The Basics:
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
For both teams, the goal of each debate is to prove, through their arguments, that their side of the motion is better. Each team should (and will) be judged by the merits of their arguments, and note which side the audience agrees with. Arguments, however, are composed not only of logic, but also of emotion, and authority. In other words, logos, pathos, and ethos, all play a vital role in the debate. Each side will be judged on both the core of its content and its delivery.
ETHOS
PATHOS
LOGOS
WHAT IS IT?
ETHOS: Helps build character, competency & credibility in a speaker. This can be done through body language, appearance, and vocal tone for the speakers, as well as strong sources for the arguments.
PATHOS: Evokes an emotional response in order to pursue the judges. This can be done through figurative language, analogies, and showing that you firmly believe in your own argument.
LOGOS: Evokes a rational response based on logical facts and arguments. This can be done through including data, research, and statistics.
WHO DOES WHAT?
GOVERNMENT:
Argue for the motion. The role of the government to define the motion, its meaning, and the assumptions that it makes. When defining the motion, it is important that the government defines it clearly, and also ‘fairly’.
OPPOSITION:
Argue against the motion. The role of the opposition to provide a contradictory argument, and not only try to disprove the government.
TEAM ROLES
ORDER
ORDER OF SPEAKERS:
1ST: Government's 1st Speaker
2ND: Opposition's 1st Speaker
3RD: Government's 2nd Speaker
4TH: Opposition's 2nd Speaker
5TH: Government's 3rd Speaker
6TH: Opposition's 3rd Speaker
ASKING QUESTIONS:
Points of Information, or POIs, are questions posed by the sitting team, and must be asked after the first two minutes of every speech, except during the closing remarks where they cannot be made. A POI is aimed at the current speaker about something the speaker has just said. The question must be preempted by raising your hand, and it is up to the Speaker to accept the POI or not. There can be no dialogue or back-and-forth during a POI.