Public Forum is a type of debate that is popular among middle and high schoolers and even university students in the U.S. Topics for this type of debate are usually of current events, and students will debate about various topics like politics, laws and social security, etc. Topics for debate will be written as a solution for the problem. For example, resolved: High school programs should include the study of economics.
This type of debate will usually last for approximately one hour. There will be two teams competing and each team will have two members. Each member will decide whether they want to be speaker 1 or speaker 2. The teams will debate for or against the topic, otherwise known as the resolution. The special thing about Public Forum debate is that teams that are competing do not know which side they will be arguing for, therefore, it is generally advised that teams should prepare for both sides. By doing so, it allows students to view a problem through different viewpoints through researching different and even contradicting perspectives and opinions. Each team will need to prepare two constructive speeches, each speech supports one side of the debate. For instance, team A has prepared two speeches: one that agrees with the resolution, and the other one does not. When entering the round and knowing that they will debate in favor of the resolution, team A will read the speech with claims that support the resolution.
There will be a coin flip prior to the round to decide which side the teams will be debating for, or the order in which the teams will go. Two teams will choose either head or tail, and whichever side that the coin landed on will decide which team will get to choose the options mentioned above.
A Public Forum debate round will consist of: Constructive Speech, First Crossfire, Rebuttal, Second Crossfire, Summary, Grand Crossfire and Final Focus. Speakers of both teams will each have a chance to speak, and only one person can speak during each session (except for Grand Crossfire).
Public Forum Debate Structure
Constructive Speech: (Given by speaker 1 of team A – Read the prepared speech) – 4 minutes
Constructive Speech: (Given by speaker 1 of team B ) – 4 minutes
Crossfire: (Speaker 1 of both teams ask and respond to each other) – 3 minutes
Rebuttal: (Given by speaker 2 of team A – Refute opponent’s claims and defend your side) – 4 minutes
Rebuttal: (Given by speaker 2 of team B ) – 4 minutes
Crossfire: (Speaker 2 of both teams ask and respond to each other) – 3 minutes
Summary: (Given by speaker 1 of team A – Summarize what has happened in the round) – 2 minutes
Summary: (Given by speaker 1 of team B ) – 2 minutes
Grand Crossfire: (Everyone can participate, all members of team A can ask team B and vice versa) – 3 minutes
Grand Crossfire: (Given by speaker 2 of team A – Crystallize the round and explain why you should win) – 2 minutes
Grand Crossfire: (Given by speaker 2 of team B ) – 2 minutes
Debaters in Public Forum debate rely on improvisation for most of the time during a debate round to make claims, ask and answer questions in order to convince the judge that they are right and have the judge cast a ballot for them. From this, it can be inferred that Public Forum debate requires good improvisation skill. Therefore, debaters who debate in this style will have a chance to sharpen their critical thinking and enhance their ability to assess a situation.
