Rebuttal Speeches.  Rebuttal speeches are additional speeches allowed to some or all the speakers of a debating team after the regular argumentative speeches have been delivered.  In an extended formal debate all the speakers may thus appear a second time.  In less lengthy discussions only some of them may be permitted to appear a second time.  As the last speaker has the advantage of making the final impression upon the judges it is usual to offset this by reversing the order of rebuttal.  In the first speeches the negative always delivers the last speech.  Sometimes the first affirmative speaker is allowed to follow with the single speech in rebuttal.  If the team consist of three speakers and all are allowed to appear in rebuttal the entire order is as follows.

First Part Rebuttal

First affirmative First negative
First negative First affirmative
Second affirmative Second negative
Second negative Second affirmative
Third affirmative Third negative
Third negative Third affirmative

If not all the speakers are to speak in rebuttal the team itself decides which of its members shall speak for all.

Preparation.  The proposition should be decided on and the teams selected long enough in advance to allow for adequate preparation.  Every means should be employed to secure sufficient material in effective arrangement.  Once constituted, the team should consider itself a unit.  Work should be planned in conference and distributed among the speakers.  At frequent meetings they should present to the side all they are able to find.  They should lay out a comprehensive plan of support of their own side.  They should anticipate the arguments likely to be advanced by the other, and should provide for disposing of them if they are important enough to require refuting.  It is a good rule for every member of a debating team to know all the material on his side, even though part of it is definitely assigned to another speaker.

This preliminary planning should be upon a definite method.  A good outline to use, although some parts may be discarded in the debate itself, is the following simple one.

  I. State the proposition clearly.
       1.  Define the terms.
       2.  Explain it as a whole. 
 II.  Give a history of the case.
       1.  Show its present bearing or aspect. 
III.  State the issues. 
 IV.  Prove. 
  V. Refute. 
 VI.  Conclude.

Finding the Issues.  In debating, since time is so valuable, a speaker must not wander afield.  He must use all his ability, all his material to prove his contention.  It will help him to reject material not relevant if he knows exactly what is at issue between the two sides.  It was avoiding the issue to answer the charge that Charles I was a tyrant by replying that he was a good husband.  Unless debaters