Acknowledgments: English-Speaking Union, Chiew N Pang

Example of how a debate should be conducted

Chairperson calls the room to order (makes sure everyone is seated and is quiet).

He stands and says CLEARLY:

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen and welcome to today's debate. The motion for

today’s debate is "........". On my right, for the proposition team, we have (names of

the speakers) and on my left, for the opposition team we have (names of the

speakers). Our judges for today are (judges’ names)." Pause after each name, so that

they have time to acknowledge. It must be assumed that they are not known to the

audience. He may indicate (by an open palm) the judge in question as their name is

being mentioned.

“The speaking times will be (x minutes per speaker – if they are all the same or x

minutes for the 1st speaker, y minutes for the 2nd, etc).” The chair should also mention

that if the speaking time is exceeded, he will shout, “Time!” (The watch is not stopped

until the speaker stops speaking).

"I would now like to call upon the first speaker of the proposition (speaker's name) to

open the debate."

To vary, he can say, “It is now my pleasure to introduce the 2nd speaker ...

He sits.

The 1st speaker stands up (I think it looks better) and says, ‘Mr Chairman (or Madame Chair), judges, ladies and gentlemen, today’s motion is ...’

All the speakers should acknowledge the chair, the judges and the audience, and at the end of their speech they must have some means of showing that they have come to the end of their speech even it if it’s a mere ‘thank you!’

Remember the order of the speakers:

1st proposition � 1st opposition

2nd proposition � 2nd opposition

Opposition summary � Proposition summary

Acknowledgments: English-Speaking Union, Chiew N Pang

At the end of each speech, the chair should wait for some kind of acknowledgement from the judges (e.g., a nod) before introducing the following speaker. The judges may need some time to write their notes.

This process should continue throughout the debate.

When all the speakers have spoken, the chair announces, “The judges will now retire to consider the verdict.” The judges leave the room.

The chair invites a vote: “We will not take a vote on the motion. Those who are in favour, please raise your hands. Those who are against...

Comments are now invited from the floor.”

The judges return, give some general feedback, and announce the winners.

The chair thanks the judges, the speakers and the audience!

BEFORE the debate starts, the flowcharts should be filled with all relevant information such as the names of the speakers and the motion.

The judges get their Judging Notes Sheet.

The chair gets the Chairperson’s Flowchart and the Timekeeper’s Flowchart.

At the end of each speaker’s turn, he writes down the time they used in the relevant box. He DOESN’T shout the time to the judges!

In terms of organization, a debate is not complicated, so everything ought to be done with a sense of efficiency and professionalism. A debate is a formal event, so the appropriate register has to be used. It is not right to say, e.g. “OK, Christina, it’s your turn to speak!” I would even go as far as saying that participants should be addressed as Mr. and Miss: “The judges are Miss so-and-so, Mr. ...” “My learned friend, Mr. Alfred Rodríguez mentioned that ...”

I can’t stress often enough: don’t rush! Speak loudly, clearly, and vary your

pace. This refers not only to the speakers, but also to the chair and the judges. Again, I repeat: the teams should prepare both sides of the argument so that they know what to expect from the opposing team, and have some arguments and statistics they can use for rebutting.