Impromptu debate

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Impromptu debate is a type of formalized academic debate. Representative of comedic debate, Impromptu debating is practiced at high schools, generally in tandem with other, more serious forms of debate. In some areas, such as portions of Canada, impromptu debate is treated as formally as Parliamentary debate.

1 Content
2 Topics
3 Format
4 Judging
5 External links

[edit] Content

As with other debate formats, Impromptu consists of two teams of two people each, referred to as Affirmative and Negative, which debate over a resolution. Emphasis is usually given on humour as well as on logic and performance. The resolutions debated often encourage humorous debates.

[edit] Topics

Resolutions include:

That Santa Claus eats reindeer steaks.
That the royal family of Britain should be eliminated.
That plastic is better than paper.
Humanitarian aid vs. Kool-Aid.
Costco vs. BJ's.

[edit] Format

Each team is comprised of two members, each of whom is named according to their team and speaking position within his or her team. The Impromptu format varies, depending on what "traditional" debate format it is based on. An impromptu debate in Policy debate style, for example, might follow the Policy speech format, but with radically altered content or speech durations.

JSA Impromptu debate format usually consists of choosing two volunteers out of the students attending the block and then having the audience assign a topic to them.

[edit] Judging

There are several methods of judging an Impromptu debate. The most standard method is when a single judge observes the debate and simply votes one way or another; however, it is sometimes acceptable to have the audience (if it is sufficiently large) cast votes, with the winner determined by majority.