DEBATE LESSON 1 & 2
BPD stands for British Parliamentary Debate, a popular format of debate
In 1707, the British parliament held its first meeting
BPD originated in Liverpool, Britain specifically Liverpool during the Victorian era
This style was used in crucial events such as debating to enter a peace treaty with Germany during WW2
It is still used today in Britain and it is the standard for academic debate
Motion: the topic being debated
In the format “This House believes that”
BPD (British Parliamentary Debate): a fair and balanced format which hears the voices of everybody practicing within the house
2 sides: the proposition (also known as the government) and the opposition
Each side is allowed 7 minutes per speech
Rebuttals are 4 minutes and cannot present any new information
There are 4 teams of 2:
2 teams on the proposition and 2 teams on the opposition
There is only 1 winner out of the 4 teams, so even the teams on the same side will compete each other
Proposition: the side which is in favour of the motion
2 teams: Opening Government and Closing Government
Opening Government has the Prime Minister and Deputy Minister, whose positions are 1 and 3
Prime Minister: defines the motion (what the debate is about) & provides the arguments for their side
Deputy Prime Minister: refutes arguments made by the Opposition Leader
Closing Government has the Member of Government and Government Whip, whose positions are 5 and 7
Member of Government: provides further arguments that are in favour of the motion
the arguments are different but consistent with the Opening Government’s views
Government Whip: summarizes the entire debate on behalf of the government's side
Opposition: the side which is against the motion
2 teams: Opening Opposition and Closing Opposition
Opening opposition has the Leader of Opposition and Deputy Leader of Opposition, whose positions are 2 and 4
Leader of Opposition: refutes the Opening Gov’s arguments & provides arguments for their side
Deputy Leader of Opposition: same role as the Leader of Opp
Closing government has the Member of Opposition and Opposition Whip, whose positions are 6 and 8
Member of Opposition: provides further points that are against the motion
the points are different but consistent with the Opposing Opposition
Opposition Whip: summarizes the entire debate on behalf of the Opposition’s view
Judges rank the debate and declare winners based on individual and team performance
each speaker is ranked on a scale from 0-100
there can be multiple judges, but the head judge is called the chair and the others are panelists
After the debate is over, the chair will ask everybody participating to leave and the judges will decide a winner
The chair will give reasoning to his rankings and respect should be shown towards the judge and their decisions
Impromptu debates and prepared debates are 2 different types of debates used in the BPD format
Impromptu debate: the format of debate where the motion is released a short time before the debate is about to start
time ranges are usually 15 mins before the debate starts
the use of the internet is banned
Prepared debate: the motion is released and known to members participating ahead of time
POIs (Points of Information) are a key point of any debate
POIs: short statements or questions the opposite side can use to challenge the speaker
POIs cannot be longer than 15 seconds so questions should be short and concise
The first and last minute of a speech by a speaker is known as protected time, and no POIs can be offered
To offer a POI, a debater will give an indication such as raising up your hand, or saying “Point of Information”
Even though speakers do not have to, it is best for speakers to accept at least 2 POIs during their speech
In case of a POI being rejected, the debater who offered it should sit down immediately and keep silent
Give the speaker time to answer questions
There are many types of questions one can use form POI’s:
Clarification questions: questions used to clarify what the speaker said
To do this, one has to ask for a POI and if granted one, then they may ask a question
Purpose: to gain information, so avoid yes or no questions
Ex. “Can you restate your main point to the 2nd argument?”
Ex. “Did you say solar energy is cost effective?”
In these examples, the speaker can answer relatively easily and say yes or no without having to explain
A better question would be, “Can you explain how cost effective solar energy is?”
Asking better questions makes the speaker explain the evidence and you are allowing yourself to understand the topic further and making the speaker spend more time reiterating their point
Qualification questions: questions to show the quality of the argument
Ex. ”How does your evidence support your reason for this argument?”
For a speaker, it may cause them to make a mistake and can show a judge flaws that are in their arguments
To find flaws, it is good not ask/answer multiple questions, but should try to get home 1 or 2 solid questions as ways to challenge one’s logic
Follow-up questions: asking questions from the original question
The purpose of these questions is to “trap” the speaker into making a mistake
Ex. “You argued that marine parks help take care of animals, correct?” “Yes” “Then why does your evidence say that the workers don't have the same resources to properly take care of the animals?” “um…”
You want your questions to lead to an end goal
Most importantly, don't question if you do not have a clear follow up question in mind
Motion
Rebuttals
Proposition
Opposition
POI’s (Point of Information)
Clarification Questions
Qualification Questions
Follow Up Questions
Tone
Nobody wants to listen to a monotonous robot
Pacing
Make sure everyone understands you
Pauses
Use pauses to add tension and grab attention
Hand Gestures
Don’t just say it, show it
Do not fidget
Facial Expressions
Look like you mean it
Express the emotion you’re saying
BPD stands for British Parliamentary Debate, a popular format of debate
In 1707, the British parliament held its first meeting
BPD originated in Liverpool, Britain specifically Liverpool during the Victorian era
This style was used in crucial events such as debating to enter a peace treaty with Germany during WW2
It is still used today in Britain and it is the standard for academic debate
Motion: the topic being debated
In the format “This House believes that”
BPD (British Parliamentary Debate): a fair and balanced format which hears the voices of everybody practicing within the house
2 sides: the proposition (also known as the government) and the opposition
Each side is allowed 7 minutes per speech
Rebuttals are 4 minutes and cannot present any new information
There are 4 teams of 2:
2 teams on the proposition and 2 teams on the opposition
There is only 1 winner out of the 4 teams, so even the teams on the same side will compete each other
Proposition: the side which is in favour of the motion
2 teams: Opening Government and Closing Government
Opening Government has the Prime Minister and Deputy Minister, whose positions are 1 and 3
Prime Minister: defines the motion (what the debate is about) & provides the arguments for their side
Deputy Prime Minister: refutes arguments made by the Opposition Leader
Closing Government has the Member of Government and Government Whip, whose positions are 5 and 7
Member of Government: provides further arguments that are in favour of the motion
the arguments are different but consistent with the Opening Government’s views
Government Whip: summarizes the entire debate on behalf of the government's side
Opposition: the side which is against the motion
2 teams: Opening Opposition and Closing Opposition
Opening opposition has the Leader of Opposition and Deputy Leader of Opposition, whose positions are 2 and 4
Leader of Opposition: refutes the Opening Gov’s arguments & provides arguments for their side
Deputy Leader of Opposition: same role as the Leader of Opp
Closing government has the Member of Opposition and Opposition Whip, whose positions are 6 and 8
Member of Opposition: provides further points that are against the motion
the points are different but consistent with the Opposing Opposition
Opposition Whip: summarizes the entire debate on behalf of the Opposition’s view
Judges rank the debate and declare winners based on individual and team performance
each speaker is ranked on a scale from 0-100
there can be multiple judges, but the head judge is called the chair and the others are panelists
After the debate is over, the chair will ask everybody participating to leave and the judges will decide a winner
The chair will give reasoning to his rankings and respect should be shown towards the judge and their decisions
Impromptu debates and prepared debates are 2 different types of debates used in the BPD format
Impromptu debate: the format of debate where the motion is released a short time before the debate is about to start
time ranges are usually 15 mins before the debate starts
the use of the internet is banned
Prepared debate: the motion is released and known to members participating ahead of time
POIs (Points of Information) are a key point of any debate
POIs: short statements or questions the opposite side can use to challenge the speaker
POIs cannot be longer than 15 seconds so questions should be short and concise
The first and last minute of a speech by a speaker is known as protected time, and no POIs can be offered
To offer a POI, a debater will give an indication such as raising up your hand, or saying “Point of Information”
Even though speakers do not have to, it is best for speakers to accept at least 2 POIs during their speech
In case of a POI being rejected, the debater who offered it should sit down immediately and keep silent
Give the speaker time to answer questions
There are many types of questions one can use form POI’s:
Clarification questions: questions used to clarify what the speaker said
To do this, one has to ask for a POI and if granted one, then they may ask a question
Purpose: to gain information, so avoid yes or no questions
Ex. “Can you restate your main point to the 2nd argument?”
Ex. “Did you say solar energy is cost effective?”
In these examples, the speaker can answer relatively easily and say yes or no without having to explain
A better question would be, “Can you explain how cost effective solar energy is?”
Asking better questions makes the speaker explain the evidence and you are allowing yourself to understand the topic further and making the speaker spend more time reiterating their point
Qualification questions: questions to show the quality of the argument
Ex. ”How does your evidence support your reason for this argument?”
For a speaker, it may cause them to make a mistake and can show a judge flaws that are in their arguments
To find flaws, it is good not ask/answer multiple questions, but should try to get home 1 or 2 solid questions as ways to challenge one’s logic
Follow-up questions: asking questions from the original question
The purpose of these questions is to “trap” the speaker into making a mistake
Ex. “You argued that marine parks help take care of animals, correct?” “Yes” “Then why does your evidence say that the workers don't have the same resources to properly take care of the animals?” “um…”
You want your questions to lead to an end goal
Most importantly, don't question if you do not have a clear follow up question in mind
Motion
Rebuttals
Proposition
Opposition
POI’s (Point of Information)
Clarification Questions
Qualification Questions
Follow Up Questions
Tone
Nobody wants to listen to a monotonous robot
Pacing
Make sure everyone understands you
Pauses
Use pauses to add tension and grab attention
Hand Gestures
Don’t just say it, show it
Do not fidget
Facial Expressions
Look like you mean it
Express the emotion you’re saying
