MODERATOR AND TIMEKEEPER TEXT GUIDE

Welcome to ________________________English Debate Competition.

I, _________________________ will be the moderator and ___________________will be the
timekeeper.

Before we begin, I would like to take a moment to thank our esteemed panelists for joining us today,
[Panelist 1’s name] ___________________, [Panelist 2’s name] __________________, and
[Panelist 3’s name] ____________________. We also have a distinguished audience with us today,
and I’d like to thank you all for taking the time to participate in this important discussion.

Now, I would like to introduce our distinguished panel of adjudicators:

First, we have (Mr./Ms.) _____________________________________________ from

_____________________________; _____________________________ [insert relevant
credentials or background].

Next, (Mr./Ms.) _____________________________________________ from

_____________________________; _____________________________[insert relevant credentials
or background].

And last but certainly not least (Mr./Ms.) _____________________________________________

from _____________________________; ____________________________ [insert relevant
credentials or background].

We are honored to have such a knowledgeable and respected group of judges with us tonight, and
we look forward to hearing their insights and perspectives on the topics at hand.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have an exciting debate lined up on the motion for this debate which is
________________________________________________________________________________
__.

Before we get started, let me introduce our debate teams.

On the Affirmative team, we have debate team from

______________________________________________________________ with
_______________________________________________________________ as the first speaker,
________________________________________________________________as the second
speaker,
_______________________________________________________________as the third speaker.
The reply speech will be delivered by
_________________________________________________________.

Opposing them, the Negative team is debate team from

______________________________________________________________________ with
________________________________________________________________as the first speaker,
________________________________________________________________ as the second
speaker,
_________________________________________________________________ as the third
speaker.
The reply speech will be delivered by
_________________________________________________________.
Both teams have put in a great deal of effort to prepare for today’s debate, and we can expect to see
some insightful and thought-provoking arguments from both sides. In a moment, I will remind the
teams of the debate format, but first, let’s give our teams a round of applause for their hard work and
dedication.

[Pause for applause]

Before we get started, I’d like to provide an overview of the agenda for this today’s event.

 During the debate, please silence your mobile phone or any device that may produce disturbing
sounds.
 During the course of each speech, the audience is not allowed to get out of the room or to talk.

Now, as a reminder, each team will have [insert time limit] _____________ to present their
arguments, followed by a rebuttal period and a cross-examination period. The judges will be
evaluating the teams based on their ability to present a strong, persuasive argument and respond
effectively to their opponents’ points.

 For substantive speeches, the timekeeper will knock once at the first minute and twice at the
third minute. If after three minutes and twenty seconds the speaker has not stopped speaking,
the timekeeper will knock continuously and any further continuance of the speech will be
penalized.
 Point of Idea can be thrown by the opponent side after one minute of the substantive speech.
 For reply speeches, the representative from the opposition starts first and followed by the
government in not more than three minutes.

We’ll begin with opening statements from each side, during which they will lay out their arguments
and positions on the topic. Following that, we’ll have a cross-examination period, during which each
side will have an opportunity to ask questions of the other. After that, we’ll have rebuttals, during
which each side will have a chance to respond to the arguments presented by the other.

Finally, we’ll conclude with closing statements, in which each side will summarize their position and
make a final case for their viewpoint. Throughout the debate, our esteemed judges will be evaluating
the arguments presented by each side and ultimately deciding which side presented the stronger
case.

Our hope for today’s debate is that it will be a productive and informative discussion of this important
topic. We encourage both our panelists and our audience to engage thoughtfully and respectfully
with the arguments presented. And now, without further ado, I’ll turn the floor over to

the first speaker of the Affirmative team, who will be presenting their opening arguments.

It’s now time to introduce our first speaker. Please welcome [Debater’s name]
______________________.

[Pause for applause]

[Debater’s name] ___________________, you have [insert time limit__________ to present

your opening remarks.

The first speaker of the Affirmative team spent _________________minutes and ____________
seconds.
To begin the case of the Negative, I call upon the first speaker of the Negative team,
____________.

[Pause for applause]

[Debater’s name] ___________________, you have [insert time limit__________ to present

your opening remarks.

The first speaker of the Negative team spent __________________minutes and ____________
seconds.

I call upon the second speaker of the Affirmative team,

_______________________________________
The second speaker of the Affirmative team spent ______________minutes and _______________
seconds.

I call upon the second speaker of the Negative team,

________________________________________
The second speaker of the Negative team spent _______________minutes and _______________
seconds.

I call upon the third speaker of the Affirmative team,

_________________________________________
The third speaker of the Affirmative team spent_________________ minutes and ______________
seconds.

I call upon the third speaker of the Negative team,

__________________________________________
The third speaker of the Negative team spent__________________ minutes and ______________
seconds.

I call upon the reply speaker of the Negative team,

__________________________________________
The reply speaker of the Negative team spent _________________ minutes and ______________
seconds.

I call upon the reply speaker of the Affirmative team,

________________________________________
The reply speaker of the Affirmative team spent ________________minutes and ______________
seconds.

Thank you to debaters for presenting such compelling arguments. It’s now time for our judges to
make their decision and declare the winner of today’s debate on [insert motion]
____________________________________________________________________.
[Address the judges by name or title] Judges, please take some time to review your scoring
sheets and come to a decision based on the quality of the arguments presented tonight.

While our judges are deliberating, I want to remind our audience that the opinions expressed are
those of the debaters and do not necessarily represent the views of [insert
organization/institution/school hosting the debate] ______________________________.

To the adjudicator(s), please give your verbal adjudication.

And with that, our judges have reached a decision.

The winner of this debate is _____________________ as the (Affirmative/Negative) team, with a

(unanimous decision/split decision of ___ to ___).

The best speaker of this debate is____________________________, the (1 st/2nd/3rd) speaker of the
(Affirmative/Negative) team;

Congratulations to all debaters and thank you to the adjudicator(s). I hereby close this round. (knock
twice)