Highschool Debate?

Question

Im going to a tournament, and its my first one, i am really confused about what is supposed to be in my speech, i am the 1st neg const. please help me, and thank you for your help.

Answer 1

1st => You will speak first for your side (2nd overall because the Pos side goes first), most likely you have 6 min.
Neg => You are opposed to whatever the stated principle is so you will be arguing against the main topic (example: "Seatbelts laws are helpful." You would be arguing that they are not helpful for some reason.)
Constr => You are supposed to state the main points for your side - you should have 3 or 4.

ALSO n/a above states that you need to rebutt the premises, this may or may not be true, you need to know if you are getting a cross examination in which case you will not rebutt but instead someone on your team (the 1st CX) will have about 3 min to question the opposing speaker before you start. If you do not have a cross ex then you need to determine if and how you wish to rebutt. If your opponents' points are weak, you may just want to state yours and overwhelm theirs with your superior position. Alternatively you may rebut them at the start and finish with your points (a weak style in my mind) or rebut them at the end (can lead to graders recalling thier points over yours). Finally, if you have a 2d neg contr then you do not rebutt, rebuttal is their job.

Answer 2

You need an introduction for your speech and your team's split, which states your argument. You then need to accept or reject the other team's definition, and then begin your rebuttal. You should probably rebutt for about 1-1.5 minutes. Then begin your arguments, which should probably amount to 3 or 4. You then restate your main points, and conclude.
Good luck! Debating is tonnes of fun....

Answer 3

talk about something you know and that interests you