LNSS Debate Future Squad

Debate
Justifying Anything
What’s a Debate?
A debate is basically a formal
discussion between two opposing
parties. At the start of each round a
motion/topic will be given. 1 team
will brainstorm ideas to support the
motion and the other will deny the
motion.
 Asian Parliamentary
Asian Parliamentary consists of 6 people, 3
on each team!
The 2 teams are divided into GOV or OPP:

Here are the speaker roles for GOV team:

1. PM
2. DPM
3. Whip
- Reply speaker (Can be speaker 1 or 2)

Here are the speaker roles for OPP team:

1. LO
2. DLO
3. Whip
- Reply speaker (Can be speaker 1 or 2)

There’s also British Parliamentary but that’s a topic for another day.
 Important Terms Used in Debate

Rebuttal Motion POI

Criticism in the form of The topic of the debate. Short form for “Point of
evidence or logical Eg. THW will ban smoking Information”.
reasoning in response THW stands for This House You say this when you
to something you Will. want to ask a question
don’t agree with. to the opposing team.
 WHEN CAN I ASK A POI? Speaker Order
Any of the speeches except for reply.

POI can only be asked between the 1st

and 6th minute.

The time keeper will clap once to indicate

the 1st / 6th minute.

Clap twice to indicate 7 minute mark.

 PM > LO
Here are the speaker roles for
GOV team:
1. PM
2. DPM
3. Whip DPM > DLO
- Reply speaker

Here are the speaker roles for

govWHIP > oppWHIP
oppREPLY > govREPLY
OPP team:
1. LO
2. DLO
3. Whip
- Reply speaker Speaking Times:

# All 7 mins max except for reply speeches.

# Reply speeches 4 mins max.
A debate round usually lasts about an hour
 PM (gov)
PRIME MINISTER

Stance
- State your team’s goal/moral stance
- For eg. Our goal is to provide a healthier method of stress relief instead of smoking
- Or: Torturing suspects for information cannot be morally justified by any means

Setup
- Provide a parameter (location) for the debate. Important to see what status quo will be like -
dierent in all countries.
- Characterisation: What are the factors in the “system” and how are they likely to respond?
- Stakeholders (people aected): 1st hand smokers, 3rd hand smokers, government/economy.
- Mechanism: How will you achieve your goal

Arguments
- Give 1 or 2 main points and elaborate.
- Use the 5W’s and Hs - ask why would sth be likely to happen, why is it important
- Like BM huraian
 LO (opp)
OPPOSITION LEADER

Provide.
- Provide your team’s stance on the maer.
- State your stakeholders and goal for each of them.
- Eg. 3rd hand smokers.
- Beer air quality in public spaces.

Rebut.
- Rebut your opponent’s points.
- They say smoking bad for health, you say mental health is also important.
- State your reason why mental > physical health for eg. - but also, can just prove why mental =
physical health
 DPM (gov) / DLO (opp)
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER/DEPUTY OPPOSITION LEADER

01
- Continue to defend your definition (if required)

02
- Provide rebuals towards the opponent.

03
- Strengthen points stated by your first speaker.

04
- Provide new arguments to support your case,

(Emphasis should be on new materials presented rather than responses; 2-3 mins of responding and 3-4
mins to giving new materials.)
 Whip (gov/opp)
WHIP

1. Summarize your team’s case.

a. Make use of signposting (number the points your team mentioned)
b. Prove why your case makes more sense that opp team
c. Rebut anything left to rebut - group into thematic rebuals
d. Compare based on potential outcome (long term or short term)

2. Provide clashes.
a. For eg. Physical health vs Mental health OR
b. Which method of stress relief is more cost-eective?
 Reply (gov/opp)
REPLY (4 MINS MAX) + NO POI’s

1. Convince the adj why your team won.

2. Create a story about what life would look like if your case became reality.
3. A biased adjudication towards your side - point out the key issues with the other team
4. NO POIs
 Motion Types
● In debate motions, TH means This House:
○ THW:This House would/will
○ THR means This House Regrets. (THR the glorification of 'benevolent'
dictators (e.g Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore, Josip Broz Tito, and Atatürk)
○ THBT: This House Believes That
○ THP: This House Prefers
○ THO: This House Opposes
● This House would mean the most likely actor (Don’t pick anyone random)

Actor: Participant in an action/process

● Actor motions are motions which need you to debate in the interests of an individual or
an organisation. For example THBT as a government oicial, accepting bribes is a good way
to increase income.
● Retrospective Motions: debating the value of sth that has already happened:
○ THR the narrative that hard work will lead to financial success.
 Answering POIs
● POIS ARE SCARY but try your best to answer them
● You can decline a POI but try to answer 1-2 in a speech
● Decline a POI by saying “No, thank you” Or just “NO!” Accept the POI by saying “Accepted,” “Yes,
please,” or “Go ahead.”
● If you accept a POI you must answer it
● Keep your response within the scope of your original argument.
● Question the credibility of the POI’s facts.
● Remain confident even if you don’t know how to respond to a POI.

If you don’t know how there is always “That argument will be explained in by next speaker’s speech
later on. Thank you.” 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
 The Essence of Debate
● Think FAST
○ Be able to see what the opposition will run right from the get-go
○ Think on your feet

● Analyse
○ There is always one layer deeper to go.
○ Never assume people will make the intuitive jump

● Perspective
○ Be open to any and all types of arguments
○ Even if the motion is against your beliefs, you must argue it
HOW DO I DEBATE????
THE SPEAKER ROLES
(With knowledge, confidence and eloquence)
STARTING WITH A
BANG!!
You should have a bombastic opening line

From the WUDC 2016 Final:

“Madame Chair, the global poor all around the world, and no maer what country in
which they live, currently live in a system of dictatorship. They live under a dictatorship
known as no alternatives, shackled by capital that’s been unjustly acquired, constrained
by landed gentry that have no incentives but to pursue their own interests, and chained
by the fact that they can’t do anything but to look at the question of their own
subsistence. They’re unable to reach out for the right to liberty and to self-determination
that we think inheres in the human condition.”

THBT the world’s poor would be justified in pursuing complete Marxist Revolution.
A strong building must
have good structure….
1st speaker- case setup
 Definitions
1. Explaining key words in the motion / other aspects of the debate that will be involved

2. For example, in THW ban smoking, define smoking as “the use of cigarees that contain tar and
tobacco”
3. Definitions do not just extend to explaining the word.
a. Explain the harmful eects of smoking on health
b. Explain what is has done to status quo - a national reduce in productivity
c. Explain why people smoke
4. Also known as characterisation / framing
 Status quo
1. Status quo is a Latin phrase meaning “the existing state of aairs”, particularly with regard to social,
political, religious, scientific or military issues. In the sociological sense, the status quo refers to the
current state of social structure or values.
2. In debate it could mean:
a. What does society think right now (regarding prisoners, taxes, certain social movements)
b. Current problems (Ukraine)
3. In debate, general knowledge is very important and knowing recent developments is very important
4. For example, a point you can make is: “In status quo this problem does not exist, so why is opp trying
to fix a nonexistent problem?”
 Parameter
1. Set where you want the motion to be taken place (In the case gov and opp does not agree with the
parameter, you should argue in both worlds while explaining why their parameter is worse than
yours.)

2. For example, in THW enact stricter gun laws, a suitable parameter would be “The USA”.
a. Explain why this is your parameter by giving a reason i.e. “America is the country most prone to
gun violence”
b. Also your motion must institute sth that DOES NOT EXIST YET, other countries already have
strict gun laws so only America is left
 Stakeholders
1. A stakeholder is someone that is aected by the motion in the debate

2. For example, in TH prefers remote employment over traditional work environments, a possible
stakeholder would be employers. You should further elaborate and correlate your points with the
stakeholder.

3. For example, “Remote employment would make it so that employers have a wider range of selection
which can find people more suitable for a job than traditional work enviroments”
 Problem
1. In a case setup you should mention the problem of the debate or a problem statement.
2. For example, in THW ban smoking, a problem statement would be “In status quo, hundreds of
thousands die of smoking every year.”
 Burdens
1. In a case setup you should mention the burdens that you want to solve in a said debate (What you
want to prove)
2. For example a burden: “We want to prove that it is morally justified to limit people from freely
spreading information.”
3. You have to explain how you solve your burdens when you mention a point / in whip speeches or in
reply speeches
 Mechanism/Policy
● Mechanisms/Policies are prey complex and deserves a session by itself, but we’ll go through the
basics.
● A Mechanism/Policy is what rules / structures you will institute to achieve your goals.
● For example, In This house would introduce a universal basic income (UBI). A possible policy is
“Every adult citizen will be given 80% of the median monthly income, funded by taxation. Enough to
live o, but not so much to disincentivise work.”
● Time to introduce your MITIGATION MEASURES 🔥🔥🔥🔥
○ THW ban smoking:
○ We will compensate people who work in the cigaree industry so that they don’t lost jobs
○ We will fund rehabilitation programs for chainsmokers
○ Provide even more education / awareness about smoking
○ Try and fix as many of the problems the opposition will bring up - within reason, you cannot fix
everything
I think it makes sense….
1st and 2nd speaker- arguments and points
(extended)
 The Basic Structure
1. Your claim
2. Analysis to prove why it’s likely to happen
3. Example - has sth similar happened and succeeded before?
4. Real-world, tangible impacts - debate does not deal with the imagination
5. Comparative: What would the world be like if this didn’t happened (make it sound horrible)
 Factual arguments
1. Factual arguments are points based on real-world positive impacts.
2. For example in TH prefers to prosecute the clients rather than the prostitutes, a factual point could
be “By prosecuting clients, it decentiveses them to engage in prostitution. which would create less
demand for prostitution and thus less prostitutes since its harder for them to get money”
3. More complicatedly worded as “utilitarianism”
 Principled arguments
1. Principle arguments are arguments based on morality.
2. Human rights, freedom of speech all fall under this category.
3. You CAN violate rights if you give enough elaboration (Who needs rights when you have lefts am I
right?)
4. For example THW legalize rape in a post apocalyptic dystopia
5. Principles are suuuuuuuuper complicated and deserves a whole session by itself tbh
6. AKA deontology

Remember that in debate, if you’re good enough, you can justify ANYTHING
 Rebuttals
1) “Team GOV/OPP tells you…”

2) Explain why the argument is wrong/not important. Be clear and show how you get from point A to B.

3) Link to the topic There is no point in showing that an argument is wrong if you don’t show how it
helps your case. If you can prove that Team Gov’s impact is not important, then your case is obviously
more important because you achieve xyz

4) Insult them a lile. Nothing wrong with saying Team Opposition’s clear unwillingness to engage
prove that even they know their case has nothing left to stand on. *unless u have beer ethics

A rebual usually goes like this “(What the other team said),(your rebual)

5) Find what is Not important, Factually incorrect in their points

 More about arguments
1. Accept the trade-os (Not everything is arguable)
a. Concede points(biting the bullet)if you think a point is unarguable and dont waste time
arguing about it and just argue elsewhere. For example, smoking obviously kills people so
don’t waste time arguing that it doesn’t. Bite the bullet and explain the benefits of
smoking to the economy

2. Do not contradict
a. Like you mention the parameter in malaysia then mention the usa (just mention the
parameter as the whole world if you want to include other countries.)

3. IMPACT
a. No one-liners. Explain how your case leads from point A to B with TANGIBLE impacts. Who
cares that pollution is bad for the environment if you don’t prove how people will
eventually die and suer due to polluted air?
ENDING WITH A BOOM!!
3rd speaker- summarising and roasting (WHIPPING)
 Clashes
● Clashes are where two points from opposing slides directly contradict each other.
● You need to analyse the clashes and argue why your side won the clash. For example, in THW
abolish zoos, the main clash would be principals vs money
● Weigh in points from both sides and explain how your side came out on top
 World comparison
Just quickly give an example the even on your side’s worst case scenario is beer than their best
case scenario.

For example, Even in our worst case scenario, sure people might be exploited a bit, but the revenue
gained would greatly benefit the economy. While in your best case scenario, the problem of
exploitation is abolished but you just dissolved one of the largest industries in the country which
puts millions jobless.
 Point analysis
● Elaborate the points that your team has brought up before (DO NOT add new points)
● Add layers of elaboration towards points heavily rebued and argued

3rd speaker
Debate etiquette
Your stakeholders may not need rights and
respect, but your opponents do

P.s. we don’t want you geing disqualified

 Important Terms Used in Debate

No ad hominem No stats No discrimination

Don’t call people Do not give statistics Do not say anything
stupid. Aack the unless it is backed up by racially insensitive /
points, not the person actual mechanisms using anything that is
logic and facts homophobic, sexist or
discriminatory in
general
Thanks for listening!
QnA session