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1. 1st Affirmative Constructive Speech 5 min. (8)
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2. 1st Affirmative is questioned by 2nd Negative speaker
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2 min. (3)
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3. 1st Negative Constructive speaker 5 min. (8)
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4. 1st Negative is questioned by 1st Affirmative speaker
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2 min. (3)
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5. 2nd Affirmative Constructive Speech 5 min. (8)
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6. 2nd. Affirmative is questioned by 1st Negative speaker 2 min. (3)
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7. 2nd Negative Constructive Speech 5 min. (8)
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8. 2nd Negative is questioned by 2nd Affirmative speaker
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2 min. (3)
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9. 1st Negative Rebuttal 3 min. (4)
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10. 1st Affirmative Rebuttal 3 min. (4)
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11. 2nd Negative Rebuttal 3 min. (4)
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12. 2nd Affirmative Rebuttal 3 min. (4)
Also, each team has 5 minutes of preparation time (10 minutes for high school) to be taken any time during the debate in increments of 60 seconds each. The timekeeper will keep track of this.
Judges may ask each speaker if he/she wishes to take any of the preparation time before each speech.
During the debate, judges keep a “flow sheet” to keep track of arguments and speaker points. At the end of the debate the judges confer with each other to determine which team won the majority of the arguments. They then decide on the winner of the debate and complete a ballot giving reasons for their decision. Six categories are evaluated by the judges in helping them to reach their decision. The six categories are:
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a. Analysis: How well did this speaker assess the arguments presented?
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b. Evidence: How well did this speaker support his argument?
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c. Refutation: How well did he respond to opposition’s arguments?
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d. Organization: How well did he structure his speech and follow the affirmative case?
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f. Delivery: How well did he present himself (dress, speech, pace, etc.)
NOTE: Delivery is only one-sixth of the criteria.
Each category is worth five points for a perfect score of thirty. The winning team is based on the total speaker points for each team. A combined total of 60 points is possible. If there are two judges, they must agree on which team won. There can be no ties and while a member of one team may have the highest individual score, the total team score determines the winner. Tournament results are based on won-lost records with the total number of points being used to break ties if the won/lost records are the same. A copy of the score sheet is provided on the next page.
American Forensic Association Debate Ballot
(figure available in print form)