Roles of Speakers - the Prime Minister

Summary

This script delves into the Asian parliamentary debate format, emphasizing the distinct roles and responsibilities of each speaker. It outlines the sequence of speakers from the government and opposition teams, highlighting the Prime Minister's crucial tasks: defining the debate, presenting the team's stance and case, and offering initial arguments. The script stresses the importance of clarity and effective persuasion, providing guidelines to help debaters excel in their roles.

Takeaways

• 😀 Team debating is a persuasion activity where each speaker has a specific role and responsibility.
• 🏆 In Asian parliamentary format, teams are structured with titles like Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, and Whips for both government and opposition sides.
• 📝 The Prime Minister's role is crucial as they set the stage for the debate by defining the topic, presenting the team's position, and making initial arguments.
• 🔍 Defining the debate involves providing clear interpretations of terms and setting boundaries to prevent confusion.
• 🎯 Setting up the debate includes providing context, explaining the importance of the topic, and outlining how the debate will be evaluated.
• 💡 The Prime Minister must present the team's stance and case, which may include a policy or plan that the team intends to argue for.
• 📈 The team's case should be split among speakers to ensure a comprehensive argument is presented throughout the debate.
• 📝 The Prime Minister should present one or two solid arguments to support the team's position and set the tone for the debate.
• 🔑 The Deputy Prime Minister and other speakers have roles that build upon the foundation set by the Prime Minister, further developing the team's arguments.
• 📉 The opposition's role is to challenge the government's stance, providing counterarguments and alternative perspectives on the topic.

Q & A

What is the significance of roles and responsibilities in a team debate?

Roles and responsibilities are crucial in a team debate as they ensure each speaker has a specific part to play, which helps the team function more effectively and persuade more efficiently.

What is the difference between guidelines and rules in the context of debate roles?

Guidelines are recommendations for efficiency in persuasion, while rules are mandatory requirements. Not following a guideline does not automatically result in losing the debate, unlike breaking a rule.

What is the role of the Prime Minister in a debate?

The Prime Minister is the first speaker of the government team and is responsible for defining and setting up the debate, presenting the team's position and case, and making one or two arguments.

How should the Prime Minister define the debate topic?

The Prime Minister should provide the most literal and straightforward definition of the topic, clarifying any words that need additional explanation, without overly narrowing the topic to gain an unfair advantage.

What does setting up the debate involve?

Setting up the debate involves providing context, explaining the importance of the debate, and establishing the criteria for evaluation, such as addressing problems or proposing solutions.

What is the role of the Deputy Prime Minister in the debate?

The Deputy Prime Minister's role is not explicitly detailed in the script, but typically, they would support the Prime Minister's arguments, further develop the team's case, and rebut any points made by the opposition.

What is the role of the Leader of the Opposition?

The Leader of the Opposition is the first speaker for the opposition team and their role is to challenge the government's stance, present the opposition's perspective on the debate topic, and introduce their team's arguments.

What are the key responsibilities of the opposition team in a debate?

The opposition team's key responsibilities include critiquing the government's position, presenting counterarguments, and offering alternative perspectives or solutions to the debate topic.

Why is it important for the Prime Minister to present the team's position and case?

Presenting the team's position and case is important for the Prime Minister to establish the team's stance, outline the arguments that will be made, and provide a clear understanding of the team's policy or plan to the judges and audience.

What should the Prime Minister include when presenting arguments?

The Prime Minister should include the first reason or two for their stance, summarize their points, and emphasize the importance of their arguments in the context of the debate.

How does the structure of the debate help in the evaluation process?

The structured format of the debate, with defined roles and responsibilities, helps in the evaluation process by providing clarity and a framework for judges and audiences to assess the effectiveness of each team's arguments and persuasion strategies.