Debating has been called the 'Art of Persuasion', and puts to the test the ability of the participants to develop and refute arguments to support a certain position, and eventually to persuade the judges and audience.
Debating is one of the most international academic competitions, and can be found in varying forms all over the world. Competitions are sometimes held in national tongues, but international tournaments are in English language. The most important event of the global debating community is the annual World Universities Debating Championship.
There are various styles that one can choose to debate in. The Jacobs University Bremen Debating Society runs most of its debates in British Parliamentary Style (BPS), with four teams debating at the same time. In the affirmative position there are two government teams: one opening government and another closing government. The burden of the first is to introduce a case while the second would have to expand that case.
On the negative side there are two opposition teams, opening opposition and closing. Their burden is to refute the case proposed by the government teams. Both sides can ask as many points of information as they want (except during the first and last minute of the seven-minute speeches); each speaker is recommended to accept at least two points of information while he or she has the floor. The winning team is the one that best fulfills its role in the debate and provides the most convincing arguments.