Rebuttal speech
Encyclopedia
In policy debate
Policy debate
Policy debate is a form of speech competition in which teams of two advocate for and against a resolution that typically calls for policy change by the United States federal government or security discourse...

, a rebuttal speech is one of the last four speeches. Rebuttal speeches are not followed by a cross-examination
Cross-examination
In law, cross-examination is the interrogation of a witness called by one's opponent. It is preceded by direct examination and may be followed by a redirect .- Variations by Jurisdiction :In...

.

Content

As suggested in its name, the rebuttal speech consists entirely of rebuttals. These rebuttals address the opposing team's substantives and show why they fail.

Tiers

There are three tiers for a debate, the Not True tier, the Even If tier and the Furthermore tier. The first is used when the opponents' substantive is factually incorrect, the second for when it does not prove or disprove the motion and the third for when it has already been addressed before.

Duration

In high school, rebuttals are 5 minutes long (with the exception of Colorado where it is 4 minutes); in college, they are 6 minutes long. Other formats put them at the same length as other speeches, with the third speaker delivering a speech consisting entirely of rebuttals. In NJFL tournament it's 4 minutes long.

Restrictions

Many believe that new arguments cannot be introduced in rebuttal speeches, and many judges will disregard such arguments, especially if they are flagged by the opposing team. This is because substantives introduced in rebuttal speeches have no speaker to rebut them, and thus will prevail unfairly.

Style

There are many different styles for rebuttal speeches used by debaters. Aggression
Aggression
In psychology, as well as other social and behavioral sciences, aggression refers to behavior between members of the same species that is intended to cause humiliation, pain, or harm. Ferguson and Beaver defined aggressive behavior as "Behavior which is intended to increase the social dominance of...

 and humour
Humour
Humour or humor is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement...

 may be used in varying amounts; for example, one speaker might deliver a polite, straight speech logically rebutting the opponent's substantives, while another may load his or her speech with sarcasm
Sarcasm
Sarcasm is “a sharp, bitter, or cutting expression or remark; a bitter jibe or taunt.” Though irony and understatement is usually the immediate context, most authorities distinguish sarcasm from irony; however, others argue that sarcasm may or often does involve irony or employs...

and practically shout at times. Such variations are usually not penalised, because they are recognised as individual styles and not as errors.
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