Debate

1. Week 2: What is British Parliamentary
Debating?
Manchester Debating Union
Training Program 2016

2. Manchester Debating Union
Semester 1 Timetable
Week Topic
3 Creating an Argument: Explaining What You Mean, Making it Important and Rebuttal
4 Identifying Burdens
5 Top Half
6 Bottom Half
7 Framing: What world are we in?
8 Us vs Them: How to be Comparative
9 Actor Analysis: How to talk about people, countries and organisations
10 Feminism 101
11 Social Policy 101
12 Debating Political Institutions, Parties and Voting 101
13 End of Semester Fun Things

3. • Formalised debate over a specific topic/policy.
• You do not get to choose the side you are on.
• Arguments judged based on their logical basis
and persuasiveness.
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What is BP debating?

4. 2 sides
4 teams (2 on each side)
8 speakers (2 speakers per team)
5 or 7 minute speeches
(we’ll be doing 5)
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The Format

5. • A policy or statement the debate will be about
– E.g. This House Would Nationalise the Banks
• Some motions will be a little different
– This House Believes That it is immoral for a country to be a
tax haven
– This House Supports vigilantism in areas of high crime
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Motion

6. So how does this work?
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7. First Proposition
1st Speaker
• Define the debate
• Give arguments for the motion
2nd Speaker
• Rebuttal
• Give arguments for the motion
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8. First Opposition
Both Speakers
• Rebut the other team’s
points
• Give arguments against the
motion
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9. Third Speakers
Extension
• Bring new or deeper
arguments
• Rebuttal
• Can’t disagree with your
own side
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10. Manchester Debating Union
Fourth Speakers
Summation
• No new material
• Summarise the debate
• Structure = 3 points of clash

11. Timings
Prep time is 15 minutes
Speeches are 5 minutes each
Judging approx. 15 minutes
Feedback approx. 20 minutes
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12. POIs
Point of information (POI)
Short question or statement (10-15 seconds)
Offer as many as you can
ONLY take 1 or 2
The speaker chooses whether to accept POIs
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13. Structure
First Minute
Intro
Rebuttal/Definition
Second Minute
Point 1
Third Minute
Point 2
Fourth Minute
Point 3
Fifth Minute
Wrap up
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Say what you’re going to say
“In my speech I’m going to be
telling you about x, y and z”
Say it
“My first point is x…. *talk
about point x*”
Say you said it
“I’ve told you about x, y and z”

14. Some General Rules
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• You’re not allowed to use the internet.
• You must not contradict or be mutually exclusive with
speakers on the same side as you.
• You cannot interrupt a speaker unless they have given you
permission in a POI.
• You cannot confer with other teams before or during the
debate.

15. Introductions
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• The Chair will ask everyone in the room what pro-noun(s)
they would like be referred to by
• Be respectful of this and try to remember what people say.
• If in doubt, use gender neutral language i.e. “The previous
speaker” or “That speech”.
• If you get it wrong by mistake, just apologise and continue on.

16. Most important tips….
Have fun
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17. Competitions
• Presidents Cup 8th October
• SOAS IV 22nd October
• NAMDA Novice (Manchester!!) 29th October
• Durham IV 5th November
If interested email selection@mdu.manchester.ac.uk
Or catch Ryan at the pub

18. The motion:
If you’re proposition, you think private
schools should be banned
If you’re opposition, you don’t think
private schools should be banned
This house
would ban
private schools