A debate round runs on the clock. Speakers who know exactly where they are in their time can spend it on the arguments that matter, take a point of information at the right moment and land their summary before the double bell. This timer does the job of a timekeeper with a stopwatch and a bell: it counts up through each speech, changes colour when protected time ends and the POI window opens, and rings at the usual points for British Parliamentary, World Schools and Australs. Use it for real rounds, for club nights, or on your own while you practice from your note cards.
How to use the debate timer
- Choose the format The speaking order, speech lengths and prep time change to match. Choose Custom for league rules, shorter junior speeches or a format that is not listed.
- Run prep Press Start prep when the motion is announced. In longer prep you get a single bell with five minutes left and a double bell at the end.
- Time each speaker Press Start as the speaker begins. Amber means protected time, green means POIs are open, and red means the speaker is over time. Press Next speaker when they sit down.
- Ring a bell by hand The Ring bell button plays one strike, for example if your club knocks or rings to signal a point of information.
Using your prep time well
Fifteen minutes in British Parliamentary goes faster than anyone expects, so split it before you start. Spend the first few minutes on your own, brainstorming arguments for both sides, because two people thinking separately produce more ideas than two people talking at once. Then compare lists, agree on the definition and the two or three strongest arguments, and decide who says what. Leave the last few minutes for each speaker to write their own note cards, not for more discussion.
In World Schools and Australs, with three speakers and longer prep, the same plan works with more room. Agree on the team line early, give each substantive speaker a clear split of arguments, and have the third speaker and the reply speaker predict what the other side will say. A short list of likely opposition arguments, each with a one-line answer, is worth more than one more argument of your own.
How points of information work
A point of information is a short question or statement offered by the other side during a speech. In British Parliamentary and World Schools debate, POIs may only be offered after the first minute and before the last minute; those protected minutes give the speaker time to open and close without interruption. To offer one, stand and say "Point of information" or "On that point". The speaker can accept it, decline it, or ask you to wait until they finish a sentence, and you sit down if they say no.
A good POI takes about fifteen seconds and asks something the speaker has to answer. As the speaker, accepting one or two POIs shows confidence, and many adjudicators expect it. Take them when you have finished a point, not in the middle of an example, and answer briefly before carrying on.
Managing time inside your speech
Plan your speech in blocks rather than as one long stretch. In a seven-minute speech, a typical plan is about a minute of introduction and rebuttal signposting, two or three minutes per argument, and a short summary in the final protected minute. The first bell is your cue that the introduction should be finished; the bell at the start of the last minute means it is time to sum up, whatever you still have left on your cards. Anything said after the grace period is usually ignored by the adjudicator.
Practice with this timer at full length at least once before a competition. If you finish early, add an example; if you run over, cut the weakest argument rather than talking faster.
Writing debate note cards
Speakers in most formats speak from small cards rather than a script. Keep each note card to one argument, written as a few dot points: the claim, why it is true, and an example. Number the cards so you can find your place, put rebuttal on separate cards, and keep the text large and minimal so you can read it at a glance while looking up at the room. The debate cards guide shows what each speaker needs, and how to write cue cards covers cutting a speech down to prompts. To plan the time each part gets, try the speech outline builder, then open the debate case template to turn the plan into printable note cards.
Note cards and timings here follow the common rules for each format. Leagues and tournaments often change speech lengths, prep time and grace periods, so check your tournament's rules and adjust the Custom format to match.