Guides & blog

Format guides, timing rules, and debate resources. All free.

Format guides
Format guide

Lincoln-Douglas debate: speech order & prep time

Complete LD format guide. All 7 speeches, 4-minute prep pool, cross-examination rules.

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Format guide

Public Forum debate: speech order & crossfire

Complete PF format guide. All 11 speeches, crossfire structure, 3-minute prep pool per team.

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Format guide

World Schools debate (WSDC): speech order & POI rules

Complete WSDC guide. 8-minute speeches, POI window 1–7 minutes, reply speeches.

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Format guide

British Parliamentary (BP/WUDC): complete format guide

Four-team format, 7-minute speeches, POI rules, the closing half challenge explained.

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Blog posts
Blog

Shared prep time pool: how it really works

Why most timer apps get prep time wrong — and how a shared pool actually works in LD, Policy, and PF.

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Blog

WSDC vs British Parliamentary: which should your school run?

Side-by-side comparison of team structure, speech length, POIs, and difficulty for school programs.

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Guide

How to set up a debate timer for tournament day

Step-by-step: judge setup, debater display, Tabroom paradigm link, and what to do when Wi-Fi fails.

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Blog

Lincoln-Douglas vs Public Forum: which format is right for you?

Team size, speech length, prep time, topic style, and which format suits different debaters.

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Blog

Lincoln-Douglas vs Policy debate: key differences explained

Speech times, prep pools, team structure, topic style, and which format suits different competitive goals.

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Blog

Lincoln-Douglas vs World Schools: US vs international formats

POIs vs cross-examination, team size, prep time, reply speeches — a full structural comparison.

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Guide

Two-device sync: judge controller + debater display

How real-time sync works between the judge’s phone and the debater’s screen.

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Setup guides
Setup

Add DebateClock to your Tabroom paradigm

Paste one link. Debaters click it before every round — same timer, every tournament, forever.

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Informational timing aid only · Not affiliated with NSDA, WUDC, WSDC, CUSID, or Tabroom · Always defer to the tournament director for timing disputes · Terms & Privacy