Competitive Debate Workshop: British Parliamentary Workshop

COMPETITIVE DEBATE WORKSHOP

BP FORMAT

Welcoming Remarks

Welcome back to class, everyone! If this is your first class, we’re very excited to meet you! Before moving on to our lesson, let’s all introduce ourselves I’ll go first I’m coach from I’ve been debating for __years. My greatest achievement was ___ . Now, let’s go around the room Tell us your:

Name

Age Favorite subject in school

Fantastic! Now that we all know each other, we are ready to embark on an exciting journey of learning. Along the way, you will discover new ideas, practice thinking on your feet, build your confidence when speaking in front of an audience, and develop your critical thinking skills.

Expectations

1

We’ll kick things off with a fun warm-up activity that will get our minds energized and ready to go. Then we will jump into our new topic. Buckle up, because there will be a lot of thrilling activities to keep you on the edge of your seats!

Toward the end of class, each of you will get the chance to give some awesome speeches. And guess what? I'll be there to provide you with helpful feedback, so that next time, your speeches will be much better. Finally, we'll all come together to review everything we talked about today. 2

To make the most out of our two hours, I want everyone to actively participate, so I will randomly call on each of you throughout the class. Your thoughts, ideas, and creativity will make this class extra special. 3

Reminder: Class Rules

Now that we all know each other, let’s make this class into a proper classroom!

Here are some rules that we will all follow together:

Before Class

Makesurethatyou’veeatenbreakfast/lunchandhavegonetothe bathroom

JointheZoomcallafewminutesbeforeclassstartssowecanget startedrightaway!

At the Start of Class

Turnyourcameraonsowecanseeyourlovelysmile!

Letyourcoachknowifyouneedtoleaveclassearly

During Class

Keep your camera on unless you are preparing during an activity

Put your hand up if you want to say something

Do not leave your computer during class - if you need to go to the bathroom, put your hand up and ask your coach before you go Immediately unmute yourself and reply when you are called on

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2.

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3. 4.

COMPETITIVE DEBATE WORKSHOP

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2.

PART 1 PART 1

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

Warm Up Activity

We will ask you to take a look at your debating skills and tell us what areas you can improve in

P for Policy

What is a policy?

What is a FIAT?

Government & Opposition Have Equal Capital / Resources:

How to construct it?

When do we use it?

P for Policy Group Activity

Divide yourself into teams of 3 and make a policy for the topic given below

PAR PAR

Exceptional Use of Examples

How to use examples effectively to break down the opposition’s arguments!

A Try to m to the ar

Respond with exa

PAR PAR

Smooth as Presenting you the most soph structure poss

ROADMAP

PART 2 RT 2 RT 1

Riddled With Examples

Activity 1

match the correct examples as responses rguments presented.

Engaging with Examples

Activity 2

d to the arguments below by coming up amples (either real or made up)

PART 3 RT 3

s Butter

ur arguments in histicated ible

It All Comes Down To This

Style based activity

We want you to give a PM or LO speech on one of the motions given below

Recap

Case building-how to make a policy

Rebuttals-learning how to use examples to strengthen the rebuttal Style-structuring your speech

By the end of today’s class, you’ll learn:

Time

Warm-up Activity

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

3 Mins: Prep

2 Mins: Speak

Rules

We want you to speak your heart out and tell us about the skills are you good at and also about the ones you need to improve about your debating

Guidelines

1. 2.

Be honest, everyone has different strengths and weaknesses so one is going to judge

If you are having a hard time coming up with an answer, refer to past activities you have done and the feedback you have received

PART 1 PART 1

We will ask you to take a look at your debating skills and tell us what areas you can improve in

Exceptional Use of Examples

What is a policy?

What is a FIAT?

Government & Opposition Have Equal Capital / Resources:

How to construct it?

When do we use it?

P for Policy Group Activity

Divide yourself into teams of 3 and make a policy for the topic given below

How to use examples effectively to break down the opposition’s arguments!

Try to m to the

Respond with exa

PAR PAR

Smooth as Presenting you the most soph structure poss

ROADMAP

PART 2 RT 2 RT 1

Riddled With Examples

Activity 1

match the correct examples as responses rguments presented.

Engaging with Examples

Activity 2

d to the arguments below by coming up amples (either real or made up)

PART 3 RT 3

s Butter

ur arguments in histicated ible

It All Comes Down To This Style based activity

We want you to give a PM or LO speech on one of the motions given below

PART 1: CASE CONSTRUCTION

P for Policy

What is a policy?

A policy is a system of guidelines set by a governing body in order to achieve a specific outcome It can also be referred to as implementing a procedure to reach a particular goal

For example:

THW ban plastic cosmetic surgery

The expectation from a policy would be to show how exactly you want to carry out the ban and the punishments that would be handed out if anyone were to perform or undergo the procedure.

Therefore, quite simply, the role of a policy in debates is to give the judges and audience an idea of how you would expect to execute a law that will be passed.

Class Discussion:

How would you look to ban plastic cosmetic surgery and what fines would you place on people & doctors trying to disobey this?

WHAT IS FIAT?

In debates, when we say that the Government side has FIAT it means that we are allowed to assume that the parliament/senate/house will pass the policy.

You are allowed to argue that many politicians may oppose the policy resulting in certain harms.

Example: If we pass this bill, politicians who oppose it will mobilize their supporters and engage in fierce protest all across the nation.

Both sides have to debate the harms and benefits assuming the policy will be passed by parliament.

Opposition cannot come up with arguments such as this law/bill will never pass parliament.

Government cannot assume they can do more or have fiat over things that go beyond the policy.

Example: If the topic is This House Would Make College Education Free for All:

The government has fiat that they will be able to provide free education for all

However the fiat ends there; they can not say that they will also provide jobs to all those who receive the education.

Always assume the motion will pass and debate what happens after it has been approved.

Government & Opposit Equal Capital / Resourc

When both sides are arguing about passing different policies to the same problem, debaters and judges should assume tha will have the same amount of resources to resolve the proble policy.

For example: The topic is This House Would Make College Education Free For All.

Opposition Side Argument:

The government does not have enough money to do thi rather propose that we guarantee everyone jobs after th

Fair Government Side Rebuttal

If we do not have enough money to finance College edu all then the Opposition will struggle to provide jobs with amount of money.

What will you do as the Opposition Side? Here are some

1. 2. 3.

Explain why guaranteeing jobs requires less resource compared to free college education; Assume both policies will pass and prove why yours Change the overall policy to something different

tion Have ces:

or solutions at both teams ms in their

s and hey turn 18.

cation for h the same es is better

e options:

Both teams will always have equal amount of resources at their disposal when trying to implement a policy, hence try to avoid proposing solutions that require more resources than your opposition.

PART 1: CASE CONSTRUCTION

How to construct a policy?

Construction of a policy is very simple if you are clear on what you want to achieve by the end of the debate. There are a few guidelines to consider when constructing a policy:

Goal

What do you want to achieve by this policy?

Stakeholders

Who are the important stakeholders in this policy and how do we manage them?

How

How do we execute this policy?

Exceptions

Will this policy apply to every situation or will there be any exceptions?

Let's do a sample THW ban plastic c

WHAT DO YOU WAN ACHIEVE BY THIS PO

We want to ban plastic co

WHO ARE THE IMPO STAKEHOLDERS IN AND HOW DO WE M

Doctors and patients, we them if they break this law

motion using the guidelines: osmetic surgery

NT TO OLICY?

osmetic surgery

HOW DO WE EXECUTE THIS POLICY?

We execute it with strict monitoring by police and health officials. Anyone breaking this law will be fined and doctors may lose their license

ORTANT THIS POLICY MANAGE THEM?

want to punish w

WILL THIS POLICY APPLY TO EVERY SITUATION OR WILL THERE BE ANY EXCEPTIONS?

It applies to everyone, except life-threatening cases such as car crash or acid victims for whom this surgery is unavoidable.

PART 1: CASE CONSTRUCTION

When do we use it?

1. Usually motions containing “This House Would” at the beginning will require you to give a policy.

2. When you want to pre-empt the opposition side:

You should also use a policy in situations where you feel the opposition may come up with questions to hurt your arguments.

For example, it is likely your opposition will ask that some people need cosmetic surgery as a life-saving procedure. You make those victims an exception in your policy even before they get to ask you about it.

PART 1: CASE CONSTRUCTION

P for Policy

Policy Construction

Rules

You will be divided into groups of 3. After 5 mins, you will nominate one person to present your policy

Guidelines:

Follow this structure:

What do you want to achieve by this policy? Who are the important stakeholders in this policy and how do we manage them?

How do we execute this policy?

Will this policy apply to every situation or will there be any exceptions?

Motions:

1 1.

THW ban sports that require you to physically hurt your opponent in order to win (Boxing, UFC etc.)

This House Would make schools put students into classes based on their academic ability, not their age

Feedback

Now it's time for me to give you feedback on the activity. The feedback will cover two aspects:

1.

Were you able to state clearly what you want to achieve by the policy?

2.

Were you able to show a clear method in which the policy will be executed?

PART 1 PART 1

Mirror Mirror on the Wall Warm Up Activity

We will ask you to take a look at your debating skills and tell us what areas you can improve in

P for Policy

What is a policy?

What is a FIAT?

Government & Opposition Have Equal Capital / Resources:

How to construct it?

When do we use it?

P for Policy Group Activity

Divide yourself into teams of 3 and make a policy for the topic given below

PAR PAR

Exceptional Use of Examples

How to use examples effectively to break down the opposition’s arguments!

Try to

to the

Respond with exa

PAR PAR

Smooth as Presenting you the most soph structure poss

ROADMAP

PART 2 RT 2 RT 1

Riddled With Examples

Activity 1

match the correct examples as responses rguments presented.

Engaging with Examples

Activity 2

d to the arguments below by coming up amples (either real or made up)

PART 3 RT 3

s Butter

ur arguments in histicated ible

It All Comes Down To This

Style based activity

We want you to give a PM or LO speech on one of the motions given below

Why should we use examples in our rebuttals?

When our opponents give flawed logic in their arguments, it is important we call out the flawed logic and respond to it.

When we add examples to our responses it makes them even more relatable and easy to visualize for judges as they have something to back it up against.

Debating is all about being persuasive and using examples helps us do just that exactly.

Do you think you should be relying on examples when making rebuttals?

Two Basic Types of Example

A.) Facts based example:

When to use them: These are situations where an opponent uses a logical argument to prove something but there are well-known examples that dispr the logic of the argument

How to use them: If possible, you can state real-world cases, numbers or sta but even if you don't know exact figures, just explaining the circumstances w

esrove atistics, works.

COMPETITIVE DEBATE WORKSHOP

PART 2: REBUTTALS: EXCEPTIONAL USE OF EXAMPLES

Example

1: THBT

Developing Nations should not host the Olympic Games

Scenario: You are supporting the topic. Your opposition says that developing nations' economy will develop because of an increase in tourism and investment

A reply with real-world cases, without statistics: If that argument was true then the nations of Brazil and Greece would not have been devastated economically after hosting the Olympics.

A Reply with statistics: If that argument were to be true then Brazil would not have been in a debt of 132 million USD as a result of hosting the Olympics.

Example 2: This House Would Allow Children to Vote

cenario: You are against this topic. overnment argues that children are well formed as they are receiving education!

reply just explaining the circumstances: Being ducated does not mean being well-informed bout politics. For example, school curriculums rely, if ever, teach or discusses politics. Hence, e government’s argument is flawed.

What examples would you use to argue against someone claiming that streaming sites such as Netflix are ruining the diversity of shows?

PART 2: REBUTTALS: EXCEPTIONAL USE OF EXAMPLES

B.) Hypothetical- situation based examples:

When to use them: Use these examples when you do not know any real-life examples or statistics

How to use them:

Use your imagination! Try to think of how an argument would play out

Use logic Make sure to back up your imagination with logic–think about why and how something would happen.

Tell a story Tell a short story to help the audience imagine your example

Not

Example: This house would limit children’s use of technology to 2 hours per day

Scenario: You are against the topic Your opponent argues that if we limit the children’s use of technology they will use that time instead to do something productivee such as study

Imagination: Imagine yourself in a similar situation If you were not allowed to use technology would you automatically go and study?

Logic: Think about school children and what they like and dislike. Would the majority of school kids voluntarily study if their parents did not push them?

Story: Get creative! Imagine Billy, a rebellious kid who doesn't listen to his parents. Once his IPad is taken away, he'll just sleep all day or party with friends.

Make sure the examples are reasonable and easy to believe. Extreme examples makes an argument unpersuasive.

te: There are reasonable and extreme examples.

Reasonable: Billy will be sad and uncooperative with chores at home.

Extreme: Billy will start breaking everything in the apartment if his iPad is taken away.

RIDDLED WI

Match the arguments with their

LIST OF ARGUMENTS

Animals don’t deserve rights because they can’t feel emotions like humans do

It is impossible to think of colonizing outer space because we don’t have the technology yet.

When it comes to school children, explaining how to behave in class does not work, you need to order them to keep quiet

PART 2: REBUTTALS: EXCEPTIONAL USE OF EXAMPLES

ITH EXAMPLES

correct rebuttals

LIST OF REBUTTALS

Space X and NASA are only two of many organizations who are going further into outer space everyday

Dogs, cats and many other species stop eating for days after their owners passed away.

When my mom asks my younger brother to not do something, that is exactly what he will do.

RIDDLED WI

Answer Key

LIST OF ARGUMENTS

Animals don’t deserve rights because they can’t feel emotions like humans do

It is impossible to think of colonizing outer space because we don’t have the technology yet.

When it comes to school children, explaining how to behave in class does not work, you need to order them to keep quiet

ITH EXAMPLES

LIST OF REBUTTALS

Space X and NASA are only two of many organizations who are going further into outer space everyday

Dogs, cats and many other species stop eating for days after their owners passed away.

When my mom asks my younger brother to not do something, that is exactly what he will do.

PART 2: REBUTTALS: EXCEPTIONAL USE OF EXAMPLES

ACTIVITY:

Engage with Examples

Time

5 Mins: Prep

2 Mins: Speak

Rules

Guidelines:

Remember the two ways in which we can use examples to respond

1.

2.

Facts based example Situation based example

If you can, use both. If not, use the one you’re most comfortable with!

Format for the activity : 1. 2.

My response to the first argument is , My response to the second argument is .

The two arguments are :

Topic: Everyone should have the right to own guns

Argument:

In America, it is easy to own a gun. As a result, crimes like theft and murder are low.

Response:

Topic: Animals should not have equal rights as humans.

Argument: Animals cannot communicate with others and hence it's impossible to give them rights as we don’t understand them.

Response:

Feedback

It is now time for some feedback. The feedback will focus on one aspect:

1.

Were you able to use logical examples in the activity?

PART 2: REBUTTALS: EXCEPTIONAL USE OF EXAMPLES

PART 1 PART 1

Mirror Mirror on the Wall Warm Up Activity

We will ask you to take a look at your debating skills and tell us what areas you can improve in

P for Policy

What is a policy?

What is a FIAT?

Government & Opposition Have Equal Capital / Resources:

How to construct it?

When do we use it?

P for Policy Group Activity

Divide yourself into teams of 3 and make a policy for the topic given below

PAR PAR

Exceptional Use of Examples

How to use examples effectively to break down the opposition’s arguments!

Try to m to the

Respond with exa

PAR PAR

Smooth as Presenting you the most soph structure poss

ROADMAP

PART 2 RT 2 RT 1

Riddled With Examples

Activity 1

match the correct examples as responses rguments presented.

Engaging with Examples

Activity 2

d to the arguments below by coming up amples (either real or made up)

PART 3 RT 3

s Butter

ur arguments in histicated ible

It All Comes Down To This Style based activity

We want you to give a PM or LO speech on one of the motions given below

Key Takeaway

When presenting your argument, you should follow these clear steps rather than explaining your idea aimlessly.

While presenting an argument we use the following structure:

Heading or Assertion or Claim- The main idea or point you're trying to make. It's a clear and concise statement that captures the central theme of your argument.

Reasoning- This is the logical explanation or evidence you provide to support your claim. It's the "why" behind your assertion, where you offer facts, examples, logic, or explanations to convince your audience that your claim is valid.

Example a specific instance or scenario that illustrates your reasoning. It's a practical demonstration that helps your audience understand how your reasoning applies in real-life situations.

Conclusion- A restatement of your claim, supported by your reasoning and examples. It is a summary that reinforces the main point you've made and summarizes the overall argument, leaving a strong final impression on your audience.

So, why is structure important?

Maintaining a structure allows you to deliver an argument in the most persuasive way possible.

a) Assertion at the start of the argument points the judge towards the direction of where the argument is going.

b) Reasoning helps the judge connect the dots that justify your assertion.

c) Use of example helps ground the argument and make it relatable.

d) A conclusion is the icing on the cake that perfectly ties the argument together.

Example of how we use it:

Topic: This House Would Allow Kids to Vote

Argument: This makes kids more politically aware.

Now the argument structure:

Heading: This will make kids more politically aware

Reasoning:

As kids will now be voting, they will follow the news, watch the presidential debates and ask questions about the strengths and weaknesses of the candidates. They will also discuss these things with friends, leading to more awareness.

Example: Now we are likely to have mock presidential debates in classrooms.

Conclusion:

All these reasons lead us to believe that this will make kids more aware politically.

Do you agree with this argument?

PART 3: STYLE: SMOOTH AS BUTTER

PART 3: STYLE: SMOOTH AS BUTTER

MAIN ACTIVITY

It All Comes Down To This

1.

2

Rules

You will be divided into groups of 2 and you will be assigned either the Government or Opposition side for the motion given below.

After 10 mins are up, one of you will have to deliver a PM or LO speech based on the sides you were assigned.

Guidelines: COMPETITIVE DEBATE WORKSHOP

Don't forget your speech structure! For those who will be the PM, make sure to include a policy For those who will be the LO, support your rebuttals with examples

Topic for Debate

This house would require people to obtain a parenting license in order to have children

PART 3: STYLE: SMOOTH AS BUTTER

Feedback

It's now time for me to provide feedback on your speech

The feedback will focus on two areas this time:

1.

2.

Were you able to link back tp your speech?

Were you able to give sound reasoning?