General Definition
Rebuttal speeches are used to attack the opponent's main arguments.
In Public Forum. the second group of speeches given by each team is called the rebuttal. The sides will attempt to tear down their opponent's arguments. The speech is four minutes long.
In Lincoln Douglas, there are three rebuttal speeches, two in the affirmative and one in the negative. The first affirmative rebuttal (1AR) is four minutes long and spent rebuilding the affirmative case and tearing down the negatives. The second negative rebuttal (2NR) is six minutes long and is similar to the 1AR, except the negative must also summarize the round. The Second Affirmative Rebuttal, or 2AR, is 3 minutes long and is the final speech of the round.
In Policy, there are four rebuttals. Each of them lasts five minutes. The first negative rebuttal (1NR) comes directly after the second negative constructive (2NC) and is used to develop new arguments against the affirmative. The first affirmative rebuttal (1AR) must respond to both the second negative constructive and the 1NR. Due to a lack of time, teams usually pick a few core arguments to extend in the round. The second rebuttals are the two final speeches in the round and focus on the most important arguments.
Find More Terms
Affirmative Constructive
The affirmative constructive, or first affirmative constructive in some events, is when the pro team lays out their reasons for affirming the resolution.
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Case
A case is a prewritten speech given in a constructive and generally consists of contentions or advantages.
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Constructive
Constructives are the first speech(es) in a round. They are used for teams to lay out their positions and in some event types, respond to their opponents.
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Contention
A contention is another word for an argument.
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Cross examination
Cross examination is when one team asks questions of the other.
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