Quick reference

The chamber & the people in it

A chamber is a single classroom of student legislators who debate together for a session. We aim to keep chambers small — fewer students than a typical classroom — for two reasons: judges can rank a small room fairly, and you get to speak more often. Because chambers are re-formed with a different mix of students each session, you will debate alongside — and be compared with — a fresh group each time.

Presiding Officer (PO)

One student volunteers (or is elected by majority vote) to run the chamber for a session: recognizing speakers and questioners, keeping time fair, and following the simple parliamentary steps below. Presiding is a leadership role and is scored, so it counts toward awards just like speaking. You do not need experience — a script is provided in the Student Guide, and the Chamber Coordinator will help. Because chambers are re-formed each session, a new Presiding Officer is chosen every session, so several students get the chance.

Chamber Coordinator

Each room has an adult Chamber Coordinator (a tournament volunteer or staff member). The Coordinator is not a judge. They keep official time, hold the agenda, and quietly help the Presiding Officer if anything gets confusing. In a middle-school chamber, the Coordinator may serve as Presiding Officer if no student wishes to do so.

Judges

Judges score each session from the back of the room and do not take part in the debate. Parents, teachers, and invited civic leaders all serve as judges — no debate background is required. See the Judge Guide.

The legislation

Students debate items from a published list called the docket. There are two kinds:

Bill

A proposed law. It says what will happen and how — who acts, when it takes effect, and how it is enforced or funded. A bill never explains why; that is what speeches are for.

Resolution

A formal statement of the chamber’s opinion or position. Resolutions are useful for big questions of principle (for example, how government and religion should relate). They state a stance rather than a detailed program.

Our docket items connect a founding-era debate to a present-day question, organized around liberty, equality, and religious freedom. The exact October docket is released closer to the event, but the Sample Legislation page shows the style and gives balanced briefs for both sides. Always prepare both sides — you will not know in advance whether you will speak in favor or against.

Speeches

Speeches are up to three minutes. A 15-second grace period follows; after that the Presiding Officer gavels you to a courteous stop. Many fine novice speeches run about two minutes — quality matters far more than filling time.

Speeches on a bill alternate between the affirmative (in favor) and the negative (against). Three kinds matter for newcomers:

Authorship / Sponsorship speech

The first speech on a bill, always in favor. The speaker introduces the bill, explains the problem it solves, and makes the opening case. (An “authorship” is given by a student who wrote the bill; a “sponsorship” is the first pro speech otherwise.)

First Negative speech

The first speech against the bill. It answers the opening case and explains why the chamber should vote no.

Subsequent speeches

Every speech after the first two should do two things: respond to what earlier speakers said (this is called “clash”) and add a new idea or piece of evidence. Simply repeating an earlier speech earns low scores. The skill is to move the debate forward.

Advanced (varsity): later in a debate, a crystallization speech can summarize the whole clash and explain why one side has won. Novices are welcome to try it but are never expected to.

Questioning

After each speech, the Presiding Officer opens a one-minute questioning period. Students who wish to ask a question stand or raise their placard; the PO recognizes them in turn. Questions should be short and to the point — you are testing an argument, not making a speech. The speaker answers briefly. After the first speech on a bill (the authorship/sponsorship), the PO may extend questioning to two minutes, since no one has yet spoken against.

How a session flows

1. Choose a Presiding Officer. A student volunteers; if more than one does, the chamber elects by majority vote. A new PO is chosen each session.
2. Confirm the agenda. The tournament suggests which bill(s) to debate this session. The chamber may keep that order or, by majority vote, change it.
3. Debate the first bill. An authorship/sponsorship speech opens it, then a first negative, then alternating speeches — each followed by a questioning period.
4. Move to a vote. When no one else wants to speak or the chamber is ready, a student moves “the previous question” (let’s vote). The chamber votes; a simple majority passes the bill. The vote is part of the role-play and does not affect anyone’s score.
5. Next bill or adjourn. Move to the next docket item if time remains, or close the session.

Sessions are long enough that most students speak two or more times, plus questioning — with several chances to preside across the day.

Who speaks next

To keep things fair, the Presiding Officer follows a simple priority rule instead of just picking friends:

• Fewest speeches first. Anyone who has spoken fewer times gets recognized ahead of anyone who has spoken more. (This is called precedence.)
• Then, longest wait. Among students tied on number of speeches, the one who spoke longest ago goes first. (This is called recency.)

The result: everyone in the chamber speaks before anyone speaks a third time. The Chamber Coordinator keeps a simple tally to help the PO.

A few motions (that’s all you need)

“Motions” are the formal requests legislators make. Novices only need a handful:

Amendments (changing the text of a bill) are allowed but optional for novices. If a chamber wants to try one, the Coordinator will help. We keep the focus on speaking and questioning.

Scoring & awards

The full rubric lives on the Judge Guide. In brief:

• Each speech earns 1–6 points from every judge, where 6 is exceptional for this level. Judges reward clear reasoning, clash with earlier speakers, evidence, delivery, and courtesy.
• Presiding counts. The Presiding Officer receives a score for the session for running a fair, smooth chamber — so volunteering to preside never costs you.
• Ranking. At the end of each session, each judge lists the chamber’s speakers in order, best first (a ranking).

How places are decided. Because chambers are re-formed each session and judged independently, we combine each student’s rankings across all three sessions to recognize the strongest debaters in each division. Lower combined ranks are better; total speech points break ties, followed by the number of first-place ranks. The tab room handles the arithmetic.

Awards. Top finishers in each division will be recognized with premium awards. Every participant will receive a commemorative keepsake. Schools will also be recognized with team sweepstakes awards (divisions: Middle School; High School: Novice Congress; High School: All Debate).

Conduct, evidence & devices

• Be truthful. If you cite a fact, statistic, or quotation, it must be accurate and fairly represented. Bring or note your sources; a fellow legislator may ask where a fact came from.
• Argue ideas, not people. You will defend positions you may not personally hold. Disagree with the argument, never demean the person.
• Decorum. Address the chamber through the Presiding Officer (“Mr./Madam/Mx. President…”), wait to be recognized, and keep the room orderly.

Divisions

Middle School — Novice

The same structure with extra encouragement and support. Speeches often run a bit shorter, and the Chamber Coordinator may preside if no student volunteers.

High School — Novice

The format on this page exactly as written.

High School — Varsity

Follows standard ISSDA rules and procedures.

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Next: see the Schedule for the day’s timing, the Student Guide to write your first speech, and Sample Legislation for what you’ll debate.