World Schools Debate is the flagship international format used in the World Schools Debating Championships and many cross-cultural events. It offers a blend of British Parliamentary and American debate styles. World Schools Debate emphasizes well-rounded speaking—blending logic, style, and global awareness. It values persuasive delivery, logical consistency, and the ability to respond respectfully and quickly.

World Schools is particularly well-suited for international programs because it levels the playing field across educational systems and allows for both content depth and stylistic flexibility.

Structure of a WSD Round:

o   3 speakers per team (although the team may include up to five students), each giving an 8-minute speech concluding with four-minute speeches from both sides.

o   Alternating government and opposition speeches

o   No formal cross-examination: instead, Points of Information (POIs) may be offered during opponent speeches during which students may interrupt to ask questions. POIs are not required to be answered.

Public Forum is one of the most popular formats in the United States and is rapidly expanding globally due to its clarity, relevance, and team-based structure. Public Forum values real-world research, clear communication, teamwork, and rhetorical adaptability. It balances formal debate structure with accessibility for new students, making it ideal for programs seeking to scale quickly or reach diverse student populations.

Public Forum is well-suited for students with any level of experience or involvement because it allows for a combination of public speaking, topic research, and audience persuasion.

Structure of a Public Forum Round:

o   Two-person teams

o   Alternating constructive, rebuttal, summary, and final focus speeches

o   Crossfires (questioning periods) between speeches

In Original Oratory, students craft and deliver a 10-minute persuasive speech on a topic of their choice. The speech must be memorized, original in content, and supported by evidence and personal insight. Topics range from social justice and mental health to cultural phenomena or education policy. Students are judged on argument construction, organization, delivery, and emotional engagement. Original Oratory values originality, storytelling, and performance.

Original Oratory is well-suited for students with a passion for performance, research, and public speaking.

Structure of an OO Round:

o   Students compete individually against other students in a room with a judge who ranks speakers at the conclusion of the round.

o   Each student delivers a speech no longer than 10 minutes in length.

Impromptu Speaking is a limited preparation event in which students receive a prompt—typically a quote, word, or abstract concept—and have only 7 minutes (often 2 minutes prep, 5 minutes speaking) to organize and deliver a speech. This format encourages quick thinking, creativity, and structure under pressure. Impromptu is especially useful in training students for real-world communication scenarios like interviews, classroom discussions, or civic engagement. Impromptu is well-suited for students interested in improving their critical thinking and public speaking skills.

Structure of an Impromptu Round:

o   Students compete individually against other students in a room with a judge who ranks speakers at the conclusion of the round.

o   Each student generally has 7 minutes to prepare and deliver a speech - often broken down into 2 minutes prep, 5 minutes speaking.

Interpretation events challenge students to perform published works of literature—prose, poetry, or drama—with strong characterization, emotional depth, and narrative understanding. These events blend acting, analysis, and public speaking. In Dramatic Interpretation (DI), students perform a 10-minute excerpt from a published dramatic work, such as a play, novel, or screenplay. The focus is on emotional storytelling, character differentiation, and dramatic intensity. While no props or costumes are allowed, students use voice, facial expression, and body movement to bring the piece to life. Dramatic Interpretation teaches empathy, literary analysis, and emotional discipline. Dramatic Interp is well-suited for students interested in performing and connecting with audiences on an emotional level.

Structure:

o   Students compete individually against other students in a room with a judge who ranks speakers at the conclusion of the round.

o   Each student generally has 10 minutes to deliver a prepared speech from a published dramatic work.

Other interpretation formats include Humorous Interpretation (HI) and Program Oral Interpretation (POI), but DI remains the most universally accessible and is recommended for international and cross-format instruction.