last updated:
26th Oct 07

This week’s motion!

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Speakers’ Corner Cologne says:

THERULESOFTHEGAME:

Preparation time is short

• You have only 15 minutes to tackle the motion, structure your speech and take your seat in "Parliament". To make preparation easier, you are given your role in advance, i.e. you already know which point of view you are going to present in the debate.
• In a model BPS debate there are eight speakers forming two teams of four people: Government and Opposition. Each side is then subdivided into two teams of two people - so that each smaller team forms either the opening or the closing faction of the Government or the Opposition. During preparation time the opening and closing parties of each faction work together. Within their team, each speaker has an individual role to play, ranging from Prime Minister to Opposition Whip. Here's a detailed survey of the roles you might have to represent:

Prime Minister (PM) - Opening Government

As the first speaker of the debate, the Prime Minister's role is decisive: he/she is supposed to define the motion and to present the Government's programm according to the definition just given. During preparation, the Prime Minister and his/her deputy have to ask themselves how to tackle the issue they are going to present and which arguments might be useful to strengthen their case. For a motion such as "This house would exclude Russia from all future G8 summits", some of the questions asked during preparation might be:

• Who are we representing? The E.U.? The U.S.A.? Germany?
• Why is Russia a problem?
• Why G8 summits?
• What alternative plan do we have for Russia?
• Is there another committee into which Russia can be included?
• What are the consequences of our plan (positive/negative)?
• What would be the negative consequences if it was not?
• What kinds of argument do support our plan? Economic? Military? Social? Political?, etc.

As a PM you are supposed to answer these questions in your speech and to flesh out your case by developing about 2-4 arguments in its favour. Being the opening speaker of the debate, you should introduce the Government's point of view with some enthusiasm and energy - after all, you are the Prime Minister, and a powerful introduction makes it easier to set the debate in motion. It might also be a good idea to hint at the points the Deputy PM is going to make. This, however, is not obligatory and should always be arranged with the DPM during preparation. Note that it always helps to develop a coherent line of argumentation. A good start into the debate by the Opening Government makes it easier for the other speakers to follow suit and construct a successful debate as a whole.

Opposition Leader (OL) - Opening Opposition

Generally speaking, the role of the Opposition Leader is not entirely different from that of the PM. As the Opposition Leader you stick to the definition of the motion put forward by the PM - unless the definition proposed by the PM is completely irrelevant or "not debatable". Note that only totally nonsensical definitions can be dismissed by Opposition Leaders at their own risk. If you wish to redefine the motion you have to express your wish very clearly and give plausible reasons for your decision. At the end of the debate, the jurors will decide if your rebuttal was justified and distribute points according to their decision. After accepting the definition presented by the PM the OL has to rebut the arguments of the PM , present a plan opposing that of the Government and develop a case with roughly 2-4 supporting arguments. As the first opposition speaker you might want to maintain the status quo (i.e. the current state of affairs before the government proposed a change) or accept the overall problem stated by the PM, but propose a very different solution.

In our debate about Russia and the G8 summit proposals of the OL could be:
The problem you just proposed does not exist - on the contrary, Russia is an important
partner within the G8 community - let's leave it as it is, because... you're right, Russia IS becoming too powerful, but you're beginning at the wrong end - we shouldn't ban Russia completely, we should only limit its (e.g. economic) influence because... we don't see the problem you've just presented - Russia doesn't have enough power, we should even extend Russia's (e.g. economic) influence within the G8 community, because...

The main difficulty for OLs, however, is not the topic itself, but the short time they have to formulate a reaction to the PM's presentation. Therefore, as an Opposition Leader, you should use the 15 minutes of preparation to think about possible Government definitions and how you could react to them. Some of the questions you could ask yourself are:

• What kinds of definition could the Opening Government use?
• From whose point of view could the Government argue?
• From whose point of view will we have to argue then?
• What are the most important counter-arguments?
• Are we choosing a hardliner position or a moderate one?

As an OL, you are allowed to discuss your point of attack with your Deputy Opposition Leader (DOL) during the PM's speech (but in a low voice, please!).

Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) - Opening Government

Being the second speaker of the government is a relatively easy job. Apart from working out a definition of the motion with the PM during preparation, the most important tasks the DPM has to fulfil are rebutting the arguments presented by the OL and supporting the PM's plan with 2-4 further arguments. If the PM has already indicated what his/her Deputy is going to say, the Deputy has to do so. If you do not stick to the PM's line of argumentation you might weaken your own side by leaving out important points.

Deputy Opposition Leader (DOL) - Opening Opposition

Basically, the DOL has to do the same things the DPM has to do - only for the Opposition side. As a Deputy Opposition Leader you are supposed to rebut the arguments proposed by the Government's side and bring in further supporting arguments for the plan of the Opposition.

3rd Speaker of the Government (Member of the Government; MG)

Apart from rebutting the arguments of the DOL , the the 3rd speaker of the Government has the additional task of introducing an extension to the Government's program. Introducing an extension, however, does not simply mean to support of the PM's proposal with additional arguments, but to introduce a new "plan within the plan". If, for instance, the Opening Government advocated the exclusion of Russia from all future G8 summits, a valid extension of their plan could be Russia's gradual exclusion from all important political meetings. To add substance to your extension, back it up with a couple of relevant arguments. Note: the extension must NEVER turn against the arguments of the Opening Government! This unfair tactic is called backstabbing and leads to a serious loss of points and reputation in the debate. The Closing Government should carefully consider if their extension is relevant and remodel it during the debate if the Opening Government's definition of the motion asks for it.

3rd Speaker of the Opposition (Member of the Opposition; MO)

Same rules and tasks as above. In a possible extension, the Opposition side could, for example, argue that Russia's economic development should be subsidized even further, i.e. if the Opening Opposition was in favour of military support.

Government Whip (GW) - Closing Government

In keeping with the name "whip", the last speaker of the Government party has to put as much energy into the speech as possible. It is the Whip's role to "tear apart" the opposing arguments in an energetic way and to "whip" the strong arguments of the Government into the audience's minds - after all, the Whip wants to win as many people for the Government's side as possible. The Whip does not have to introduce any new arguments - generally, they do more damage than good to a Whip's speech; according to the rules of some debating styles new arguments are not permitted at all. It is always advisable for the Whip to take notes during the speeches of both Government and Opposition speakers. Refering back - verbatim, if possible - to what the preceding speakers have stated, adds to your debate. You might want to tackle each opposing speaker in turn or sum up the Opposition's argument's in one block.

Opposition Whip (OW) - Closing Opposition

There are not many new things to be said about the role of the Opposition Whip - it strongly resembles that of the Government Whip. Yet there is one advantage the OW has: (s)he has the last word in the debate and can sum it up as a whole, i.e. make use of all arguments, even those of the GW.

Duration of a Speech & Points of Information

In BPS each speaker has seven minutes to present their case from the moment the president gives them the floor. Generally, the speech shouldn't be shorter than 6:45 and no longer than 7:15. By 7:30 you should be back in your seat, by 8:00 you are dead - well, not literally, but most/ all your points will be gone.

• During a speech three signals are used to indicate time:
• One single knock (or ring) is given after the first minute of the debate, indicating that from now on Points of Information can offered to the speaker by the opposing party.
• The second single knock (or ring) is given after the sixth minute, signalling that in the last minute of the speech no POIs can be offered anymore.
• The double knock (or ring) indicates the end of "speaking time"; the speaker is supposed to finish his/her speech and sit down as quickly as possible.

Points of information

Short interjections, questions or critical remarks which should be no longer than 15 seconds. They can be offered, more or less spontaneously, by every speaker of the opposing party. With their short, often snappy character POIs can be quite unsettling, especially if you are debating for the first time. On the other hand, POIs also allow the speakers to directly reject a criticism and thus prove their quick wit and humour. In theory, you can accept or refuse as many POIs as you want. We recommend, however, to accept no more than 2-3 points during your 7-minute speech. Consider that answering POIs takes up useful time and that taking too many points might unsettle the balance of your speech. Taking less than two points however, is not advisable. Note that by taking a point from the opposing party you indicate that you are prepared to defend your case and know the value of your arguments. All other POIs can be refused, no speaker should feel forced to take all POIs the opposing party offers.

There are different ways to offer POIs. In BPS the member of the opposing party stands up with their right hand on the back of their head (to hold an imaginary parliamentary "wig") and the left hand stretched out in front of them, sometimes also pointing in the direction of the speaker. Standing up, the member offering the POI says something like

• Point of Information, please!"
• "On this point, Sir/Madam!"
• "On Russia (only if the topic is Russia, of course!!!), Madam/Sir!"

When a POI is accepted by the speaker you are allowed to give a short statement, make a remark, etc. and sit down immediately after that. Discussions with the speaker are not allowed!!! The member offering the point should sit down at once if a point is refused by the speaker. To refuse a POI, be polite but firm (some participants can be real pests and aggressive) and say something like "No, thank you, not now!", "Sorry, not now", or even "Not now, you've had your chance earlier!" (if the participant offers a second POI). In a good debate, POIs are woven into the pattern of each speech and can be used by the speakers to strengthen their position even though they were not offered with this intention. The floor debate

If there is some time left after the Parliamentary Debate, it can be followed up by a floor debate in which members of the audience can present a short speech to voice their opinion. The President chooses members of the audience advocating the Government's and Opposition's case in turn. The floor debate is over when the President decides to let it come to an end. After that he nominates one speaker from each side to sum up the whole debate. When these speakers are finished the audience has the opportunity to vote in favour of one or the other side. General hints

General hints

• NO PERSONAL INSULTS & DISCRIMINATIONS! - No matter how heated, ironical or even "vicious" a debate becomes - you are NOT PERMITTED to insult people because of their nationality, colour of skin, gender, appearance etc. A debate is based on the foundation of fairness; i.e. attacks should always refer to the speakers arguments or the role presented, not to the person behind the role.
• INTRODUCTION - Each speech should begin with a greeting formula towards the other speakers, the audience, the judges and the president: "Dear president, dear fellow speakers, dear audience and adjudicators..."
• ROLE - Each speaker has a role to fulfil and should act according to it, including body language, eye-contact with the other speakers and the audience, mimic expression, etc. This, however should not lead to self-conscious conduct, just try to think how you would present your program as the Prime Minister, Whip, etc.
• LANGUAGE - Try and speak loud enough (always according to the size of the room in which the debate takes place), using clear and vivid intonation. It is often useful to introduce short catchphrases that can be taken up by other speakers in the debate.
• DRESS - As long your clothes are clean and presentable it is not important what you wear during a debate- not even in finals of international tournaments. The only exception is an explicit remark on the invitation, e.g. "Black Tie - Debate".
• HUMOUR - Humour is a tricky business. Don't try to be witty if you don't feel happy with it. It is never advisable copy the wit of other speakers and very few people can present jokes in funny way when they are excited. The funniest situations in a debate are not planned - they simply happen.
• FUN & SOCIAL ASPECT - Debating is not only a serious preparation for professional public speaking, it is also fun. We've made it a rule to chill out in a Pub after a successful debate!

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