The Debater’s Journey

Hi there, I’m Chief Editor Tigger. Recently, as 2022 starts, debating competitions are also starting a new season, for example, the currently in progress UHURU Worlds 2022. It has more than 60 judges and more than 100 teams from worldwide colleges and universities. And today, we’re going to take a look into the world that is debating.

To start, here are things debate isn’t. You might think that debate is when you’re in disagreement with someone else, and both start talking over the other. However, that is arguing. In debating, that disagreement is called the motion. And no matter what case, you should politely address your opponent, even if you oppose them. But don’t get confused because there are also many different debating formats, how you debate a motion.

There are two general formats, Public Forum, PF, and British Parliamentary, BP. To understand debate as a beginner, most would want to try out PF first, the easier one. In PF, there is only one motion for the entire season or half a year. You have a preparation time from weeks to several months. There are two sides, the proposition, pro, and the opposition, or con. Each team has two debaters, and two teams fill in the pro and con spaces. PF debaters need to prepare both sides, and there would be a chance game, like a coin flip. The winner gets to choose either side or their speaking position, to speak first or second in the debate. The schedule of a PF debate is as follows:

Team A (Pro or Con) Debater 1 - Constructive Speech - 4 minutes

Team B (Pro or Con) Debater 1 - Constructive Speech - 4 minutes

Both first debaters - Crossfire - 3 minutes

Team A Debater 2 - Rebuttal - 4 minutes

Team B Debater 2 - Rebuttal - 4 minutes

Both second debaters - Crossfire - 3 minutes

Team A Debater 1 - Summary - 2 minutes

Team B Debater 1 - Summary - 2 minutes

All four debaters - Grand Crossfire - 3 minutes

Team A Debater 2 - Final Focus - 2 minutes

Team B Debater 2 - Final Focus - 2 minutes

And don’t forget a separate 2-4 minutes of prep time for both sides. That means a side can use their prep time to prepare for their speech.

In the constructive speech of the first two debaters, both sides give arguments, reasons for their sides’ beliefs. In crossfires, the two debaters start hammering each other with questions about the constructive speeches, attacking their opponents’ arguments. Hence the term “crossfire.” Note that after the coin flip, there is a pattern. For example, if pro goes first, con follows, then pro’s summary, and so forth, and vice versa if con is first. Summaries are mostly are about rebuttals or defending your side’s argument while attacking. Final focuses arrange and map out the whole debate. It’s also in this part where debaters add an explanation for why their team wins.

Another format is British Parliamentary, with a similar structure in debating. A difference between the two formats is that BP only gives you 15 minutes of preparation time with teams randomly assigned to 4 different positions in a draw. In BP, the government replaces the proposition. The four positions are the Opening Government, OG, Opening Opposition, OO, Closing Government, CG, and Closing Opposition, CO. The government would always agree with the motion, while the opposition opposes it. The schedule of a BP debate is as follows:

Upper House

OG - Prime Minister

OO - Leader of the Opposition

OG - Deputy Prime Minister

OO - Deputy Leader of the Opposition

Lower House

CG - Member of Government

CO - Member of Opposition

CG - Government whip

CO - Opposition whip

In BP, every debater has a speaking time of 7 minutes, and unlike PF, there is no crossfire but “POI,” which stands for “point of information.” It’s when a debater of the opposite side asks a question to the speaker. The speaker chooses whether to accept a POI and only if accepted should the debater ask their question. There are eight debaters in a round and two per team, with four teams filling the four positions of the debate. Like PF, in a BP debate, the prime minister and leader of the opposition present their side’s arguments. Then the deputy prime minister and deputy leader of opposition get to rebuttal the above points. They can also add examples, even making new arguments if necessary.

What’s the whole point of debate anyways? In my own opinion, firstly, it’s a better way of arguing with someone you disagree with, instead of hurling insults and random logic at them. Second, you can learn things from your opponent. Remember, in debating, both sides are trying to reach an agreed-upon conclusion, since no matter who is correct, with no clear solution, the problem would affect both sides.

No matter what kind of format, the motions would mostly be about real-life problems, topics such as politics, economics, global warming, human rights movements, technology, military, and religion. To be a successful debater, you need to have enough knowledge to understand and play with the motion. That is true particularly in BP since it requires a deadline of 15 minutes and doesn’t let you consult the internet. However, there is a way to get good at debating. Remember, no one naturally achieves good performance, though it could influence performance. But for debate, it’s a matter of broad knowledge, quick reflexes, and fluent language and logic. That is the end of this production from the New News Newsminute. Thank you, and good luck on the debater’s journey.