ONAHON, IRA KRISTEL M.
What is debating?
Competitive debating is a fun activity akin to a game in which we examine
ideas and policies with the aim of persuading people within an organised
structure. It allows us to consider the world around us by thinking about
different arguments, engaging with opposing views and speaking strategically.
How do we debate?
In every debate there is a motion: a statement, idea or policy that is disputed
and framed within the prefix 'This House'. Usually, the motion is either a policy
which changes the status quo (e.g. This House Would Provide All Police
Officers With Firearms) or a statement, the truth or falsehood of which is
examined in the debate (e.g. This House Regrets the Decline of Marxism in
Western Liberal Democracies). There are two sides to the debate: the
government and the opposition. The government, also known as the
proposition, supports the motion whilst the opposition opposes it. After the
debate, the judges will decide which debaters were most persuasive.
What makes a good debater?
Typically, judges decide how persuasive debaters have been through three
key criteria:
Content: What we say and the arguments and examples we use.
Style: How we say it and the language and voice we use.
Strategy: How well we engage with the topic, respond to other people's
arguments and structure what we say.
How is the debate structured?
There are many different formats of debate, each with their own rules. The
format we use in competitive debating is called British Parliamentary, as it
resembles a debate in the British Parliament. This is not the format used for
Thursday night Union debates but is the international standard for university-
level competitive debating. That said, it is but one of many different debating
formats and, like football, learning the rules doesn't teach you how to play it
well. Once you have learned to debate in one format, it is very easy to convert
to another.
The Rules of British Parliamentary
In British Parliamentary, there are four teams of two speakers. Two of the
teams (and hence four speakers) are on the government and two teams are
on the opposition. The first two speakers on the government side are called
the opening government, the first two on the opposition are called the opening
opposition and similarly the last two speakers on the government and the
opposition are called the closing government and the closing opposition
respectively. Speeches alternate between the two sides, starting with the first
government speech, and are usually up to either five or seven minutes in
length. All the teams are trying to win the debate outright - this means that it is
not the side which wins but a specific team. Hence, speakers within the same
team cooperate but teams on the same side do not cooperate during the
debate, and instead try to outmanoeuvre each other. The teams are then
ranked first to fourth in the debate. Each of the teams has a specific role in the
debate.
The Motion and Preparation Time
In British Parliamentary, the motion is announced fifteen minutes before the
debate begins. Teams are assigned to positions in the debate randomly. The
teams prepare during these fifteen minutes using their own knowledge and
experience to create their case. Examples of motions include 'This House
Would Introduce the Death Penalty' or 'This House Believes That
Globalisation Marginalises the Poor'.
The Opening Government
The opening government presents the case for the government. Firstly, they
must produce a definition: a policy or interpretation of the motion. The
definition should be relevant to the motion and should not attempt to restrict or
shift it to another debate. They must then present arguments in favour of the
motion. The second government speaker must also rebut the opening
opposition and explain why their arguments are wrong or irrelevant.
The Opening Opposition
The opening opposition presents the case for the opposition. To do this, they
rebut the opening government and present arguments. They can choose to
defend the status quo or present a counterproposal.
The Closing Government and Closing Opposition
Both of these teams must try to move the debate on, but must not contradict
the opening team on their side. In particular, the closing government cannot
change the definition. To move the debate on, they present new analysis of
the debate either from a different viewpoint or by extending the arguments
already made. The third speaker presents this 'extension' or new material as
well as comprehensive rebuttal or all previous speakers on the opposite side.
The last speeches on both sides are summary speeches: they summarise the
debate and the clash between teams from a biased perspective in order to
explain why their side has won the debate. Special emphasis should be made
on why their team has won the debate. No new arguments may be presented
in the summaries, although new examples and rebuttal are accepted.
Points of Information
During speeches, speakers on the opposite side may offer short points of
rebuttal or questions to the speaker known as points of information. To do
this, the speaker offering the point of information must stand and say 'On that
point', 'On a point of information' or similar. They must then wait to see if the
speaker speaking accepts or declines it. If accepted, the point of information
can last up to around fifteen seconds and the speaker speaking may ask for it
to stop at any point. Speakers should accept only one or two points of
information and offer them regularly throughout other speeches. The first and
the last minute of a speech is 'protected time', during which no points of
information may be offered.
Adjudication
After the debate has finished, the judges evaluate the debate on the basis of
the content, style and strategy of speeches. After comparing separate teams,
they then rank the teams first to fourth. In open rounds, the teams are then
given the result and reasons for the result. In closed rounds, the result is not
given to teams.
