QUOTE:
“___________.” This powerful/amazing/spectacular quote comes from _____________.
PREVIEW:
Good afternoon. My name is ____________ and I will be the affirmative/negative speaker for the following debate round. I would like to thank the judge, timer, and negative/affirmative speaker for being here today. My value for this round will be _______, and for the purpose of upholding my value I stand resolved (state your thesis for or against the resolution) In this case I will demonstrate that my value of ____ dictates that we affirm/negate the resolution.
DEFINITIONS:
In order to provide clarity and mutual understanding in today’s debate round, I will define some of the key terms that are found within the resolution and that I will be using extensively throughout the following round. First of all, ____ is defined by ____ as… etc.
VALUE AND CRITERION:
My value for this round, _____, is defined by___ as “__”. ___is the highest value in the hierarchy of values because _________.
BURDENS:
In today’s debate round, I, the affirmative/negative speaker, have the privilege of proving the truth of the resolution/negating the resolution, which states, ________. I must uphold/negate the resolution through my two/three/four contentions for the purpose of achieving my value of ______. If I fulfill my burdens, I should be granted the win.
THESIS STATEMENT:
My thesis statement is (here you can insert your view of the resolution or the summary of your case in one sentence).
CONTENTION #1:
[Your first contention should be broad philosophy, usually a quote or a tidbit of evidence to back up later ideas]
CONTENTIONS 2 and 3
There are usually only three contentions; more are allowed, but it is rare to see it. Your second contention should be “bad if not done”. What would happen without your case, your value, your ideas? Your third contention should be “good, if done”. This shows the benefits of your case, your value, etc.
REITERATION:
I, the affirmative/negative speaker, have the privilege of insert burden. Throughout my contentions, I have argued two/three/four main points: 1)2)3)4)
CLOSING QUOTE:
I would like to close with a quote from ______, who once proclaimed, “_____.”
VOTING ISSUES:
Thank you. I have fulfilled my burden and upheld/negated the resolution. I now respectfully urge the judge to affirm/negate the resolution. Thank you and I now stand ready for cross-examination and further points of clarification.
