Some basic information and nice tips for beginners!

1. THE ART OF DEBATING

2. WHAT IS ILSS?
• The International Law Students’ Society, shortly
the ILSS, is founded at the Department of Law in
Joensuu at the University of Eastern Finland.
• The ILSS is addressed to foreign or international
students of law at the Department.
• The most fundamental purpose of the ILSS is to
organize scientific events, carry out the research
in the law and similar areas of science and
integrate a group of foreign or international
students of law in Joensuu.

3. WHAT IS ILSS?
The ILSS organizes, especially in the field of the law research, but also
in similar areas of science such as economy, politics, history,
sociology, philosophy, theology, culture and so on:
• Joensuu Debates Club based on the British format debates idea,
• seminars,
• lectures,
• reading groups,
• another events,
• official, organizational, and unofficial meetings.
• The ILSS is open for everybody who wants to participate in the ILSS
activity.
• The ILSS is an open society also in this sense that any new forms of
activity are required.

4. http://www.facebook.com/
groups/joensuudebates
JOIN US!

6. WHAT IS DEBATING?

7. ng tournament in Karelia, Russia.
ber 2012
The winners

9. OUR COLLEAGUES
TURKU
http://www.facebook.com/UtuDebate
HELSINKI
http://www.facebook.com/helsinkidebating
http://www.facebook.com/AaltoDebatingSociety
TAMPERE
http://www.facebook.com/groups/utadebatesociety

10. WHY DEBATING?
• Become a part of a large, welcoming social
network of debaters, the easy way to make
friends at university, especially for
international students.
• Think critically when analyzing arguments.
• Learn the proper structure of arguments to
improve your academic progress
• Gain the ability to speak persuasively
• Get the chance to travel to different
tournaments, have fun at socials after day of
tense debating and just meet new people.

11. SPEAKERS
• Prime Minister
• Leader of the Opposition
• Deputy Prime Minister
• Deputy Leader of the Opposition
• Member for the Government
• Member for the Opposition
• Government Whip
• Opposition Whip

12. Opening factions
The first faction on each Government and Opposition team,
known as the Opening Factions, has four basic roles in a
British Parliamentary debate.
They must:
• Define the motion of the debate.
• Present their case.
• Respond to arguments of the opposing first faction.
• Maintain their relevance during the debate.
• The Opening Government team has the semi-divine right of
definition, preventing the opposition from challenging their
definition of the motion unless it is either a truism or
clearly unreasonable.

13. Closing factions
The first faction on each Government and Opposition team,
known as the Opening Factions, has four basic roles in a
British Parliamentary debate.
They must:
• Define the motion of the debate.
• Present their case.
• Respond to arguments of the opposing first faction.
• Maintain their relevance during the debate.
• The Opening Government team has the semi-divine right of
definition, preventing the opposition from challenging their
definition of the motion unless it is either a truism or
clearly unreasonable.

14. Second factions
• The role of the second two factions are to:
• Introduce a case extension.
• Establish and maintain their relevance early in
the debate.
• Respond to the arguments of the first
factions.
• Respond to the case extension of the
opposing second faction.

15. The role of whips
• They must respond to both opposing
factions' arguments;
• They should briefly sum up their
Opening Faction's case;
• They should offer a conclusion of
their own faction's case extension

16. Points of information (POI)
POI allows the first two factions to maintain
their relevance during the course of the
debate, and the last two factions to introduce
their arguments early in the debate.
The first and last minute of each speech is
considered "protected time", during which no
points of information may be offered.

17. Preparation time
• Brainstorm ideas
• Discuss arguments with
partner
• Distribute arguments
• Think of reaction from
the opponents and invent
contrarguments

18. THIS HOUSE BELIEVES THAT…=Motion
Preparation time=15 mins
Prime Minister Opposition Leader
Model for the reform Opposing model
Why status quo is bad and why Why status-quo should be
we need changes? saved?
Which major interests and
what major actors can be 2 CONTRARGUMENTS+2 NEW
affected by introducing the ARGUMENTS
motion?
2 NEW ARGUMENTS

19. Deputy Prime Minister Deputy Opposition Leader
2 SUPPORTS (of the 2 SUPPORTS+2
arguments of Prime CONTRARGUMENTS+1
Minister)+2 NEW ARGUMENT
CONTRARGUMENTS
(arguments against
arguments of opposing
party)+1 NEW ARGUMENT

20. Member for the Member for the
Government Opposition
SUPPORT+CONTRARGUME SUPPORT+CONTRARGUME
NTATION+EXTENSION NTATION+EXTENSION
(argument which looks at (argument which looks at
the problem from unusual the problem from unusual
side of view) side of view)

21. Government Whip Opposition Whip
Summing up the Summing up the
arguments, sorting them arguments, sorting them
by the points of clash by the points of clash
(most provocative and (most provocative and
serious issues raised in the serious issues raised in the
debate, 3-4 points of clash) debate, 3-4 points of clash)
and proving how the and proving how the
arguments of the arguments of the
government were stronger opposition were stronger
THE JUDGE`s VERDICT (5-10 mins are given for
judge to think before making verdict)

22. READ MORE
http://idebate.org

23. • Debatabase
http://idebate.org/content/about-debatabase
• Main ideas about what debating is
http://idebate.org/about/debate
• Neill Harvey Smith. Practical guide to debating
http://debate.uvm.edu/dcpdf/Neill_Harvey_Smith_Practic
al_Guide_to_Debating_Worlds_Style_2011.pdf
• Steven Johnson. Winning debates. A Guide to Debating
in the Style of the World Universities Debating
Championships
http://debate.uvm.edu/dcpdf/Steven_Johnson_Winning_D
ebates_2009.pdf
• Short guide into debating made by one of debating
societies
http://aberdebating.org/wp-
content/uploads/2012/05/dfn.pdf?9d7bd4