Roles of a Debate Team

First Affirmative

• The individual serving as the first affirmative starts off a debate. This person begins by defining the topic then explaining in brief what each member of the team will discuss. The speaker then continues on to outline the first half of the argument for the case the debate team is trying to prove. After the first affirmative speaks, the first negative speaker on the opposing side will take a turn rebutting the argument.

First Negative

• The first negative speaks immediately after the first affirmative on the opposing team. It is the duty of the first negative to rebut the first argument presented by the other team. After effectively rebutting the affirmative argument, he must present the first portion of his team's argument opposing the opposition's stance.

Second Affirmative

• The team member charged with being the second affirmative has many responsibilities. He must first restate the initial affirmative stance originally presented by the first affirmative on his team, then rebut the points presented by the first negative on the opposite team. He must finally present the second portion of the affirmative case.

Second Negative

• Like the second affirmative, the second negative has quite a few responsibilities. She must first restate the original argument against the opposition's stance, then rebut any points presented by the opposing team's second affirmative and finally present the second part of his team's negative argument.

Third Affirmative

• As the members who come last in the debate, debate team members in the third position have the most responsibility as it is these individuals who will leave listeners with their final reminder of each team's arguments. The third affirmative has to first rebut any points presented by the opposing team's second negative. He then must summarize the affirmative's argument and close the affirmative portion of the debate for his team.

Third Negative

• The third negative must serve as the last speaker for the negative team. Her duties are quite similar to those of the third affirmative. She must first rebut any points presented by the opposing team, then restate the negative arguments presented by her team, finally crafting a conclusion and ultimately closing the debate.