Oregon-Oxford Debate Defined

• Also known as Cross-Examination Debate or Forensic Debate

• This debate style offers opposing sides of a topic to intelligently exchange arguments and
rebuttals: an “affirmative” team supports convincing arguments to the motion, while a “negative”
team refutes the points made by the affirmative team.
• Consist of the following:
Parts of the Debate
a) Constructive Speech: presentation of each team’s arguments and evidence for each aspect of
the case
b) Interpellation: opportunity for the opposing debater to ask questions regarding the speech of
the speaker
c) Rebuttal: summary and defense of each team’s arguments and evidence, to be delivered by the
team Captain
• Incorporates legislative/parliamentary and courtroom debate.

Historical Background
Debate during the Olden Days
- It was in 5th Century B.C. in Syracuse a city from Ancient Greece has gone through war and
revolution. People struggled for peace and order. A particular concern for them was land
ownership for lands were claimed through memory.
Oregon-Oxford Debate
• First used in Oregon University in 1930s.
• Introduced to the Philippines by American teachers.
• Official format used by the National Debate Tournament of the American Forensic
Association.
• Pre-debate conference (PreDeCon) is a Filipino innovation.

The Format
• Today, the so-called Oxford-Oregon Debate has various modifications. In fact, what is now
commonly employed in academic debates is already a modified Oregon-Oxford which somewhat
deviates from the traditional format.
• In the original format, there are just two or three speakers on each side. On the other hand, the
format usually used today has four (4) members on each side, the 4th one being the scribe and/or
the rebuttal speaker. Unlike in the Parliamentary Debate, the debaters in Oxford-Oregon are not
to be interrupted while delivering the constructive speech. Instead, a debater and his match in the
opposing team have to interpellate each other at the end of their respective constructive speeches.
Three Speakers from each side
First Affirmative - Constructive Speech
First Negative - Interpellation of the first affirmative Speaker
First Negative - Constructive Speech
First Affirmative - Interpellation of the first negative speaker
Second Affirmative - Constructive Speech
Second Negative - Interpellation of the second affirmative
Second Negative – Constructive
Second Affirmative - Interpellation of the second negative
Third Affirmative - Constructive Speech
Third Negative - Interpellation of the third affirmative
Third Negative - Constructive Speech
Third Affirmative - Interpellation of the third negative
Rebuttal of the Team Captain of the Negative Side
Rebuttal of the Team Captain of the Affirmative Side

Duration
Constructive Speech: Minimum of five (5) and maximum of seven (7) minutes
Interpellation: Five (5) minutes
Rebuttal Speech: Three (3) minutes

Issues of the Debate

a) Whether or not it is necessary? (Necessity)
Discusses the presence or absence of an inherent flaw in the status quo.
b) Whether or not it is beneficial? (Beneficiality)
Discusses the advantages or disadvantages of adopting or rejecting the resolution.
c) Whether or not it is practical? (Practicability)
Discusses the feasibility of the proposition and includes matters of law, clamor, and finance.

As for the debate style, there would be two (2) sides in Oregon-Oxford Debate: The Affirmative
and The Negative. The Affirmative proves the validity of the issue or topic called the Proposition
while the Negative disproves it. Each team has two speakers and one scribe. Whereas the Debate
Moderator enforces the rules to ensure the debate’s smooth conduct.

Like any other style of debate, the main objective of Oregon-Oxford debate is to resolve the
issue intelligently at the end of the debate, specifically, for the speaker to have a comprehensive
grasp of the issue and for them to be able to prepare a case which tackles the necessity,
beneficiality, and practicability of the debated subject matter.