Parliamentary Debate

Named after the style of debate used in the British Parliament, Parliamentary Debate features clashes between two-person teams. The "Government" favors change, the "Opposition" does not. The order of speeches:

Prime Minister Constructive - 7 mins

Leader of the Opposition Constructive - 8 mins

Member of the Government Constructive - 8 mins

Member of the Opposition Constructive - 8 mins

Leader of the Opposition Rebuttal - 4 mins

Prime Minister Rebuttal - 5 mins

The judge, called the Speaker of the House, might be a coach, but could be someone not involved in coaching, an expert in some field, or just "someone from the street."

The topic, different each round, is announced to both teams 15 minutes before the debate is to begin; they have that much time to develop a case.

Rules forbid bringing written evidence into the round. the goal is to be reasonable and convincing using knowledge expected of a well-informed college student. Speakers should be witty and entertaining, as well as reasoned. Audience responses are encouraged; hearing a point they like, they rap on the table. Speakers may interrupt each other with "Points of Information" (questions).

To be competitive in Parliamentary Debate, speakers must be strong in two areas: 1. a wide general knowledge, and 2. the theory and practice of argument and debate.

What you should expect to get out of this event:

  1. You will learn about reasoning, what makes an argument good or bad, and how arguments support cases.
  2. You will learn various ways to build convincing cases.
  3. You will learn how to respond to the arguments of others.
  4. You will learn how to structure information for clear and effective presentation.
  5. You will enjoy sharing your observations and insights with coaches and team members in practice, and with opponents and audiences in competition.
  6. You will learn greater control of your voice and body, making both more expressive.
  7. You will get better at thinking on your feet, practicing self-control and poise under pressure.
  8. You will learn to become a more careful listener.
  9. You will read more widely and perceptively, sorting and gathering material which you can use in your debates.
  10. You will develop your memory, learning to depend on it to provide you with information you need at the moment.
  11. You will learn to become a better observer of the world around you, staying alert for information and viewpoints that will make you a better thinker and speaker.
  12. You will better understand yourself, searching your own experience to help you find worthwhile things to say.
  13. You will learn a lot by watching excellent debaters.

 

Special features of this event in competition:

Bethany has led the growth of Parli in the Midwest, offering it at our Vocal Viking tournament since '94, founding PLUM in fall '97, and hosting THBT since "98. If poorly done, Parli is very bad. Everyone does it badly at first, but we quickly learn to do it well, and then it becomes highly educational, exciting, and lots of fun. We take debaters to the Pi Kappa Delta, and the AFA National Tournaments.

 

What you will do to become competitive in this event:

Initial preparation: about 6 weeks

  1. select the PD event
  2. discuss and practice topic analysis (1 week)
  3. discuss and practice case construction (1 week)
  4. discuss and practice argument presentation (1 week)
  5. discuss and practice rebuttal (1 week)
  6. practice rounds (2 weeks)
  7. read, stay alert for useful material (continuously)
  8. study, discuss, and practice argument and debate theory (continuously)
Last updated: June 16, 2005
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