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The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation C ASE P REPARATION : part 2 Simon Quinn Most debates are won and lost in the preparation room. www.learndebating.com C ASE P REPARATION ( PART 2) The arguments The split
The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation
Simon Quinn
“Most debates are won and lost in the preparation room.”
www.learndebating.com CASE PREPARATION (PART 2)
The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation
1
The ‘big picture’
2
The issue and definition
3
The case approach
4
The arguments
5
The split
6
Writing speeches
7
Teamwork in preparation
www.learndebating.com CASE PREPARATION (PART 2)
The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation
Every argument made by a school debating team should have four parts:
1
A label;
2
Explanation and reasoning;
3
At least one example (including, perhaps, statistics);
4
A link back to the team approach (‘SO WHAT?’)
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The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation
Examples that are often effective are: Real, Significant and Carefully analysed. Examples that are rarely effective are: Hypotheticals (‘Imagine if...’), Personal anecdotes (‘My friend...’), Extremes (‘As Hitler illustrates...’), or Religious texts.
www.learndebating.com CASE PREPARATION (PART 2)
The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation
Sometimes, it is effective to use alternatives to examples. For example, these could include: Statistics Statements of principle in important documents.
www.learndebating.com CASE PREPARATION (PART 2)
The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation
1
The ‘big picture’
2
The issue and definition
3
The case approach
4
The arguments
5
The split
6
Writing speeches
7
Teamwork in preparation
www.learndebating.com CASE PREPARATION (PART 2)
The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation
You need to divide your arguments logically between first and second speakers. This is known as your team’s ‘split’.
www.learndebating.com CASE PREPARATION (PART 2)
The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation
Every speaker must argue the case directly. Example Suppose a team is arguing for sanctions against China. . . 1st: ‘China has a bad human rights record.’ 2nd: ‘Sanctions are an effective response.’ This is poor team strategy (a ‘hung case’): the first speaker did not directly support the case!
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The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation
Common splits include: society / individual; international / domestic; military / political; some combination of social, political and economic; short-term / long-term. If you use a common split, you should try to tailor the split to your particular motion.
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The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation
Remember: the split involves dividing arguments, not merely dividing examples. It is poor strategy simply to divide different types of examples. This is known as a ‘content split’.
www.learndebating.com CASE PREPARATION (PART 2)
The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation
1
The ‘big picture’
2
The issue and definition
3
The case approach
4
The arguments
5
The split
6
Writing speeches
7
Teamwork in preparation
www.learndebating.com CASE PREPARATION (PART 2)
The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation
Old speechwriters’ adage
www.learndebating.com CASE PREPARATION (PART 2)
The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation Speaker roles
The First Proposition speaker has two main duties:
1
Introduce his or her team’s case; and
2
Present the first two team arguments.
www.learndebating.com CASE PREPARATION (PART 2)
The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation Speaker roles
These two duties can be covered by following structure:
1
A formal introduction;
2
The definition, and any other definitional clarifications;
3
The affirmative team’s case approach;
4
The split;
5
An outline of argument;
6
The arguments;
7
A summary of arguments; and
8
A conclusion.
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The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation Speaker roles
The First Opposition speaker has two main duties:
1
Rebut the First Proposition;
2
Introduce his or her team’s case; and
3
Present the first two team arguments.
www.learndebating.com CASE PREPARATION (PART 2)
The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation Speaker roles
These three duties can be covered by following structure:
1
A brief introduction;
2
Rebuttal;
3
The opposing team’s case approach;
4
The split;
5
An outline of argument;
6
The arguments;
7
A summary of arguments; and
8
A conclusion.
www.learndebating.com CASE PREPARATION (PART 2)
The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation Speaker roles
The First Opposition must also respond to the Proposition’s definition. He or she must do so either by agreeing or disagreeing with the definition set out by the First Proposition. Agreeing with the definition only requires one, very brief sentence, usually at the end of the team case approach. Disagreeing with the definition is a more complicated task, dealt with early in rebuttal. We will discuss definitional challenges in more detail later.
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The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation Speaker roles
Both Second Speakers have very similar roles:
1
Rebut their opponents’ arguments; and
2
Continue their respective team’s case.
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The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation Speaker roles
These duties can be covered by following structure:
1
A brief introduction;
2
Rebuttal;
3
A brief link to the team’s case approach;
4
An outline of argument;
5
The arguments;
6
A summary of arguments; and
7
A conclusion.
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The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation Speaker roles
Third Speakers spend almost their entire speeches rebutting, usually with a short team summary before they conclude. We will discuss this in more detail later.
www.learndebating.com CASE PREPARATION (PART 2)
The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation Speaker roles
Let’s now consider some of these duties in more detail: Signposting; Formal introductions; Brief introductions; Setting up a team approach; Brief links to a team case; Outlines and summaries; Conclusions; Timing.
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The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation Speaker roles
In debating, a ‘signpost’ is a label that tells the audience where you are in your speech. Signposts need not be complicated, but they must be clear — for example, “My first argument this evening
Only signpost major elements of your speech. For example, signposting arguments is very important but signposting the example of an argument might be excessive. REMEMBER: A speech without clear signposts will likely be very difficult for audiences to follow!
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The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation Speaker roles
A formal introduction is required only of the First Proposition speaker. It is intended to ‘introduce’ the audience to the debate as a whole. The goal is to provide a conversational and ‘big picture’ introduction to the debate. A good formal introduction is important in order to allow your team an opportunity to charactise key issues from your point of view.
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The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation Speaker roles
Except for the First Proposition, speakers are required only to give a brief introduction. A brief introduction only acknowledges the chair of the debate and the audience — for example, you could say, Good evening Madame Chair, ladies and gentlemen... and then dive straight into rebuttal. A brief introduction allows the speaker to start rebuttal quickly — when the audience and adjudicator most want to hear it!
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The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation Speaker roles
Both first speakers must build their team’s case for the audience before moving on to their arguments. This means presenting: issue; definition; case approach; and split. The order presented here is often appropriate, but there is no set sequence — use whatever best explains your team case.
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The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation Speaker roles
Both second speakers should show the audience how their arguments fit together with the overall team case. This usually means: stating your team’s theme; and briefly recounting the first speaker’s arguments; before
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The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation Speaker roles
The outline and summary are like a roadmap — they show listeners the overall plan of arguments. The outline and summary are both very simple, and practically identical. Simply listing the arguments that will be or have been presented is sufficient! Importantly, the outline and summary only ever refer to arguments — not, for example, rebuttal or other parts of your team members’ speeches.
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The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation Speaker roles
People are not robots! No matter how hard they have listened to your arguments, your audience may be swayed by an effective appeal to emotion or ‘punchy’ summary. Practice your conclusion in advance — a good conclusion is likely to help your style mark!
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The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation Speaker roles
‘Internal timing’ refers to the allocation of time within your speech. There are no strict rules about internal timing — usually, good timing depends on the context and importance of content. However, in general, you should spend: 30 seconds on the conclusion; and A few minutes on rebuttal. Generally each speaker will spend more time rebutting than the previous speaker.
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The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation Speaker roles
‘External timing’ refers to the length of your speech. Use all your time and not much more! Speeches that are too short rob a speaker of the
Speeches that are too long will incur a penalty, usually accruing after 30 seconds past the final bell.
www.learndebating.com CASE PREPARATION (PART 2)
The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation
1
The ‘big picture’
2
The issue and definition
3
The case approach
4
The arguments
5
The split
6
Writing speeches
7
Teamwork in preparation
www.learndebating.com CASE PREPARATION (PART 2)
The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation
We have the ingredients, but what about the recipe? Here is a suggested method of how to approach the formation
1
brainstorming,
2
feeding back,
3
case development,
4
writing speeches and
5
final discussions.
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The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation
Brainstorming in debating is not just about writing down anything and everything that comes to mind! Brainstorming in debating means individual case preparation. The aim is for each speaker to prepare an entire case. This method of approach encourages input from everyone.
www.learndebating.com CASE PREPARATION (PART 2)
The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation
This step involves brief sharing of each team member’s
entire case with each other, in turn. To save time, don’t repeat anything already mentioned by other
during this phase; interruptions are inefficient at this stage. Always write down your teammates’ preparation!
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The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation
Case development is all about building the case. Occasionally, this merely involves selecting the “best” elements from the brainstorming. . . . . . but usually it is much better to use the brainstorming as foundations to build a new team case. Use your time wisely to maximise the work done as a team.
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The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation
Speakers can now leave the group to prepare their individual speeches. It can be tempting to start preparing individual speeches before the case development is done (for example, by writing the team definition onto palm cards before the team has decided its case line). But this generally disrupts the flow of preparation — always wait for the case development to finish before preparing individual speeches!
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The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation
After individual speeches have been prepared, your team should have time for some final discussions. These final discussions usually involve: First and second speakers briefly summarising their speeches, to ensure everybody understands subtleties to the case; Team discussion of potential opposition arguments and subsequent rebuttal; Team discussion of opposition rebuttal to your own case; Team discussion to identify key strategic ‘goals’ in the debate (for example, “Let’s make sure that we keep emphasising issue [x]”.)
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The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation
Inevitably, there will need to be elements of compromise in all preparations. Compromise does not mean merely including ‘a bit of each team member’s approach’! For example, if different team members have very different suggestions, the best approach may be to choose just one of the two approaches.
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The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation
Many debating competitions feature “short-preparation” debates: debates where preparation time is restricted. (Usually, the time provided is one hour.) The most important thing to remember for such debates is that nothing really changes: the same preparation techniques should apply.
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The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation
The following is the most common method — and usually the most successful — for dividing time for a one-hour preparation: 0 – 10 minutes BRAINSTORMING 10 – 15 minutes FEEDING BACK 15 – 35 minutes CASE DEVELOPMENT 35 – 50 minutes INDIVIDUAL SPEECH PREPARATION 50 – 60 minutes FINAL DISCUSSIONS
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The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation
The previous slide outlines the ideal short-preparation. For a team to become this efficient usually takes a lot of practice. Usually, only experienced teams can consistently work inside
teams should strive.
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The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation
Remember: an hour can be a long time; as a team, you should focus on being efficient, rather than on rushing. The biggest waste of time is having to re-do parts of the prep: Be sure that your case fundamentals are correct before proceeding!
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The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation
Because of the time constraints, it usually pays to appoint a leader for short-preparation debates. This person can help make the preparation more efficient by: Watching the clock and appropriately setting the speed of progress; and Clarifying team ideas and leading discussion on how to resolve differences.
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The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation
Sometimes, during the first proposition’s speech, the
again! The most common reason for this is that the Proposition presents a definition that is unexpected but reasonable, under the ‘exclusive right of definition’ rule.
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The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation
Clearly, it is very tempting simply to avoid abandoning your case in any circumstances. However, this approach is strategically weak if the proposition’s definition and case approach are reasonable. If the proposition presents a reasonable definition, it is strategically wiser to argue against the Proposition’s case — even if this means abandoning the prepared case at short notice! This is usually a decision for the team leader.
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The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation
If you must abandon your case, the following must be done first:
1
Your new case approach;
2
Your new split; and
3
Your first speaker’s arguments. The team should then listen carefully to the case as outlined by the first speaker as they will need to stick to it! Thankfully, these debates arise very rarely. But you should always be wary of their potential, especially if competitions use the ‘exclusive right of definition rule’.
www.learndebating.com CASE PREPARATION (PART 2)
The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation
1
The ‘big picture’
2
The issue and definition
3
The case approach
4
The arguments
5
The split
6
Writing speeches
7
Teamwork in preparation
www.learndebating.com CASE PREPARATION (PART 2)
The arguments The split Writing speeches Teamwork in preparation
Simon Quinn
“Most debates are won and lost in the preparation room.”
Slides by Andrew Quinn and Simon Quinn. Artwork by Armand Homsi for the Arabic translation, ‘The Complete Guide to the Art of Debate’, published by QatarDebate.
www.learndebating.com CASE PREPARATION (PART 2)