Worlds University Debate Format

This is the most popular debate format at universities at the world and probably also the format which is debated by the majority of people.

There are 4 teams debating in this format, each team has 2 debaters. Two teams are proposing the motion, two teams are opposing the motion. Teams are competing against each other,however, the second teams on each side need to support the case of the first teams.

Speaker roles

Speaker roles are important because usually enable us to have better debates with a higher standard of argumentation. Please remember, however, that debating and British Parliamentary debating is judged holistically, considering the whole debate and issues and not focusing too much on the technicalities. This means that whilst role fulfilment is important, it is not always enough. After you have learnt what to expect from and provide in each position you can begin to focus on the more complex nuances of argumentation and persuasion in search of that ever elusive perfect speech.

Prime Minister (PM)

The speech should begin by providing an adequate definition about what the debate will be about. This will involve defining or clarifying potentially contentious words in the motion, setting out a plan or likely plan if the motion necessitates some kind of action, or determining what criteria the debate ought to be judged upon. When defining the motion, the speaker should ideally make the debate specific enough so that all other teams have a very clear idea what they are proposing, but shouldn’t try and unfairly limit the debate.

Unless otherwise stated in the motion, teams shouldn’t set the motion in a specific time or place but a strong focus on areas that are most affected by that particular motion is advisable. If the debate requires the team to advocate for an action to be taken, the PM should explain the likely consequences that action would have. For example on the motion THW impose a tax on sugary drinks, the Prime Minister should explain that the consequence of a tax would be a rise prices that would most likely lead to less people buying these drinks.

The speaker should then outline the most important arguments for their side.

Leader of the Opposition (LO)

If the debate has been defined in an odd way, the Leader of the Opposition should point this out in the beginning of their speech and explain briefly why that definition is unfair. For example if the motion says that all states have the right to nuclear weapons, a government team defining this as ‘all states that currently have nuclear weapons’ would be odd as it would reverse the burdens of proof in the debate. In the majority of cases there will be no need to do this as the teams will agree on the framing of the debate.

If the motion requires an action, the LO deals with the plan proposed by the government. There are a number of ways to do so. The speaker may want to question the feasibility of the plan as set out by the government but this should not be the central focus of the whole speech

For example if a government team proposes to use the UN to impose sanctions on Russia the LO should point out that this is impossible due to Russia’s veto power in the Security Council. This is a relevant point because of the impact that this has on other arguments.

On the other hand explaining how expensive a plan would be is less important in a debate because the crux should be whether an plan of action is good or not. If the government were to succeed in proving that something was important and beneficial, then in the majority of cases, debating presumes that other spending would be able to be reorganised to reflect that.

The speaker should then rebut the arguments presented by the PM. After this, the speaker should move on to outline the most important arguments for their side.

Deputy Prime Minister (DPM)

The speaker should re-establish the arguments of the PM by focusing on the rebuttal of the LO. They may also give new explanations or examples to strengthen the argument. The DPM should then rebut the arguments made by the LO and then present additional arguments in favour of the motion.

Deputy Leader of the Opposition (DLO)

The DLO performs much the same function as the DPM does for the proposition. The speaker should re-establish the arguments of the LO by addressing the rebuttal of the DPM. They should then present more arguments for the opposition.

Member of government (MG)

The member of government should refute the arguments of the opening opposition team, particularly focusing on the arguments presented by the DLO. They also need to present an extension, which is some sort of meaningful new contribution to the debate. This can either be done by providing a lot more clarity and a better explanation of one of the arguments presented by the opening government team, or it could be a new argument. In either case, the speaker’s contribution must be a significant contribution to the understanding of an issue. For example giving a number of additional examples about one of opening government’s arguments might count as new material but won’t, in the majority of cases, be a sufficient extension because it only proves that the opening team were right and doesn’t add to or change our understanding of the topic.

Member of Opposition (MO)

The role of the MO is similar to that of the MG. They must refute the Opening Government team with a particular focus on the extension material of the MG.

Government whip (GW)

The last government speaker is the only person who has the chance to properly respond to the opposition extension, so they should make sure that they rebut it thoroughly. The speaker should also provide an overview of the debate in which they can also deal with any remaining points or arguments that the opposition are still winning. The speaker should summarise the debate, explaining why Government won but emphasising the contribution of their partner (the MG) was the most important material in the debate. Whip speeches are often structured by listing the points of clash between the point of view of the Government and Opposition. These are ideas about which the Government and Opposition bench have different views (for example in a debate about parents being able to monitor their children’s electronic devices; the nature of privacy will most likely be a point of clash).

Opposition whip (OW)

The OW has to defend the Opposition extension by focusing on the flaws in the government whip’s rebuttal. They too then have to summarise the debate from the point of view of their side whilst emphasising the importance of the MO’s extension in winning the debate. You can do by saying that your partner had the most important argument about a particular topic, the clearest explanation of an important concept or that they clarified the debate in such a way that allows your side to win. Remember that although the opening team might be on the same side of an issue as the closing team in a debate, they are still the competition so giving them too much credit in a whip speech can harm your success.

Point of Information (POI)

A point of information is brief question or comment that is linked to an issue in the debate. POI’s are offered by one of the speakers of the opposing team during a speech. They can only be offered after the first minute and before the last minute of a speech. Speakers will be made aware of these points by the timekeeper or chairperson who will clap, ring a bell or make some other clear noise at the appropriate times. A speaker offers a POIs by standing up and making the person in the middle of the speech aware that a POI is being offered with a short interjection of ‘Sir’, ‘Madam’, or ‘Point of Information’. Speakers are not allowed to preface the topic of the question or comment in the interjection. For example saying: “On charity, Madam,” would be seen as unfair because the speaker has already told us what the comment will be about before having been allowed to speak.

The speaker who is holding the floor can choose to accept or reject the POI. If accepted the person offering the POI has between 15-20 seconds to state it and then sit back down. If a speaker accepts a POI they have to answer it during their speech. Speakers should take 1-2 POIs during their speech.

There are a lot of tactical uses of POIs. They are used to aid and judge the interaction between teams on the long diagonal (Opening Government and Opening Opposition) who otherwise have a harder job directly responding to each other’s materials. They also help opening teams remain engaged in the debate after they have finished their main speeches.

Prepared by Anna England Kerr