Competitive parliamentary debating is akin to a sport if you think of it! Its format and rules provide a framework for arguments to be made, heard, and analysed on specific topics. In a ‘match’ or in a ‘tournament’, there are certain concepts which need to be understood and applied to ensure that the debate takes place in a fair manner.
You may already be familiar with ‘matter’, ‘manner’, and ‘method’ as critical facets of any argumentative speech. In ‘team debating’, we encounter notions of ‘role fulfilment’ and ‘fair warning’, ‘burden of proof’ and ‘points of clash’, as well as ‘specialist knowledge’ and what an ‘average reasonable person’ may be presumed to know.
Session Outline
2:30 pm to 3 pm
Parliamentary Debating as a Global Sport
What it can do for you
Formats: Asian and British styles
Major Tournaments
3 pm to 3:20 pm
Parliamentary Debating is an Acquired Skill
The Logistics of a Seven-Minute Speech
Content over Style: Matter, Manner, and Method
Developing a Culture of Competitive Debating
3:30 pm to 4 pm
Fair Warning and Role Fulfilment
Team Roles and Speaker Roles
Team Structure and Individual Speech Structure
Marking a Debate
4 pm to 4:15 pm
Specialist Knowledge and the Average Reasonable Person
Intellectual Limitations of Parliamentary Debating
Not Entering a Debate as an Adjudicator
Can Everything Be Debated?
4:30 pm to 5 pm
Classification of Arguments and Case Construction
Anatomy of an Argument
Defining a Motion (the Case Statement)
Creating a Model
5 pm to 5:20 pm
Burdens of Proof and Points of Clash
Opposition Identifies Points of Clash
Adjudicator Identifies Burdens of Proof
Mutual Exclusivity of Government and Opposition Cases