Chapter Format / Rulebook

The format is the courtroom. The case is only the weapon.

A debate format controls fairness, pace, burden, and spectacle. These sheets give moderators, speakers, adjudicators, and media staff a shared script before the room starts moving.

Open Format Sheets Tournament Desk Conduct Standard
01
Format Sheets

Each room gets rules that shape the clash.

Use these as starting sheets for tournaments, workshops, liaison rooms, and public civic debates.

British Parliamentary

BP Round

Four teams, two sides, one motion. The room rewards teams that know their role and can prove a contribution the panel cannot ignore.

  1. Motion release and prep clock.
  2. Opening government defines model and burden.
  3. Opening opposition attacks premise and mechanism.
  4. Closing halves add extension, weighing, and whip collapse.
  5. Panel ranks all teams with oral adjudication.
Asian Parliamentary

AP Round

Government and opposition benches move faster, with cleaner team identity and a premium on direct rebuttal.

  1. Define motion, stance, and burden.
  2. Prime ministers and leaders set the clash.
  3. Deputies rebuild, extend, and answer.
  4. Whips compare and collapse.
  5. Adjudicator names the decisive issue.
ICDL

League Match

Inter-class debate needs standings, fixtures, and round records. Treat it like a season, not a one-off.

  1. Class teams register with reserves.
  2. Draw and room allocation are published.
  3. Motion ladder escalates by round.
  4. Speaker points and wins update standings.
  5. Final produces champion, best speaker, and archive entry.
Civic Forum

Public Candidate Debate

For student council and public scrutiny rooms where fairness, audience order, and repeatable procedure matter.

  1. Candidate reporting and speaking order lock.
  2. Opening addresses under equal time.
  3. Moderator questions by theme.
  4. Audience questions under conduct rules.
  5. Closing statements and public record.
Liaison

Partner Debate

Built for departments, societies, and councils that want a serious room without inventing a format from scratch.

  1. Partner brief and motion shortlist.
  2. Speaker pairing and role confirmation.
  3. Moderated debate under shared conduct.
  4. Adjudicator note or audience verdict.
  5. Report, photo set, and dossier handoff.
Broadcast

Airwaves Debate Desk

For rooms that should be replayable: context, recording, interview, transcript, and publication pipeline.

  1. Pre-round brief and names cleared.
  2. Camera, audio, and consent check.
  3. Match coverage and short desk notes.
  4. Post-round interviews.
  5. Transcript and episode archive.
02
Adjudication Sheet

The verdict is part of the performance.

A panel should sound precise, fair, and impossible to confuse with vibes. The decision must explain the route from clash to ranking.

Ballot Anatomy

  1. State the round's main clashes.
  2. Name what each side proved.
  3. Compare impacts using explicit weighing.
  4. Explain why the losing team did not overcome the decisive issue.
  5. Give speaker feedback after the result, not inside the result.

Panel Conduct

Chairs keep deliberation clean. Wings contribute evidence from notes. Trainee judges learn decision language without being turned into spectators.

Oral adjudication should be fast enough for the room and exact enough for the archive.