In a society that increasingly requires citizens to make decisions about public policy and to hold their leaders accountable, public debate is a valuable means of enabling informed opinion formation and exchange. However, there is considerable disagreement about the criteria that should govern such events.
One possible criterion is that public debates should transmit multiple perspectives along with reasons for holding those positions. This would allow for important deliberative processes of perspectival transmission and moral vetting, as well as support the sorts of communicative ideals some deliberative theorists see as central to democratic theory.
Another criterion is that public debates must be both accessible and engaging, as this can help make them more likely to draw the attention of the broader population. This aims to ensure that citizens can understand and evaluate the arguments in a debate, so they can make better judgments about whether a particular position is more or less worthy of their support.
A third criterion is that debates should be fair and impartial, as this helps to maintain the legitimacy of the decision-making process and to discourage demagoguery. Debates are most likely to be fair and impartial if they are structured in ways that promote the ability of participants to respond to attacks, and when judges and audience members have a clear understanding of the rules of the game.
Debate is a popular classroom activity that can teach students how to prepare for and deliver speeches, analyze evidence and rhetoric, and take effective notes during debate rounds. A typical Public Forum round consists of two teams of three speakers: the affirmative and negative sides. Each team is given a set amount of time to answer, rebut or ask questions. Speakers are able to take the floor when their name appears on the chess clock and speak for up to three minutes.