Debating Academy

REGULATIONS

Welcome!

This Debating Academy offers members the opportunity to debate important local,
national or global issues while developing critical problem solving and teamwork skills.
National teams contend for the title of champion and the prize.

Rules:
• Speaking Language
Debating Academy will be conducted mainly in English.
• Creating Team
Teams will be formed randomly by the organizers, if there are no preferences from the
participants.

• Speaking Structure
The call on whether to speak FOR or AGAINST takes place before the motion is
announced. Each team member shall have 2 or 3 minutes to develop and present the
position of their team; either FOR or AGAINST. The debate structure will include the
following speaking order:

Team Captain FOR: 2 minutes

Team Captain AGAINST: 2 minutes

1st Speaker FOR: 3 minutes

1st Speaker AGAINST: 3 minutes

2nd Speaker FOR: 3 minutes

2nd Speaker AGAINST: 3 minutes

Team Captain AGAINST: 2 minutes

Team Captain FOR: 2 minutes

NOTE: According to British Parliamentary debate, the proposition FOR provides the final
word that finalizes the overall debate, because they proposed the motion.
• Debate Motions
— Each debate round will adhere to the following rules:
— The Final debate round will adhere to the following rules:
1. Teams will be notified of their motion 15 minutes before the start of the debate.
Teams are responsible for being present when the debate motion is announced.
2. The first team drawn or the first team through to successive rounds will debate
on the FOR side of the motion.
3. Determining the FOR and AGAINST position is decided by the finalist team
 with the highest overall points from the semi-final round by calling the coin toss.
The winner of the coin toss will choose their position of FOR or AGAINST the
motion. After the position is chosen, the Chair will then announce the motion.
• Time Requirements
Teams must speak for the allotted time outlined in the enclosed Time Sheet. Points are
deducted when a speaker goes over or under the allotted time, i.e. 1-point is deducted for
every second that a speaker exceeds or falls short of the ten-second buffer period.
• Timeouts
Each team is allowed one 60 second timeout during the debate. A timeout may only
be called between speakers, immediately after a speaker has finished delivering their
arguments and has stepped back from the podium. Team Captains must indicate to the
Chairperson that their team wishes to use a timeout. The Timekeeper will inform the team
when their 60 seconds are up.
• Points of Information
Points of Information are for speakers to clarify an argument made during the debate
competition. Only participating speakers can present a point of information. When giving a
point of information, use the procedures outlined:
1. Raise your hand in a visible manner, address the speaker at the
podium and request “on a point of information”.
2. A speaker may refuse your point by saying “no thank you” or indicating with a
gesture. If they refuse to yield the floor, return to your seat. When the speaker
indicates they will listen to your point, deliver it clearly and briefly, then return to
your seat. There will be no conversation.
3. As the speaker, you may accept, refuse or indicate you will address the point of
information when you have finished your current point.
4. A point of information may only be made during the second and third
minutes of the speaker’s time. The FIRST 60 seconds of the speaker’s
time is protected. Therefore, a point of information can only be
introduced after the FIRST 60 seconds of the speaker’s time has
elapsed.

Pg. 2 JCI Debating Championship

• Judging Panel
A three-person judging panel evaluates the debating competition. The Chair of the Judging
Panel delivers the winning result to the program Chairperson. The Judges verdict is
indisputable once announced.
 • Winner Announcement
Each round must have a winning team that advances and a losing team that is eliminated.
Ties are not permitted; as one team must advance, and a tie breaking point will be given to
the team deemed the winner by overall score. The final winner is announced during the
respective award ceremony.

Pg. 3 JCI Debating Championship

 JCI WORLD DEBATING CHAMPIONSHIP JUDGING BALLOT
NOTE: EACH JUDGE RECEIVES ONE SCORE SHEET PER ROUND TO EVALUATE EACH DEBATE.
JUDGE NAME: MOTION:

PROPOSING TEAM (FOR): OPPOSING TEAM (AGAINST):

TEAM 1st 2nd TEAM 1st 2nd

CAPTAIN SPEAKER SPEAKER CAPTAIN SPEAKER SPEAKER
TEAM MEMBERS NAME: FOR FOR FOR AGAINST AGAINST AGAINST

DEFINITION 30 POINTS
Did the team clearly define the
motion? Did they show knowledge CAPTAIN 1st SPEAKER 2nd SPEAKER CAPTAIN 1st SPEAKER 2nd SPEAKER
about the motion? Was their
strategy for arguing the motion
clear?
CONTENT 30 POINTS
Did the team communicate
the motion logically? Did they CAPTAIN 1st SPEAKER 2nd SPEAKER CAPTAIN 1st SPEAKER 2nd SPEAKER
demonstrate knowledge of the
subject and provide technical
information?
DEBATE SKILLS 20 POINTS
Did the team develop a good
argument, i.e. clearly deliver a good CAPTAIN 1st SPEAKER 2nd SPEAKER CAPTAIN 1st SPEAKER 2nd SPEAKER
intonation, include humor in context,
and answer points of information?

TEAMWORK 10 POINTS
Did the team work together
well, i.e. adequately address CAPTAIN 1st SPEAKER 2nd SPEAKER CAPTAIN 1st SPEAKER 2nd SPEAKER
teammates arguments and present
a coordinated strategy for the
argument?
TIMEKEEPING 10 POINTS
One point should be deducted
for every second that the speaker CAPTAIN 1st SPEAKER 2nd SPEAKER CAPTAIN 1st SPEAKER 2nd SPEAKER
exceeds the ten second conclusion
period.

COLUMN TOTALS: TOTAL TOTAL TOTAL TOTAL TOTAL TOTAL

TEAM TOTALS: TEAM TOTAL TEAM TOTAL

TEAM CAPTAINS’ SUMMARY:
Summary 10 POINTS
How well did they summarize the TEAM CAPTAIN (FOR) TEAM CAPTAIN (AGAINST)
argument of their team?
Persuasiveness 10 POINTS
How persuasive was their argument TEAM CAPTAIN (FOR) TEAM CAPTAIN (AGAINST)
strategy?

Effectiveness 15 POINTS
How effective was their argument, TEAM CAPTAIN (FOR) TEAM CAPTAIN (AGAINST)
style and delivery?
Rebuttal 15 POINTS
How well did they provide a rebuttal TEAM CAPTAIN (FOR) TEAM CAPTAIN (AGAINST)
of the opposing team’s argument?

CAPTAINS’ SUMMARY TOTAL: CAPTAINS’ SUMMARY TOTAL CAPTAINS’ SUMMARY TOTAL

GRAND TOTAL: TEAM TOTAL + SUMMARY TOTAL TEAM TOTAL + SUMMARY TOTAL

WINNER OF DEBATE: JUDGE’S SIGNATURE:

JUDGING BALLOT
 JCI WORLD DEBATING CHAMPIONSHIP TIME SHEET
NOTE: TIME KEEPER RECEIVES ONE SCORE SHEET PER ROUND TO EVALUATE EACH DEBATE.
MOTION:

PROPOSING TEAM (FOR): OPPOSING TEAM (AGAINST):

INSTRUCTIONS:
The Timekeeper should ring the bell and keep a record of the time used by each speaker on this provided Time Sheet.

# OF POINTS
TEAM SPEAKER ALLOTTED TIME ACTUAL TIME DIFFERENCE DEDUCTED

FOR TEAM CAPTAIN 2 MINUTES

AGAINST TEAM CAPTAIN 2 MINUTES

FOR 1st SPEAKER 3 MINUTES

AGAINST 1st SPEAKER 3 MINUTES

FOR 2nd SPEAKER 3 MINUTES

AGAINST 2nd SPEAKER 3 MINUTES

AGAINST TEAM CAPTAIN 2 MINUTES

FOR TEAM CAPTAIN 2 MINUTES

DEDUCTING POINTS:
Usually, the full 10 points will be awarded. If a speaker does not use all the time allocated and runs below the 10
seconds, then the Judges must deduct points. When a speaker goes over the prescribed time and exceeds the
maximum 10 seconds time to conclude, then points must be deducted. As a rule of thumb, 1-point should be
deducted for every second that the speaker exceeds or falls short of the ten-second buffer period. For example, a
speaker with two minutes will incur no penalty if finishing at one-minute and fifty-seconds through two-minutes and
ten-seconds but will incur a 1-point penalty per second if going under or over that buffer time.

JUDGING BALLOT
 JCI Debating Championship
Chairperson’s Script

» Chairperson: Welcome everyone to the JCI Debating Championship! My name is

and I have the pleasure of
CHAIRPERSONS TITLE AND NAME
chairing this Championship. Please also help me welcome the Vice Chair of the
Championship, . We would like
CHAIRPERSONS TITLE AND NAME

to thank you for joining us today for this exciting competition!

» Let me extend my sincere gratitude to the Chair,

EVENT YEAR
JCI for
JCI OFFICER TITLE AND NAME
giving me the opportunity to lead this prestigious event. I would also like to congratulate
all the contestants for competing in today’s JCI Debating Championship.

» Each participant, spectator and Judge has the opportunity to personally learn and grow
today as an active citizen. We hope that each of you experiences today’s true benefit,
which is not our final destination, but rather a continuous journey.

» Before we begin our competition, it is important that we give an overview of the most
important debating rules that help structure our competition today.

» If you are interested in reading the full explanation of the rules and guidelines, please
reference the toolkits found on www.jci.cc Library.

» Today’s Rules:
1. Teams will consist of one Team Captain and two Supporting Speakers.
2. Debates will have a Proposition Team arguing FOR the assigned motion and an
Opposition Team arguing AGAINST.
3. Championship Chairpersons chose today’s debate topics from a recommended list
of topics provided by JCI World Headquarters.
4. Each Team will speak a total of four times, with Team Captains speaking twice and
each Supporting Speaker speaking once.
5. A Point of Information can be raised while an opposing Speaker has the floor, except
for during the protected time. Speakers who have the floor can refuse or accept the
point by showing they will address the point after making their argument.
6. Teams will be allowed one 60 second timeout during the debate, between speakers,
and only immediately after a speaker has finished delivering their arguments and has
stepped back from the podium.
7. Each round must have a winning team that advances and a losing team that is
eliminated from the championship.
8. Ties are not permitted. Therefore, a tie breaker will decide the final winner.
9. The decisions of our three-person judging panel is final and will not be appealed.

JCI DEBATING SCRIPT PG. 1

» As a reminder to our audience, please no entering or exiting this room during speeches.

» Please also remember to turn off all cell phones and other devices, as well as refraining
from flash photography so contestants can focus on their arguments. Thank you!

» At this time please help me welcome today’s Judges to the stage:

• Title and Name:

• Title and Name:

• Title and Name:

» And to perform the important role of Timekeeper, please help me welcome:

• Title and Name:

» Now, to begin our competition, let’s all give a warm welcome to our contestants.

After drawing ballots, insert contestants and their National Organization below:

1. On team , from JCI , please welcome

• Contestant:

• Contestant:

• Contestant:

2. On team , from JCI , please welcome

• Contestant:

• Contestant:

• Contestant:

3. On team , from JCI , please welcome

• Contestant:

• Contestant:

• Contestant:

JCI DEBATING SCRIPT PG. 2

4. On team , from JCI , please welcome

• Contestant:

• Contestant:

• Contestant:

5. On team , from JCI , please welcome

• Contestant:

• Contestant:

• Contestant:

6. On team , from JCI , please welcome

• Contestant:

• Contestant:

• Contestant:

7. On team , from JCI , please welcome

• Contestant:

• Contestant:

• Contestant:

8. On team , from JCI , please welcome

• Contestant:

• Contestant:

• Contestant:

JCI DEBATING SCRIPT PG. 3

 ROUND #

Preliminary Round Structure

(Repeat as necassary for the number of debate rounds)

» Chairperson: The first team to debate is: ,

TEAM

» And will debate with the second team: .

TEAM

» The winner of this round will then compete against: .

TEAM

» Teams, please take your positions. The Motion of your debate is:

[DEBATE MOTION GOES HERE]

» Team: will begin this round, arguing FOR the motion.

TEAM

» And team: will begin this round, arguing AGAINST the motion.
TEAM

» Each team now has 2 or 3 minutes to develop their positions.

» Timekeeper, please start your watch.

After 2 or 3 minutes have elapsed, remind teams of the above motion and start the debate.

» Time is now over! At this time, we will begin the speaking order for teams to present their
arguments in support or opposition of the motion. Teams, please get ready!

Call contestants in the following order. NOTE: After each speaker, a Judge may need up to a
full minute to appropriately score the debater before announcing the next speaker.

Team Captain FOR: 2 minutes

Team Captain AGAINST: 2 minutes

1st Speaker FOR: 3 minutes

1st Speaker AGAINST: 3 minutes

2nd Speaker FOR: 3 minutes

2nd Speaker AGAINST: 3 minutes

Team Captain AGAINST: 2 minutes

Team Captain FOR: 2 minutes

Announce the Judge’s decision. If there are more rounds left, announce the next teams.

» And the winner of this round is: ! Congratulations!

WINNING TEAM

JCI DEBATING SCRIPT PG. 4

 Final Debate Round

» Chairperson: Let’s give a warm round of applause as we welcome our two final teams

» and
TEAM TEAM

» to the stage to compete for the title of JCI Debating Champions!

» Teams, please take your positions. The Motion of your debate is:

[DEBATE MOTION GOES HERE]

» Team: will begin this round, arguing FOR the motion.

TEAM

» And team: will begin this round, arguing AGAINST the motion.
TEAM

» Each team now has 2 or 3 minutes to develop their positions.

» Timekeeper, please start your watch.

After 2 or 3 minutes have elapsed, remind teams of the above motion and start the debate.

» Time is now over! At this time, we will begin the speaking order for teams to present their
arguments in support or opposition of the motion. Teams, please get ready!

Call contestants in the following order. NOTE: After each speaker, a Judge may need up to a
full minute to appropriately score the debater before announcing the next speaker.

Team Captain FOR: 2 minutes

Team Captain AGAINST: 2 minutes

1st Speaker FOR: 3 minutes

1st Speaker AGAINST: 3 minutes

2nd Speaker FOR: 3 minutes

2nd Speaker AGAINST: 3 minutes

Team Captain AGAINST: 2 minutes

Team Captain FOR: 2 minutes

» This concludes our Debating Championship. As the Judges finalize their scores and
comments, I would like to take a moment to extend a sincere thank you to our debaters,
Judges and spectators for attending the competition.

» The winning team will be announced during the Awards Ceremony and we hope to see
you all there! Enjoy the rest of the !
EVENT

JCI DEBATING SCRIPT PG. 5

Three Team Elimination

2)
Winner

1)

Four Team Elimination

1)

3)
Winner

2)

Five Team Elimination

2)

1)
4)
Winner

3)

DEBATING BRACKETS PG. 1

 Six Team Elimination

3)

1)

5)
Winner

2)

4)

Seven Team Elimination

4)

1)

6)
Winner

2)

5)

3)

Eight Team Elimination

1)

5)

2)

7)
Winner

3)

6)

4)

DEBATING BRACKETS PG. 2