In policy debate, competitors either advocate or oppose a resolution that calls for a change in policy regarding a current political issue. The 2011-2012 policy debate topic is “Resolved: That the United States Federal Government should significantly reform criminal justice system.” During a round of debate, a team of two debaters will advocate the resolution by proposing a specific plan to accomplish the goal stated in the resolution while another team of two debaters will oppose the resolution and the specific plan of the first team. In a debate tournament, each team will take turns advocating and opposing the resolution in a series of different rounds so that competitors thoroughly learn all the issues involved in the debate as well as the skills to either advocate or oppose a proposition.

NCFCA debate encourages a conversational style of debate and utilizes judges from the community (as well as debate coaches and teachers) in order to ensure that competitors learn how to communicate to a general audience.