Tips for being effective in Parliamentary Debate

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Tips for being effective in Parliamentary Debate

• By Jim Hanson and Diana Thompson

Courtesy of West Coast Debate
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When doing points of Information (Questions)

• Look at your judge. You are trying to convince
  your judge, not your oppostion.
• Ask questions that are difficult to answer. Put
  your opponents on the spot.
• Dont ask questions that allow your opponents to
  explain the good points of their arguments.

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When you respond to arguments

• Tell your judge what argument you are addressing.
  Structure adds clarity to the round.
• Sign Post - Before you address arguments in your
  speech, tell the judge where you will be going -
  For example, First, I will present oppositions
  off-case positions and then I will directly
  respond to the government case.
• Attack your opponents arguments, NOT the person.
  If you are personally attacked you can call a
  Point of Privilege (lets the judge know you are
  upset). If the judge says, Point well Taken,
  the abuser may lose speaker points.

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Starting your speech

• Always start a speech with an introduction, it
  helps build credibility with your judge. The best
  way to do this is to summarize your position
  (providing a clear thesis for your judge to
  follow).
• Start positive with YOUR argument. We show that
  a national health insurance program will
• Dont begin with Our opponents have said That
  will focus your judges attention on your
  opponents arguments.

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Abbreviations you may encounter

• THB - this house believes
• THBT - this house believes that
• IMHO - in my humble opinion

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Avoid jargon in your debates

• NO They dropped the B2 argument (with no
  further explanation. YES They did not address
  our B2 argument that SUVs are major contributors
  to carbon emissions.
• NO Turn this disad (without further
  explanation). YES Our proposal will reduce
  costs meaning we avoid excessive government
  spending, a further advantage to our proposal.

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Avoid Jargon (continued)

• NO Move down the flow. YES Turn to the next
  issue.
• NO On the top of flow. YES The first point
  was
• Try to find persuasive, real life terms to
  explain your arguments. Parli is designed so your
  grandmother can walk in and judge.