❓ Cross-Examination

What cross-ex is for

In policy and Lincoln-Douglas, one debater questions the other for three minutes after each constructive. Public Forum has crossfire, where both sides ask and answer. Congress has questioning periods after each speech, and World Schools and parliamentary formats have points of information during speeches.

Cross-ex has three jobs:

1. Clarify: understand exactly what they argued (“What does your plan do for private schools?”).
2. Commit: get them to agree to facts you’ll use (“Your evidence is from before the 2020 change, correct?”).
3. Set up: plant the idea your next speech will develop. Cross-ex itself doesn’t win arguments; it’s what you do with the answers in your speech that counts.

Asking good questions

• Ask short, closed questions you can predict the answer to: “Is your study from one state?” works better than “Tell me about your study.”
• Go one fact at a time. Build a chain: “Your study is from one state?” “Yes.” “A state with no winter weather?” “Yes.” Then, in your speech: “Their only evidence comes from a state without snow days.”
• Don’t ask the one question too many. Once you have the admission, move on. Asking “So your study is useless?” invites a speech in reply.
• Don’t argue. Arguing with their answers wastes your time. Save it for your speech.
• Be polite and in control. You may politely cut off a long answer: “Thank you, that’s what I needed.”
• Ask for evidence. “Can I see your second card after cross?” is fair.

Answering well

• Answer the question asked, briefly and truthfully.
• Don’t fear “I don’t know.” It’s honest and better than guessing. You can add, “but our evidence says…”.
• Watch for hidden assumptions. If a question assumes something false, say so: “I don’t agree that the plan ignores rural students; here’s how it covers them.” (That’s a complex question.)
• Qualify when you need to. “Yes, for public schools” is better than a flat yes that’s too broad.
• Stay friendly. Judges remember tone. A calm answer to a sharp question wins sympathy.

A sample exchange

Crossfire and points of information

In crossfire, both debaters ask and answer, so take turns. Ask one question, let them ask one. Hogging crossfire annoys judges.

A point of information is offered by standing (or raising a hand) during the other side’s speech, outside protected time. Keep it to one short sentence, ideally a question that exposes a problem. As the speaker, take one or two per speech; answer briefly, then continue your speech.