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Read next: Debate speech times by format: BP, World Schools, Lincoln-Douglas and Model UNAll 8 timers
Lincoln-Douglas debate timer
Lincoln-Douglas has seven timed segments in a fixed order plus prep time each side can spend in pieces. The prep clock is the one people lose track of, because it is not spent all at once.
The short answer
A Lincoln-Douglas round runs 6-3-7-3-4-6-3: affirmative constructive, cross-examination, negative constructive, cross-examination, first affirmative rebuttal, negative rebuttal, second affirmative rebuttal. Each debater also has four minutes of prep time to use in pieces across the round, which needs its own running total rather than a fresh timer each time.
Three steps to a timer on the wall
Step 1: Choose a time
Pick a preset or set your own. The timer remembers what you used last on this device.
Step 2: Press start
Start the timer, then press F or the fullscreen button to fill the screen.
Step 3: Run the room
Space pauses, the up arrow adds a minute, R resets. Fullscreen shows the timer alone, with no ads and no navigation.
Four things worth knowing
Track prep time as a running total
Four minutes spent in four separate chunks is the easiest thing in the round to lose track of. Note what is left after each use rather than restarting the preset each time.
The 1AR is the hardest four minutes in debate
Four minutes to answer seven minutes of negative constructive. Set amber at 3:15 rather than 3:30 — the closing needs longer here than in any other speech.
Cross-examination is timed but not a speech
Three minutes of questioning belongs to neither side's speech time and does not come out of prep. Run it on its own preset so nothing gets double-counted.
Check the circuit's times before the round
6-3-7-3-4-6-3 is standard NSDA, but some circuits and invitationals vary the rebuttals. Confirm rather than assume.
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Questions people ask
Anything we've missed?
What are the Lincoln-Douglas speech times?
6-3-7-3-4-6-3: a six-minute affirmative constructive, three-minute cross-examination, seven-minute negative constructive, three-minute cross-examination, four-minute first affirmative rebuttal, six-minute negative rebuttal and three-minute second affirmative rebuttal.
How much prep time is there in LD?
Four minutes per debater for the whole round, used in whatever pieces they choose. It is not per speech, which is why it needs a running total.
Does cross-examination come out of prep time?
No. Cross-examination is separately timed and belongs to neither debater's speech time nor their prep.
Are LD times the same everywhere?
The NSDA times above are standard, but individual circuits and invitationals sometimes adjust the rebuttals. Check the tournament's own rules before the round.
Time something specific
Guides worth reading
- Debate
Debate speech times by format: BP, World Schools, Lincoln-Douglas and Model UN
Speech lengths, protected time and points of information for British Parliamentary, World Schools, Lincoln-Douglas and Model UN, with how to time each one.
7 min read - Toastmasters
Toastmasters timing rules: green, amber and red for every speech type
What the timing lights mean, the exact times for every speech type, and the 30-second rule that disqualifies contestants. Plus how to run the timer role.
6 min read
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