By the Equality in Forensics Contributor Team
This page will teach you everything you need to know about Public Forum (PF) Debate! PF is a unique event in that it is meant to be accessible to all people, not just experts. This page will equip you with the knowledge to excel in PF.
This is a lesson created by Equality In Forensics. You can view all of our lessons, blog posts, and additional resources on our website (and maybe even sign up to join our staff as well)!
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PF resolutions advocate for solving a problem by establishing a position. From the months of September to December, the resolutions will change bi-monthly. From January to May the topics will change monthly.
About a month before the resolution is released, students can vote for one of two potential topics on the NSDA website. The topic that receives the most votes will be the topic debated. Each PF topic will center around a current event or timely issue.
<aside> <img src="/icons/star-outline_red.svg" alt="/icons/star-outline_red.svg" width="40px" /> For example, the January 2023 topic was Resolved: The United States Federal Government should increase its diplomatic efforts to peacefully resolve internal armed conflicts in West Asia.
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On each PF team, there is a first and second speaker. The first speaker gives the pre-prepared constructive speech and the summary speech. Being a first speaker necessitates an understanding of the bigger picture in rounds while extending a consistent narrative. The second speaker delivers the rebuttal and final focus speeches, in which attention to detail and efficiency are extremely important.
As the name implies, public forum is meant to be accessible to the public. This means that apart from understanding the basic structure of speeches, anyone can be a PF debater!
Before rounds, debaters generally prepare two cases, one representing the affirmative side of the resolution, and the other the negative. Some teams also create a block file, or a collection of prewritten responses to common arguments.
In every PF round, there will be a “first-speaking team” and a “second-speaking team”, and teams will deliver their speeches in that order throughout the round.
Rounds in PF will typically last from 45 minutes to an hour. There are eight speeches in the round (four per team) and three crossfires. The first speech is the constructive speech/case. This speech is delivered by the first speaker on each team and is four minutes long. Following both constructives, the first speakers will engage in a three minute crossfire where they take turns questioning the merits of each other’s arguments. After the crossfire, the second speakers will deliver the rebuttal speech, in which they attack the claims made in their opponent’s constructive while defending their own arguments. The second speakers then engage in a three minute crossfire. The first speakers will then deliver the summary speech and then all speakers will participate in the grand crossfire. After grand cross, the second speakers will give the round’s closing speech, the final focus. Throughout the round, each team has three minutes of prep time to use.
<aside> <img src="/icons/star-outline_red.svg" alt="/icons/star-outline_red.svg" width="40px" /> In every crossfire, the first speaking team should always ask the first question.
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