From theory to a real round
Everything earlier in this guide is the craft. This chapter is the venue: how a SuperDebate round actually runs, so the first time you go live nothing about the format surprises you and all of your attention is free for the argument.
SuperDebate runs one flexible format — Standard Debate. There's no separate “policy” or “parliamentary” track to learn. A round is built from three speech types, run between two sides, scored by judges, and timed by the platform. Organizers dial the size and length up or down, but the shape stays the same — so once you've done one round, you've done them all.
The one-sentence version
The three speech types
Every round is assembled from the same three building blocks. They map directly onto skills from earlier chapters, so you already know how to fill them.
- 1Constructive — you build your case. State your claims, give the warrant and evidence, and frame how the round should be judged. This is Chapter 3 (Architecture of Arguments) and Chapter 20 (the framing war) in action.
- 2Cross-Examination — you question the other side directly. Not a speech, an exchange: ask the questions that expose a weak warrant or pin them to a concession. This is Chapter 4 (The Art of Listening) made offensive.
- 3Rebuttal — you respond and close. Answer their best attacks, extend your strongest arguments, and crystallize the one or two issues that decide the round (Chapter 18).
Length is a setting, not a rule
Organizers pick a preset or build a custom one, so the clock varies by event. The presets run from Quick (about 18 minutes, made for busy practice nights) through Standard and Extended up to In-Depth (60+ minutes for thorough rounds). The number of speeches, the time per speech, and prep time all move with the preset.
Let the platform keep time
1-on-1 up to 5-on-5
The same format scales from a solo practice run to a 5v5 team battle (and even asymmetric sizes when an event needs them). The format doesn't change — your job within it does.
- 1Solo / 1v1 — every speech is yours. Maximum responsibility, maximum reps. The fastest way to improve, because there is nowhere to hide.
- 22v2 to 5v5 — speeches are shared across teammates. Now coordination matters: agree who owns which argument, who takes cross-ex, and who crystallizes at the end so you do not repeat each other or drop a thread.
Bigger teams, smaller individual surface
How you're judged — and how the room votes
Two things decide a SuperDebate round, and they're different. Trained judges score it on clear criteria; the audience can also vote on who won. Knowing what each is looking for tells you what to prioritize.
The four judging criteria
Judges score each side from 1 to 5 on four dimensions. Every one of them traces back to a chapter in this guide:
- 1Argument — logic and reasoning. Is the warrant sound? (Chapter 3, Chapter 15.)
- 2Evidence — facts and examples that hold up under scrutiny. (Chapter 11.)
- 3Clarity — structure and flow; could the judge follow and track your case? (Chapter 7, Chapter 18.)
- 4Persuasion — did it actually convince? Delivery, ethos, and responsiveness to the other side. (Chapters 12–14.)
Make the judge's job easy
Audience voting is a different game
Alongside the judges, viewers can vote on the winner — live and on the replay. The crowd is moved by clarity and conviction more than by technical point-by-point work, so the same round can win the judges and the room for slightly different reasons. Argue for both: win the flow for the judges, and land a line the audience remembers for the vote.
Debating on camera
SuperDebate was built for online debate, so most rounds happen on video. Everything in Chapter 22 (Physical Presence) still applies — but a camera changes the rules of presence in ways that catch good in-person debaters off guard.
- 1Frame yourself head-and-shoulders, camera at eye level. Looking down into a laptop webcam reads as low-status; raise the camera so you meet the room level.
- 2Look at the camera for your big moments. On video, eye contact with your audience means the lens, not the face on your screen. Glance at your opponent while they speak; return to the camera when you land a point.
- 3Light your face, not your back. A window or lamp in front of you beats a bright window behind you, which turns you into a silhouette.
- 4Protect your audio. A quiet room and a decent mic matter more than video quality — a criterion-scoring judge cannot reward an argument they could not hear.
- 5Respect the latency. There is a fraction-of-a-second delay online. Let your opponent finish, take a half-beat, then respond. Talking over the lag reads as interrupting and garbles both of you.
- 6Stillness reads as composure. A close-up frame amplifies fidgeting, swaying, and glancing away. The calm you practiced for Chapter 19 (Debate Under Pressure) is twice as visible here — use it.
Do a 60-second tech check first
Run your first round
Reading about a round isn't a round. Start a debate on SuperDebate — a solo practice run or a 1v1 — and do one full cycle: a Constructive, a Cross-Examination, and a Rebuttal. Afterward, score yourself 1–5 on the four criteria (Argument, Evidence, Clarity, Persuasion) and watch the replay once with the sound off to see what your camera presence actually communicates.
The format is simple on purpose: three speech types, two sides, four criteria, one clock the platform runs for you. Master the craft in the rest of this guide; the round itself is just the stage you perform it on.