First decide the promotion method (preferably elimination, which can shorten the schedule; However, if you use the integral method, you can give full play to the strength of the participating teams and reduce the unfair factors affected by time, just like a football match);
1. Take 15 team as an example (elimination type): Debate competition has advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, the redundant party can adopt a direct promotion method. In this way, there are only eight teams left, and then eight into four, four into two, and the final (semi-final) schedule is basically enough. It is strongly recommended to use the elimination system.
2. Take 14 team as an example (elimination system): 14 enters 7, 7 enters 4(6 games, 1 game is reserved for direct promotion), 4 enters 2, and the final (semi-final).
Then choose the topic for debate. When the debates are well prepared (say, 30), 8 debates will be randomly selected by the host group before the preliminary round (7 debates if the team is 14). Then teams draw lots to decide their opponents. And so on.
Because my school was a 13 college, the promotion mode of the debate competition was: 13 into 7(6 pairs of competitions, 1 direct promotion); 7 into 4(3 pairs of games, 1 direct promotion); 4 into 2, final (semi-final).
This method is only based on experience. I participated in the organization of this activity in those years.