NCA's Committee on International Discussion and Debate (CIDD)

Recording Available: CIDD Virtual Debate on Open Border Policies

NCA's Committee for International Discussion and Debate (CIDD) hosted an International Public Debate Demonstration featuring four teams of student debaters representing the U.S., Japan, Slovenia, and Tanzania on Jan.16, 2026. The online event highlighted the power of dialogue across borders and the generative possibilities of deliberation in motion with the resolution topic of, “Do open borders benefit national economies and societies?” Modeled on British Parliamentary debate, but adapted for the session’s interactive, public-facing format, the demonstration emphasized stylistic diversity, contrasting argument traditions, and the rich communicative practices that emerge when students from different cultural, linguistic, and educational contexts engage one another.

Committee on International Discussion and Debate - National Communication Association NCA’s Committee on International Discussion and Debate (CIDD) promotes international understanding and the practice of communication through discussion and debates between students from the United States and other nations. Generally, two students from another nation travel to the United States and...

Now it's official. January 16, 2026. Mark this on your calendar and be registered for watching this on global streaming!

NCA – CIDD Virtual Debate - National Communication Association The Committee for International Discussion and Debate (CIDD), in partnership with NCA, presents an International Public Debate Demonstration on Jan. 16, 2026 from 4-6pm, EST. This debate will feature four teams of student debaters representing the U.S., Japan, Slovenia, and Tanzania. This fully onli...

Dear friends of international debate,

You are all welcome to a special CIDD session at the upcoming NCA convention in Ga***rd Rockies! Details are as follows.

Panel Title: Histories and Futures of International Debate Exchange: A Roundtable

Panel Date/Time: Thursday, November 20th; 11:00AM-12:15PM (Room: Valley 01)

Panel Description: NCA’s Committee on International Discussion and Debate (CIDD) promotes international understanding and the practice of communication through discussion and debates between students from the United States and those in other nations and is specifically tasked with the promotion of international debate exchange tours. This roundtable convenes former CIDD members to examine the histories and futures of these exchange programs. Panelists will reflect on past successes and challenges, consider their contemporary relevance, and discuss strategies to sustain and expand international debate tours. Topics include diversifying participation, leveraging virtual debate formats, and strengthening institutional support for these global collaborations.

Panel Participants:
Carly Woods (Univ. of Maryland)
Ben Voth (Southern Methodist Univ)
John Koch (Vanderbilt Univ)
Tom Hollihan (Univ of Southern California)
Marilyn Young (Florida State University)
Nine Abad (University of Houston)

We look forward to seeing you all in a few days!

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****Please share this with anyone interested. Please also feel free to repost this broadly in debate listservs, FB groups, and other relevant venues.****

Call for Student Debaters: Represent the United States in CIDD’s “Online” International Debate Exchange at the 2025 National Communication Association Annual Convention

This year, the Committee for International Discussion and Debate (CIDD) of the National Communication Association (NCA) will hold an international debate event at the NCA Annual Convention. The event will be held entirely online, and the CIDD seeks two students to represent the United States and debate students from Japan, Slovenia, and Tanzania in this friendly, virtual event.

Date of Involvement: November 20, 2025, 11:00AM-12:15PM (U.S. Mountain Time)

Debate Format: British Parliamentary (modified to fit the allotted session time)

Eligibility: Any current undergraduate in good standing with forensic experience is eligible. We encourage applications from students active in all forms of debate, including NPDA & BP parliamentary debate formats, team policy debate, and Lincoln-Douglas debate. Only individuals may apply, not two (or more) person teams.

How to apply: If you are interested in applying for the team, prepare the following:

A letter of interest;

One reference letter addressing your skills in debate and your overall academic performance;

A current resume (including phone and email information as well as debate related achievements).


All the above documents should be in PDF and sent as email attachments to [email protected] no later than September 30, 2025.

Selection and Preparation: Applicants will be notified of their status as finalists by October 7, 2025. After this notification, the application process may include a round of video conferencing interviews and/or a round of video tryouts in which applicants will showcase their debate skills.

The two debaters chosen for the event will be notified by mid-October 2025, and those selected may need to meet each other online to prepare for the debate before the day of the event.

Notes: While the NCA Convention itself is held in-person, you do not have to come to the convention site physically. All the debaters will participate in this event, and those at the convention will watch your debate, via web-based video conference. Global livestreaming of the event is also being planned.

If you have any questions about the application and selection process, please do not hesitate to contact [email protected].

Send a message to learn more

Dr. Ganer was on the CIDD; she also came to Japan with the U.S. national collegiate debate team consisting of Julie Spellman and Gordon Mitchell. Even bofore coming to Japan, she had already been known in the Japanese college debate community, with her Alta paper on counterwarrants.

'Matriarch of Cypress College' Pat Ganer Remembered by Colleagues - Cypress College Pat Ganer wrote the book on Cypress College. Twice, actually. It only seems fitting that one of the college’s first students, who then returned in a faculty role that spanned more than four decades, would be the unofficial historian and author of “A Tree Grows in Cypress” — the first of whic...

UK vs. US@2024NCA. Thank you all for attending the session!

Dear friends of international debate: Are you ready for another competitive yet very friendly British invasion? The ESU-selected British National Team are coming to the continental United States in less than a week!

Send a message to learn more

Today is the LAST CALL for CIDD 2024 Bids. Please submit your bids using the Google Forms link (which is linked below) by 11:59pm Central, 09/09.

2024 FALL Call for CIDD Hosts Thank you for your interest in hosting a Committee on International Discussion and Debate (CIDD) event. This form will allow you to submit information for the upcoming 2024 CIDD Tour that will conclude at this year's National Communication Association (NCA) that will be hosted in New Orleans, LA. If...

This is a friendly reminder that we are still accepting bids for the Fall 2024 Tour. The deadline is Sept. 9! Please send any and all tour/bid-related questions to our CIDD Program Coordinator:

[email protected]

The URL to submitting a bid can be found in the original post (linked here). :)

2024 FALL Call for CIDD Hosts Thank you for your interest in hosting a Committee on International Discussion and Debate (CIDD) event. This form will allow you to submit information for the upcoming 2024 CIDD Tour that will conclude at this year's National Communication Association (NCA) that will be hosted in New Orleans, LA. If...

Call for Hosts: 2024 CIDD British Tour of the US

The Committee for International Discussion and Debate (CIDD) of the National Communication Association is pleased to announce the Fall 2024 British National Debating Team Tour. This year’s NCA convention theme of Communication for Greater Regard provides us with the opportunity to reflect on how communication and its various forums, particularly debate, remains paramount in our everchanging society. We hope you will consider hosting this fall as an opportunity to continue the critical activity of civic dialogue within local and global settings. We are currently seeking US colleges, universities, and community organizations to host the two debaters selected by the United Kingdom’s English-Speaking Union (ESU).

• Approximate Tour Dates: Oct. 10, 2024 to Nov. 21, 2024.

• Fees: Hosting fees support travel and coordination costs incurred by the tour. The hosting fee for a single school or organization is $1,000.00. Two or more coordinating schools in close
• geographical vicinity may qualify for a discount (see volume discounts below). Hosts must provide, at minimum, suitable lodging, meals, and local transportation.

• Deadline: Applications for hosts are due by Sept. 9, 2024, 11:59p.m. Central Time. Fees will be collected at a later date.

• How to Bid: To place a bid to host the team, please enter all information into our online submission form by clicking

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe-jc_RvWaV-xSoAYGno7U6j3b5Vl1KRbAquOWrHgyCpaeWRw/viewform

• Please consider conflicts with university holidays and other major events on your campus before placing your bid. Note that host institutions will be asked to sign a hosting contract before bids are confirmed. The CIDD Program Coordinator or Chair will notify hosts about the status of their bid via email.

• Suggestions for Prospective Hosts: It is expected that all hosts will hold at least one public exhibition debate. Previous hosts have offered the following events and teaching opportunities:

o Tour participants are usually interested in opportunities to do coaching sessions with high school or college students. The British Team has in the past been particularly interested in working with Urban Debate Leagues.

o Hosted their exhibition debate in conjunction with a major campus or community event, such as “International Week,” alumni events, or symposiums.

o Featured the British debaters in guest lectures, presentations, or question and answer periods with classes on debate, rhetoric, or British culture.

o Taken their guest to major (or minor) attractions of cultural or historical significance.

o Sought opportunities for visiting debaters to interact with students, alumni, and local dignitaries.

Before the tour commences, we will provide an informational hosting packet with a hosting contract, debater bios, possible debate topics, and other details. We will ask hosts to provide a projected itinerary (so we can help other hosts schedule time for breaks, laundry, and other essential needs) and copies of promotional materials. Hosts will also be expected to provide written feedback about event attendance and academic/programmatic impact to CIDD at the conclusion of the visit.

Volume Discounts: Multiple tour stops in adjacent communities reduce overall travel costs and allow hosts to economize through collaboration. If there are other potential hosts in close geographic proximity (in other words, close enough that movement from school to school can be done by ground transportation at the host school’s expense) coordinating schools or organizations may be eligible for a discounted hosting fee. We offer a $200 discount for two or more coordinating schools. To qualify for the discounted fee, ground transportation between coordinating schools must be organized and provided by the schools. For example, if Northwestern and Loyola-Chicago in Chicago’s bid to host in succession, both schools would submit an individual application, pay an $800 hosting fee per school, and organize transportation between each other. If you are interested in a volume discount, please contact the CIDD Program Coordinator ([email protected]).

Inquiries about the tour should be directed to Will Silberman, PhD., CIDD Program Coordinator, at: [email protected]

2024 FALL Call for CIDD Hosts Thank you for your interest in hosting a Committee on International Discussion and Debate (CIDD) event. This form will allow you to submit information for the upcoming 2024 CIDD Tour that will conclude at this year's National Communication Association (NCA) that will be hosted in New Orleans, LA. If...

Dear friends of CIDD and international debate,

Ready to host international debate? We are pleased to inform you that we have begun our prep for the upcoming tours, the one in this fall and the other in early spring 2025. So stay tuned!

Send a message to learn more