British parliamentary debate. British Parliamentary Debate is a debate done on the spot. This article will cover how to debate in this style and provide some useful tips.
2. British Parliamentary Debate: slides 3-9
Preparing for the Debate Speech: slides 10-15
The Art of Persuasion: slides 16-25
How to Rebut: slides 26-28
How to Perform Well in a Debate: slides 29-34
Useful Debate Vocabulary: slides 36
3. There are generally 2 sides. The topics are random and the sides are called "government"
and "opposition". Government is supporting the topic given and opposition is opposing it.
The topic will always request government to argue for a change (argue to change
something that currently exists), while opposition will argue against the change. There are
TWO teams for government, and there are TWO teams for opposition.
Points of information can be given to the opposing side when they are speaking. This is in
the form of a question, and cannot last more than 15 seconds.
For every debate, the first and last minute are protected time, where you cannot make
any Points of Information.
Understand how debates work. You will be given a debate topic – this is called a
“resolution." Your team must take a stance either affirmative or negative to the resolution.
Sometimes you will be given the stance, and sometimes you will be asked to take a
position. You may be asked to be the first speaker pro the resolution or the first con
speaker. Often such speeches are about four minutes long each.
The speakers then present arguments against the earlier pro or con speech that was just
read. Speakers must listen carefully and be able to counter arguments. There are often
segments involving crossfire, in which the debaters are allowed to ask questions and
openly debate the topic.
Sometimes there is a second pro and second con speech to summarize the points made
and end the debate round.
4. One person on side government, called the
Prime Minister, speaks first. S/he must define
every important term in the topic. S/he must
define them carefully, because should s/he
introduce fail to do so, side opposition may
define those terms in any way that best suits it.
Next, the Prime Minister will introduce any
contentions (points you wish to use to prove
your case) s/he wishes to do. It is imperative
that the Prime Minister sets a clear and narrow
resolution so that the debate is focused and no
too broad. The time limit is generally 5
minutes. One person on side opposition, called the
Leader of the Opposition, speaks next. S/he
must refute (prove incorrect) every contention
the Prime Minister just made and introduce
any contentions s/he wishes to do so. The time
limit is generally 5 minutes.
First the opening sides debate.
There will be two opening teams - the Opening
Government and the Opening Opposition.
5. One person on side government, called the
Deputy Prime Minister, speaks next. S/he
must refute every contention the Member of
the Opposition just introduced, rebuild (re-
prove) the Prime Minister's contentions and
introduce any additional contentions s/he
wishes to introduce. The time limit is generally
5 minutes.
One person on side opposition, called the
Deputy Leader of the Opposition, speaks
next. S/he must refute every contention of side
government, rebuild all of side opposition's
contentions and introduce any additional
contentions s/he wishes to add. Sometimes, it
may be against the rules to introduce new
contentions in this speech in the last [enter
amount here] minutes of the speech. It is also,
generally, a good idea to summarize all the
points of the opening opposition (the Leader of
Opposition and his own points) in this speech,
as the Leader of the Opposition is the last
person of his side to speak. The time limit is
generally 8 minutes.
6. The closing sides now debate.
The Member of Government now
speaks. S/he must present an extension to the
debate that was done by the opening sides.
That is to say, S/he must open a new side
about the issue. This is 5 minutes.
The Member of Opposition now speaks. S/he
was to refute the points of the Member of
Government, as well as bring in another
extension. This is 5 minutes.
7. The Secretary of the Government (The
Government Whip) speaks. S/he is to refute
the points of the Member of Opposition. Then,
s/he has to sum up the debate and crystallize it
to some main points. This speaker may not
bring in ANY new points/extensions/case
studies. This is 5 minutes.
The Secretary of the Opposition (The
Opposition Whip) is the last speaker in the
debate. S/he will refute, but may not introduce
new contentions. Lastly, s/he should
summarize all the contentions made by his/her
side and possibly provide mention what the
debate was mainly about. S/he was to do the
same thing as the Government Whip. This is 5
minutes.
8. Tips
• Write down the points the opposing side says. You want to refute every point they make.
If they make a point that you cannot refute, the judge will assume that you are unable to,
and therefore, it is a valid point.
• Make it clear when you move on to a new point. If you don't, the judge will be confused,
thinking you are supporting the last point when you aren't. You may say, "Well that's
his/her problem", but it's not. The judge doesn't have to let you win the case. If you make
no sense at all, the judge is obviously not going to let you win - just like if you watched an
advertisement in a language you didn't speak, would you buy the product?
• Make it easy for the judge to follow your points. You can always tell the judge what you
are going to do before you do it (i.e. I am going to do this. Then I am going to do this.
Then I am going to do this.). That way, the judge will know to make some room on his/her
paper to take notes on your arguments.
• If you are side opposition and side government uses very bad definitions, you are allowed
you challenge their definition by standing up in the middle of the speech and telling the
judge their definitions are unfair. However, should the judge disagree with you, your
chances of winning the debate could become very low. A failed challenge can cause your
side to lose a lot of points
9. Tips
• Come up with a strategy. There is strategy in debate as well! For example, one
strategy could be to make a ton of contentions to overwhelm your opponents. If you
know that a few of them make it through unnoticed by your opponents, the judge will
have to consider those contentions as valid points. Just know the possible negative
consequences of a strategy as well.
• Restate your contentions. Not all judges can efficiently write down every point you
make. Sometimes, if you have extra time left, it's good to go back and restate your
points. In addition, you should add additional reasoning that support your
contentions.
• Watch the judge or whoever decides the outcome of your debate. Don't look at your
opponents. Convincing your opponents won't win you the debate - only convincing
the judge matters, so why even bother looking at your opponents? Keep eye contact
with the judge.
• Some people say talking for a long time about a point is bad. However, it is actually
good. Have you ever seen an advertisement? Would you really care if there was a 2
second long advertisement telling you to buy a product? However, would you listen if
it was for 20 seconds? The more you talk about it, the more the judge hears your
points. The more the judge hears your points, the more likely the judge will consider
them.
• Even when refuting the opposing side's points, make sure that the refutation is
directed towards the Speaker of the House (or the judge).
11. Research the topic very thoroughly with credible information.
• Because you will be asked to counter the arguments of the other side, in addition to
giving a speech of your own, you must spend time thoroughly understanding all aspects
of the resolution.
• Brainstorm the topic, and research it before you sit down to write. Write out a pro and
con list. If you are on a debate team, do this together.
• Each member could discuss the pro and con lists, and then strike the weaker reasons
until you are left with three or four reasons that seem strongest in support or
opposition.
12. Spend some time at the library or on the Internet using credible sources to research the
key reasons that seem strongest. Use books, scholarly journals, credible newspapers, and
the like. Be very cautious about unverified information bandied about on the Internet.
You will also want to deal with the strongest arguments on the other side in your speech.
Ignoring the other side’s best arguments can weaken your rhetorical appeal.
13. Keep your sentences short and to the point. Only make one point or argument in each
sentence. You want the reader to be able to build the argument logically, but this is
impossible if they get lost in the weeds.
• A basic debate outline should contain four
parts: An introduction, your thesis
argument, your key points to back your
stance up, and a conclusion. Be prepared to
define any key words for the judges.
• You can break each of those four part into
subcategories. It’s often a good idea to
write the introduction and conclusion last,
focusing on the thesis argument and the
evidence to back it up first.
14. • Back every single one of your key points up with examples, statistics and other pieces
of evidence.
• Focus on the causes of the problem, the effects of the problem, examples, statistics,
and present a solution.
• Try to use visual images – show don’t tell, and illustrate a point with details.
• Appeal to the motives and emotions of the listener.
• Appeal to their sense of fair play, desire to save, to be helpful, to care about
community, etc.
Develop your key points
15. Strike a balance between presenting your team's point(s) and rebutting the opponent's
point. Since teams take turns debating, it's always possible to offer rebuttals unless you
are the first affirmative speaker.
16. Ancient philosophers studied the art of persuasion, and understanding their
techniques will help your debate speech.
The Art of Persuasion
17. • Repetition: Keep hammering on your thesis. Tell them what you're telling them, tell
them it, then tell them what you told them. They'll get the point by the end.
• Quotations reinforce that you aren't the only one making this point. It tells people that,
socially, if they want to fit in, they need to consider your viewpoint.
• Agitation of the Problem: Before offering solutions, show them how bad things are.
Give them a reason to care about your argument.
Use a variety of persuasion techniques
18. What’s persuasive to one person may not
be persuasive to another. For this reason,
it’s crucial to consider to whom you are
targeting your speech.
For example, if you are arguing against
unhealthy school lunches, you might take
very different approaches depending on
whom you want to convince. You might
target the school administrators, in which
case you could make a case about student
productivity and healthy food. If you
targeted students’ parents, you might
make a case about their children’s health
and the potential costs of healthcare to
treat conditions caused by unhealthy
food. And if you were to consider a
“grassroots” movement among your
fellow students, you’d probably make
appeals based on personal preferences.
Consider your audience
19. Do as much preparation as you can before you
write your essay.
This means you need to examine why you have
your opinion and what evidence you find most
compelling.
Here’s also where you look for
counterarguments that could refute your
point.
A mind map could be helpful. Start with your
central topic and draw a box around it. Then,
arrange other ideas you think of in smaller
bubbles around it. Connect the bubbles to
reveal patterns and identify how ideas relate.
Don’t worry about having fully fleshed-out
ideas at this stage. Generating ideas is the
most important step here.
Brainstorm your evidence
20. Arguments based on emotions, sometimes
referred to as “pathos” in the study of arguing,
use appeals to people’s heart and emotions.
They are also good for topics that are “human”
in nature, like arguments about social justice,
discrimination, etc. Try to draw on people’s
hopes and fears. Use personal stories and try
to make a personal connection with either
your opponent or your audience by comparing
the situation to something that is close to
them.
Use arguments based on emotions
21. Ask a rhetorical question
When rhetorical questions are crafted and
delivered well, they can persuade an audience
to side with your position. You want the
audience to answer the question for
themselves silently, while directing attention to
your topic. Ask a question that convinces your
audience that you are similar to them and that
your share their beliefs. You can ask, for
example, “Would you like to see a loved one
suffer for no reason at all?”
22. Your statistic should be directly related to your
argument's main purpose. The impact of the
statistic can persuade your audience to side
with your way of addressing the issue at hand.
You can say, for example, “A billion tons of
plastic are floating in the ocean right now. That
is enough plastic to make an island the size of
Hawaii.” Then, proceed to talk about the issue
and explain to your audience why your
resolution is the best one.
State a shocking statistic
23. Using quotes in a speech reinforces and adds
credibility to your ideas. Quotes also
demonstrate that your are knowledgable
about the topic. Your quote should be related
to the topic, and relevant to the audience.
Also, try to quote well-known people, or
people your audience knows.
For example, imagine you are giving a speech
on why you think higher education is
unnecessary for succeeding in life. You could
open with, “Mark Twain once said, ‘Don’t let
school interfere with your education.’”
Use a powerful quote
24. Plug holes in your speech before they are
exploited. If you can see an opportunity where
your opponent will attempt to rebut, they will
see it too. For example, if you are advocating
Car A over Car B, and you say Car A is more
expensive, make sure you add a disclaimer,
such as "Even though Car A costs more, the
superior quality is well worth the cost". This
way, your opponents may not even try to rebut
that point at all, and if they do, you've set the
basis for an easy rebuttal.
25. Logic. Logic is just reasoning. For example, if
Car A was more expensive than Car B, you
could argue, "Car B is better than Car A
because it is cheaper and it is only logical that
a family with a limited budget would purchase
Car B instead of Car A.
Analogy. Analogy is a comparison. For example, if Car A
was more high quality than Car B, you could argue, "Car A
is better than Car B simply because it is of better quality.
You could compare this situation to somebody shopping
for fruits. Car A is like the perfect, red apple at the top of
the pile of apples and Car B is like the rotting fruit that's
been sitting at the bottom of the pile for weeks. Any
reasonable shopper would purchase the fresh, perfect
apple instead of the rotting fruit that should be thrown
out. Similar to the apples, few people would purchase a
poorly-made car that might break down any moment on
the highway.
27. Rebut the main points of your opponents' argument.
When rebutting a team's argument, remember:
• Offer evidence for your rebuttal. Show the chairperson why the other team's argument
is fundamentally fault; don't just tell.
• Attack the most important parts of their argument.
• Don’t criticize another person instead of their ideas. Attack the idea, not the person.
Find something that's wrong with their
argument. Do they contradict themselves?
If needed, write down a note to yourself if
you're not sure about a possible rebut, then
have a quiet team huddle about it just after
they have finished their speech. Write down
anything and everything that you could use.
Prepare a rebuttal palm card. A useful format
is to write which speaker you're rebutting (1, 2,
3 or 'all' if it applies), a paraphrased form of
what they said, and a dot point that you will
use to rebut. Order your palm cards by
speaker, and then by importance.
28. Get into the mindset of your
opponents. Sometimes it can be useful to
pretend you have been allocated to the other
side of the debate, and try to get into the
opponents' minds.
Write down as many of these rebuttals as
possible, and how you plan to counter them. If
you can walk into a debate with a few semi-
prepared rebuttals, it makes your job so much
easier.
Know your opponent's case! The first speaker
of the opposing team will outline the
arguments their entire team will make. Write
these down quickly, then pay keen attention to
the rest of their speech. You must take in as
much information from them as is possible.
30. Relax, and pretend you're elsewhere. When
you rebut, you shouldn't be talking to an
audience or the adjudicator. Rather, you
should be having a conversation with an
argumentative friend, or better yet, a
teacher. Be polite, and be formal, but above
all, relax. This will make it a lot easier to...
Be confident. In a debate, nothing is worse
than a person who clearly thinks the other
team is smarter, better or winning. You're
winning, and you just proved it with your
rebuttal. Be proud of what you have achieved.
31. Know what aspects of the debate you will be judged on.
For the most part, debates are judged on three main areas: matter, manner, and method.
Matter is amount and relevancy of evidence. How much evidence does the speaker use to
support his/her claims? How strongly does the evidence used support the argument?
Manner is eye contact and engagement with audience. Don't stare at your cue cards! Speak
clearly. Accentuate your arguments with volume, pitch and speed to highlight important
parts? Use your body to emphasize your arguments: stand straight and gesture confidently.
Avoid stammering, fidgeting, or pacing.
Method is team cohesion. How well does the entire team organize their arguments and
rebuttals? How well do the individual arguments mesh together, as well as the rebuttals?
How clear and consistent is the team line?
32. Present your argument with feeling. Be passionate in your speech—a monotone voice will
cause people to drift off, and they may miss the point of what you're trying to say. Speak
clearly, slowly, and loudly. Make eye contact with whomever decides the winners of the
debate. While it's okay to look at your opponents every once in a while, try to direct your
argument at the judge.
Give a layout of your argument before you make it. That way, your audience will know what
to expect and your judge won't cut you off unless you run way overtime.
33. Make eye contact with audience members. Try to make eye contact with individual
persons in the audience. By making eye contact, you can gauge their reactions by reading
their facial expressions. Also, you will be able to connect with audience members on a
more personal level, and thus, make your argument more persuasive.Remember to
maintain eye contact with an audience at the end of a sentence.
Hold eye contact with an individual for only three to five seconds, then move on to
someone else.
34. Use up all your time (or most of it). The more you talk, the more you'll convince the
judge. Note that this means you should come up with many examples, not that you
should ramble. The more the judge hears about why you are correct, the more inclined
s/he will be to believe you.
36. Useful Debate Vocabulary
I’m listening to the other side.
I see your point, but I think
Yes, I understand, but my opinion is that
That’s all very interesting, but the problem is that
I’m afraid I can’t quite agree with your point.
I think I’ve got your point, now let me respond to it.
We can see what you’re saying. Here’s my reply
I need to say something now.
I’m sorry to interrupt, but you’ve misunderstood our point.
Excuse me, but that’s not quite correct.
Sorry, I just have to disagree with your point.
Let me just respond to that, please.
Forgive me for interrupting, but I must respond to that.
Hold on a moment, that’s not correct.
If you would allow me to add a comment here...
You haven’t replied yet.
The other side will have to explain why.... otherwise we win
that point.
We said that but the other side has not replied to our point.
I’d like to focus on two points that the other side has failed
to address.
There are two points that we have succeeded
in establishing.
I want to call your attention to an important point that our
opponents have not addressed yet.
I’d like to point out that there are two issues our opponents
have failed to dispute, namely…
I must stress again that our point has not been refuted by
the other side.
Our opponents have still not addressed the question we
raised a moment ago
So finally, we
Let’s sum up where we stand in this debate.
Let me summarize our position in this debate.
In summary, we want to point out that
The first point we raised is this
Our position is the following
Let’s see which arguments are still standing.
Let’s take stock of where we are in this debate.
I’d like to deal with two points here. The first is
Let me just restate my position.
Just to be clear, here is what I mean
We pointed out that
To recap the main points
Our opponents have claimed that
The other side has failed to answer our point about
Notice that the opponents have not addressed our main
point.
To sum up, here are the main points our opponents have not
addressed.
