Policy Debate is a two-person, two team competitive debate on a fixed yearly topic.
Emphasis is placed on research and evidence rather than persuasive delivery.
Each competitor gives a Constructive Speech of 8 or 9 minutes and a Rebuttal speech of 5 or 6 minutes. Times vary by tournament. Speeches are typically delivered at high rates of speed, which is also known as spreading. The 2000-2001 Topic area is Africa. You can read the Africa topic paper here or here .