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Oxford union school Debating Competition help

Hey there

i was entered with a few of my friends into the competition and we have 0 experience in debating let alone doing it parliamentary style i just wondered if anyone one had any advice for a few noobs. also does anyone know what type of motions will come up examples would be good :wink:

i will be very grateful for any advice/response.

bump

Hey there. I'm a member of the Oxford Union and go to their weekly debates quite often. Whilst I don't know the details of the schools competition, I can offer a few pointers about debating and about common topic areas.

Motions cover a range of topics; it could be on literally any issue that has significant multiple viewpoints. A few common themes include:
-Religion (e.g. This house believes the world would be better off without religion)
-Political topics/current affairs (e.g. Israel, and intervention in Libya/the Middle East)
-general debates on the monarchy, government etc (This house has no confidence in HM government/ This house would abolish the monarchy etc)

The best debaters do the following:
- speak clearly and concisely, avoiding over-use of jargon and keeping to the point (you'd be amazed how many speaker I've seen who simply don't answer the question!)
- Not only propose reasoning for their own argument, but also offer an explanation for why opponents' reasoning is insufficient/flawed.
- (if applicable) respond to previous speakers/interjectors' points, attacking content rather than attacking the speakers personally
- respect other speakers (in a standard union debate, other speakers should be referred to as 'the honorable gentleman/lady'.) Avoid being rude or condescending where possible.

Uth