The WSDC community is made up of a number of separate but overlapping parts.
- The individual tournaments, each of which has its own Convenor, organising committee, legal status and financing, although it may be closely linked to the debating association in the host country.
- The Tournament Committee: representatives of participating countries, with one voting delegate per country; this meets once a year in person on the last day of a tournament, and also conducts online discussions and votes on debating matters
- The Executive, which is elected by members of the Tournament Committee to lead on debating matters and organise volunteer working groups
- WSDC Ltd, a company and membership association registered in the United Kingdom, which seeks to connect alumni, raise funds, and ensure quality standards across tournaments
- The Board of Directors which is elected by the membership to oversee the company
- The Chief Adjudicators and members of the Motions Committee, experienced members of the community who are elected or ratified by the Tournament Committee for each competition and may come from outside the host country.
- And of course the participants: the debates, coaches, judges and team managers who take part in the competitions