentation

Spontaneous argumentation includes two debaters that argue on a particular topic. Firstly, they get a short prep time for a debate topic and then present the argument.

These types of debate speeches are often used in college and university classrooms. Moreover, it also helps in decreasing the anxiety of a speaker by building confidence.

However, it does not require detailed research work. So the speaker focuses more on presentation and style rather than the content. Moreover, it also helps in decreasing the anxiety of a speaker by building confidence.

The spontaneous argumentation debate format is given below.

Refer to the document for a detailed example.

Public Forum Debate

Public forum debate is considered as audience friendly and a current events debate. It includes two teams of debaters that argue on ongoing controversial topics.

The round begins with a coin toss between the competing debate teams. It is required to determine which side, either Pro or Con, will present their argument first. Each debate team will be given 3 minutes to prepare the topic.

Furthermore, it consists of eight speeches and three crossfires but each with a time limit. The winner is further decided by a judge who serves as a referee.

Lastly, this type of debate is used to test the students’ argumentation, cross-examination, and refutation skills.

The following is a format structure of public forum debate.

Check out the below example of a public forum debate.

Parliamentary Debate

Similar to the spontaneous types of debate arguments, parliamentary debates do not require thorough research. The resolutions are decided only 10 minutes before a round of debate starts. 

They are referred to as “parliamentary” because they are similar to the debates that occur in the British parliament. Such types of debates are mainly used by decision-making bodies.

Moreover, it consists of the following elements.

Two teams, each with two debaters
Six speeches
Four constructive speeches
Two rebuttal speeches
The format structure of the parliamentary debate is as follows.

Here is a detailed example to get a better understanding.

Types of Debates Examples

Check out the document for some more types of debate examples.

To reiterate, it is essential to know the format and type of the debate you’re participating in. With the help of the above guide, you now understand the various types and prepare your debate accordingly. 

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