A summary speech is a short, focused speech near the end of a debate round where a speaker distills the full round down to the most important points and explains why their side has won. Summary speeches are not the place for new arguments - they are the place to clarify, compare, and close.
Common Structure
Most summary speeches follow a three-part structure: first, explain the key clashes in the round; second, explain why your side won those clashes; third, weigh impacts to show why your side winning matters more than theirs. That last step is often called weighing and it is where good summary speakers separate themselves from average ones.
Why Summary Matters to Judges
Judges often decide close rounds based on the summary speech. If they have heard thirty minutes of back-and-forth argument and then one speaker cleanly explains what the round was really about, that is the speech they remember when filling out the ballot. Good summary speakers practice compression - saying more in less time.