Getting Started

Debating is hard and often intimidating. Most novice debates are just concerned about getting the format correct, let alone speaking! When I first started college debate, I was so nervous I would forget the speaking order, that I forgot what the content of my speech was! Please use this guide and the attached references to squash that fear! The following guide is to give you a background on British Parliamentary Debate :) good luck!

Basic Rules and Structure:

British Parliamentary Debate, sometimes called Worlds Debate, can seem confusing, but I promise it gets easier with practice.

There are four teams in each room. Each team is composed of two members. There are four positions in each round. Opening Government, Opening Opposition, Closing Government, and Closing Opposition. Each speaker gives one seven minute speech.  The speaking order and the positions are shown in the picture below.

Speeches and POI's: 

All speeches are seven minutes. Members from the opposite bench from the speaker can ask questions, called Points of Information in BP. (The Opening Government and Closing Government are a bench and they may ask questions to the Opposition teams.) The first and last minute of each speech is protected, meaning that members can not ask questions during that time. The Chair, the judge, will give verbal signals when the first minute has ended and when the last minute has begun.When the speaker has accepted a question they secede the floor for 15 seconds. This means the person asking the question has no more than 15 seconds to make their point. Each team should answer between 3 and 5 questions. (For example, the Prime Minister might take two questions and the Deputy Prime Minister might take one question.) Members should stand up when they would like to ask a question. Accepting more than one or two points is not advisable because to do so may have the effect of disrupting the speech. To refuse a point of information, the debater may say something like “No thank you” or “not at this time,” or may simply use a hand gesture to indicate the person should take return to their seat.

Scoring:

The head judge is called the Chair. They are assisted in the their decision by Wing Judges. After the last speaker gives their presentation. The Chair will ask all teams to leave the room. Then, the Chair and the Wings will decide the points and the rankings for each team. Teams are ranked 1-4, 1 is the best and 4 is the worst. Teams can be ranked regardless of side. (Opening Government could get the 1, Closing Opposition could get the 2, Closing Government could get the 3, and Opening Opposition could get the 4.) The 1 is worth 3 points, 2 is worth 2 points, 3 is worth 1 point, and the 4 is worth 0 points. You want as many points as you can get. The judges, also, give individual speaker scores to everyone in the round.

Now that we understand the basic structure of BP, lets go over the positions. Sam will teach you how to Whip and PM. Don't worry you'll get the hang of the jargon soon!

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