Teams of two prepare speeches on a previously announced topic. The teams propose some change in government policy regarding the assigned topic in two nine-minute speeches. Then they have the opportunity to cross-examine the opposing team for three minutes. Both teams are able to rebut and explain why they have won at the end of the round. The team with a more-persuasive argument wins.
Parliamentary debate is an extemporaneous presentation of a policy or value proposition.
The teams learn their topic only 30 minutes before the competition. The team with superior knowledge of the subject and speaking ability wins the round. I was very excited to see the creation of a debate program at MU, said Ben Shepler, vice president of the MU team. However, I was concerned that policy debate would not appeal to some students. The inclusion of Parliamentary debate should help draw a wide range of students to the organization, he said.