Last night Josh Martin and James Killcup from the hybrid team LaVerne & Loyola Marymount have won the Americas Cup (the warm up open event in advance of USU championships).
The Final was contested by
Ireland & Scotland (Stephen Boyle & Gavin Ilsley)
Harvard (Cormac Early & Alex Loomis)
LaVerne & Loyola Marymount (Josh Martin & James Kilcupp)
Loyola Marymount (Emily Ravenscroft & Mike Aguilera)
Final Judges: Sharmila Parmanand (Melbourne), Mary Nugent (Cambridge) Anish Mitra (Stanford) Zheng Bo (China) Ciaran Lawlor (Ireland)
Final: THBT the consumer has more power to change the world than the voter.
Semi: THW have the UN offer large bounties for the capture of Somali pirates.
R2: THBT infidelity should be a factor in the financial resolution of divorce
R1: THW require as many hours of women’s sport on television as men’s sport
The United States Universities Debating Championships Start later today.
Source: Tuna's Blog
Kamis, 31 Maret 2011
Korea Australs 2011 Registration Update - New Timeline
Dear All,
Greetings from Korea Australs 2011.
We are still in the process of sorting out the teams that have paid the deposit.
Also, we will be positing up the teams that will be granted with slots from the waiting list Soon. The List will be posted by April 4th 2011. We will email you the finalized list as well as the list of teams to proceed with their payments.
Here is some adjustment in the Registration Period Timeline.
We felt the need to change and extend the dates since we have made some adjustments during our deposit period.
Full Registration By April 26th
Adjustment Period By May 3rd
Personal Information Registration By May 17th
We are very excited to have you all in Korea!
Thanks,
Soo Min Park
Registration Director
Korea Australs 2011
Greetings from Korea Australs 2011.
We are still in the process of sorting out the teams that have paid the deposit.
Also, we will be positing up the teams that will be granted with slots from the waiting list Soon. The List will be posted by April 4th 2011. We will email you the finalized list as well as the list of teams to proceed with their payments.
Here is some adjustment in the Registration Period Timeline.
We felt the need to change and extend the dates since we have made some adjustments during our deposit period.
Full Registration By April 26th
Adjustment Period By May 3rd
Personal Information Registration By May 17th
We are very excited to have you all in Korea!
Thanks,
Soo Min Park
Registration Director
Korea Australs 2011
Rabu, 30 Maret 2011
Worlds Registration Tonight/Tomorrow
Just a reminder that Registration for Worlds happens in at 10am Philippine Standard Time on Friday April 1st.
Time zones mean some teams in the US will be registering tonight Thursday March 31 their time.
To check out the time in your local area visit http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/
Time zones mean some teams in the US will be registering tonight Thursday March 31 their time.
To check out the time in your local area visit http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/
Selasa, 29 Maret 2011
CUSID National Championships
Should have published this last week but only came across it this morning. For more info check http://www.cusid.ca/.
From March 18th – 20th the Canadian National Debate Championship was hosted by the University of Western Ontario Debate Society.
Hart House (U of T): (Steven Penner & George Trotter) won the championships defeating University of Alberta (Iain Ireland & Robert Lees-Miller) in the final
Semifinalists were
Dalhousie University (Auyon Siddiq & Ali Cherri)
Hart House (U of T) (Sam Greene & Deirdre Casey)
Quarterfinalists were:
McGill University (Alex Amar & Sean Husband)
Hart House (U of T) (Anisah Hassan & Louis Tsilivis)
Hart House (U of T) (Veenu Goswami & Aidan Fishman)
University of Alberta (Kathleen Elhatton-Lake & Ian Burch)
The novice champions were Dalhousie University (Vinayak Mishra & Casper Macauley) who defeated Hart House (U of T) (Veenu Goswami & Aidan Fishman) in the Novice Final
The Top Speakers were:
1. George Trotter
2. Anisah Hassan
3. Robert Lees-Miller
4. Steven Penner
5. Wudi Wu
6. Sean Husband
7. Ian Burch
8. Alex Amar
9. Kathleen Elhatton-Lake
10. Ali Cherri
The top Novice Speakers were:
1. Veenu Goswami
2. Louis Tsilivis
3. Sarah Balakrishnan
The Top Public Speakers were:
Champion: Husein Panju
2. Alex Amar and Sean Husband
3. Gretchen McCulloch
From March 18th – 20th the Canadian National Debate Championship was hosted by the University of Western Ontario Debate Society.
Hart House (U of T): (Steven Penner & George Trotter) won the championships defeating University of Alberta (Iain Ireland & Robert Lees-Miller) in the final
Semifinalists were
Dalhousie University (Auyon Siddiq & Ali Cherri)
Hart House (U of T) (Sam Greene & Deirdre Casey)
Quarterfinalists were:
McGill University (Alex Amar & Sean Husband)
Hart House (U of T) (Anisah Hassan & Louis Tsilivis)
Hart House (U of T) (Veenu Goswami & Aidan Fishman)
University of Alberta (Kathleen Elhatton-Lake & Ian Burch)
The novice champions were Dalhousie University (Vinayak Mishra & Casper Macauley) who defeated Hart House (U of T) (Veenu Goswami & Aidan Fishman) in the Novice Final
The Top Speakers were:
1. George Trotter
2. Anisah Hassan
3. Robert Lees-Miller
4. Steven Penner
5. Wudi Wu
6. Sean Husband
7. Ian Burch
8. Alex Amar
9. Kathleen Elhatton-Lake
10. Ali Cherri
The top Novice Speakers were:
1. Veenu Goswami
2. Louis Tsilivis
3. Sarah Balakrishnan
The Top Public Speakers were:
Champion: Husein Panju
2. Alex Amar and Sean Husband
3. Gretchen McCulloch
6th Borneo Debating Championship
From Malasian Debaters mailing list:
From the 25-28th of March the 6th Borneo Debating Championship was held at UMSEDC.
UTMARA 1 (Aerie Rahman, Rafiq Saladdin & Muhd Shafiq B Ahmed Bazari) won the competition defeating MMUM 1 in the final. Shafiq from UTMARA 1 as the best speaker in the final.
The list of top 10 speakers and breaking teams are as follows:
1)Rafiq Saladdin - UTMARA 1
2)Muhd Shafiq B Ahmed Bazari - UTMARA 1
3)Aerie Rahman - UTMARA 1
4)Syed Sharbini Rafie - Swinburne 1
5)Justin Sim Mong Yang - Swinburne 1
6)Syed Saddiq bin Syed Abdul Rahman - CFS 1
7)Muhammad Harris bin Ghazali - CFS 1
7)Arun Valliappan - MMUM 1
9)Amnah Bt Ismail - CFS 1
10)Ahmed Faris - UTMARA 3
10)Mohamad Kamal bin Mohd Akram - CFS 1
10)Diane Maretele - MMUM 1
Semi-Final
UTMARA 1 vs UMS 1
MMUM 1 vs Swinburne 1
Quater-Final
UTMARA 1 vs UTMARA 3
CFS 1 vs Swinburne 1
MMUM 1 vs CFS 2
UMS 1 vs UNIMAS 1
From the 25-28th of March the 6th Borneo Debating Championship was held at UMSEDC.
UTMARA 1 (Aerie Rahman, Rafiq Saladdin & Muhd Shafiq B Ahmed Bazari) won the competition defeating MMUM 1 in the final. Shafiq from UTMARA 1 as the best speaker in the final.
The list of top 10 speakers and breaking teams are as follows:
1)Rafiq Saladdin - UTMARA 1
2)Muhd Shafiq B Ahmed Bazari - UTMARA 1
3)Aerie Rahman - UTMARA 1
4)Syed Sharbini Rafie - Swinburne 1
5)Justin Sim Mong Yang - Swinburne 1
6)Syed Saddiq bin Syed Abdul Rahman - CFS 1
7)Muhammad Harris bin Ghazali - CFS 1
7)Arun Valliappan - MMUM 1
9)Amnah Bt Ismail - CFS 1
10)Ahmed Faris - UTMARA 3
10)Mohamad Kamal bin Mohd Akram - CFS 1
10)Diane Maretele - MMUM 1
Semi-Final
UTMARA 1 vs UMS 1
MMUM 1 vs Swinburne 1
Quater-Final
UTMARA 1 vs UTMARA 3
CFS 1 vs Swinburne 1
MMUM 1 vs CFS 2
UMS 1 vs UNIMAS 1
De La Salle Worlds Registration Guide Video and Registration Policies
Dear World Debate Community,
Greetings in St. La Salle!
Roughly three days before the First Phase of Registration opens, we are very delighted to present to you the De La Salle Worlds Guide to Online Registration Video, which is accessible through our website at http://www.dlsuworlds.com/ or here
Below are the Registration Policies for De La Salle Worlds 2012:
REGISTRATION POLICIES
1. Registration will be done on a first come-first served basis.
2. Registration of an institution will only be honored if the information given is COMPLETE. There must be no blank left unfilled. Acronyms of Institution Names or other information asked for on the Registration page shall be considered INCOMPLETE.
3. Submitting your registration form is an acknowledgment that the person registering has read and understood all policies, and the repercussion of not abiding by them in behalf of the entire contingent. The Institution Representative has the duty to disseminate this information and ensure that the entire contingent abides by these rules. Failure to comply will result to the forfeiture of the slot registered in WUDC 2012.
4. There shall absolutely be no spamming during the opening of Registration. The definition of spamming is the unnecessary participation in the registration process, when the registrant has no intention to join WUDC 2012 to begin with, or is registering with the intention of humoring the process. The Registration team will be able to identify spammers and there will be repercussions.
5. Should more than one form from the institution register into the system (i.e. that two people from the same institution registered at the same time and were both able to get in), after the release of the list of registered participants, the institution must e-mail the Registration Team to cancel one of the slots and make way for another team on the waitlist. This must be done within a week’s time.
6. Institutions have the responsibility to abide by the registration schedule as outlined on the DLSU Worlds website. Non-compliance may result in a forfeiture of slots.
7. Should an institution wish to withdraw from the Championship, they must inform the organizers at the soonest possible time. This may be done through email. A message should be sent to the Registration Team informing them of the withdrawal.
8. All information provided shall be owned by De La Salle Worlds and shall be used in any manner deemed fit by the Organizing Committee.
For any questions and inquiries, please do not hesitate to contact Crystal Francisco, Registration and Communications Director at crystal.francisco@dlsuworlds.com.
Taking you to Manila,
The De La Salle Worlds Registration Team
Greetings in St. La Salle!
Roughly three days before the First Phase of Registration opens, we are very delighted to present to you the De La Salle Worlds Guide to Online Registration Video, which is accessible through our website at http://www.dlsuworlds.com/ or here
Below are the Registration Policies for De La Salle Worlds 2012:
REGISTRATION POLICIES
1. Registration will be done on a first come-first served basis.
2. Registration of an institution will only be honored if the information given is COMPLETE. There must be no blank left unfilled. Acronyms of Institution Names or other information asked for on the Registration page shall be considered INCOMPLETE.
3. Submitting your registration form is an acknowledgment that the person registering has read and understood all policies, and the repercussion of not abiding by them in behalf of the entire contingent. The Institution Representative has the duty to disseminate this information and ensure that the entire contingent abides by these rules. Failure to comply will result to the forfeiture of the slot registered in WUDC 2012.
4. There shall absolutely be no spamming during the opening of Registration. The definition of spamming is the unnecessary participation in the registration process, when the registrant has no intention to join WUDC 2012 to begin with, or is registering with the intention of humoring the process. The Registration team will be able to identify spammers and there will be repercussions.
5. Should more than one form from the institution register into the system (i.e. that two people from the same institution registered at the same time and were both able to get in), after the release of the list of registered participants, the institution must e-mail the Registration Team to cancel one of the slots and make way for another team on the waitlist. This must be done within a week’s time.
6. Institutions have the responsibility to abide by the registration schedule as outlined on the DLSU Worlds website. Non-compliance may result in a forfeiture of slots.
7. Should an institution wish to withdraw from the Championship, they must inform the organizers at the soonest possible time. This may be done through email. A message should be sent to the Registration Team informing them of the withdrawal.
8. All information provided shall be owned by De La Salle Worlds and shall be used in any manner deemed fit by the Organizing Committee.
For any questions and inquiries, please do not hesitate to contact Crystal Francisco, Registration and Communications Director at crystal.francisco@dlsuworlds.com.
Taking you to Manila,
The De La Salle Worlds Registration Team
Jumat, 25 Maret 2011
DLSU Worlds Online Registration
Dear World Debate Community:
It is my honour to inform all of you that the De La Salle Worlds 1st Phase of registration shall open on April 1, 2011 (Friday) at 10AM PST (+8GMT). Registration will be done online in http://www.dlsuworlds.com/. For Information about how it will work, kindly visit the Registration FAQ at http://www.dlsuworlds.com/faqs.html#registration. I advise all teams to read the registration FAQ before the actual start of the First Phase of Registration to make sure that everyone understands how the registration system will work.
Important note from Colm: Time zones mean some teams will be registering on the night of Thursday March 31st their time. Do not just read 1st April and leave it at that. To check out the time in your local area visit http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/
The First Phase of registration is described below:
What is the First Phase of Registration?
This stage requires each institution to disclose the number of teams and adjudicators that they will be sending. Contact details will also be required. Registration is on a first come, first served basis.
How do I register?
Online Registration will take place on April 1, 2011 on http://www.dlsuworlds.com/.
How will I know what to do during Online Registration?
There are some screenshots of the registration process which can be viewed at http://www.dlsuworlds.com/faqs.html#onlineregistration
What time does registration open?
Registration opens at 10am Philippine Standard Time.
What is the time in the Philippines relative to the time where I am?
As a reference, the Philippines is eight (8) hours ahead of the Greenwich Mean Time, meaning, the Philippines is GMT +8.
How do I know if my institution was successfully able to register to WUDC 2012?
The Registration team and the Organizing Committee will release an official list of institutions that were successfully able to register for WUDC 2012.
What happens if I am unable to secure a slot in the first 300 teams of WUDC 2012?
Teams that register past the 300 mark will automatically be put on the wait-list. But, wait! Don't fret! As you very well know, WUDC 2012 promises to host 400 teams. The remaining 100 teams will be set aside for special circumstances, as promised in the bid. The last 100 teams will be awarded to institutions/teams with the following prioritization:
1. Countries that are not represented in the first 300 slots;
2. Institutions that are not represented in the first 300 slots;
3. Consistency of participation in previous WUDCs; and,
4. Top of the wait list.
Should you have questions, please feel free to contact the Registration Head, Crystal Francisco, at crystal.francisco@dlsuworlds.com.
Thank you and we are excited to see you all here in Manila!
Cheers,
Dino de Leon
Convenor, De La Salle Worlds
Claretiano. Lasalliano. Filipino.
Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!
It is my honour to inform all of you that the De La Salle Worlds 1st Phase of registration shall open on April 1, 2011 (Friday) at 10AM PST (+8GMT). Registration will be done online in http://www.dlsuworlds.com/. For Information about how it will work, kindly visit the Registration FAQ at http://www.dlsuworlds.com/faqs.html#registration. I advise all teams to read the registration FAQ before the actual start of the First Phase of Registration to make sure that everyone understands how the registration system will work.
Important note from Colm: Time zones mean some teams will be registering on the night of Thursday March 31st their time. Do not just read 1st April and leave it at that. To check out the time in your local area visit http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/
The First Phase of registration is described below:
What is the First Phase of Registration?
This stage requires each institution to disclose the number of teams and adjudicators that they will be sending. Contact details will also be required. Registration is on a first come, first served basis.
How do I register?
Online Registration will take place on April 1, 2011 on http://www.dlsuworlds.com/.
How will I know what to do during Online Registration?
There are some screenshots of the registration process which can be viewed at http://www.dlsuworlds.com/faqs.html#onlineregistration
What time does registration open?
Registration opens at 10am Philippine Standard Time.
What is the time in the Philippines relative to the time where I am?
As a reference, the Philippines is eight (8) hours ahead of the Greenwich Mean Time, meaning, the Philippines is GMT +8.
How do I know if my institution was successfully able to register to WUDC 2012?
The Registration team and the Organizing Committee will release an official list of institutions that were successfully able to register for WUDC 2012.
What happens if I am unable to secure a slot in the first 300 teams of WUDC 2012?
Teams that register past the 300 mark will automatically be put on the wait-list. But, wait! Don't fret! As you very well know, WUDC 2012 promises to host 400 teams. The remaining 100 teams will be set aside for special circumstances, as promised in the bid. The last 100 teams will be awarded to institutions/teams with the following prioritization:
1. Countries that are not represented in the first 300 slots;
2. Institutions that are not represented in the first 300 slots;
3. Consistency of participation in previous WUDCs; and,
4. Top of the wait list.
Should you have questions, please feel free to contact the Registration Head, Crystal Francisco, at crystal.francisco@dlsuworlds.com.
Thank you and we are excited to see you all here in Manila!
Cheers,
Dino de Leon
Convenor, De La Salle Worlds
Claretiano. Lasalliano. Filipino.
Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!
Rabu, 23 Maret 2011
IDEA Debate Live-Streaming
As part of a continuing effort to bring debate to as wide of an audience as possible, the media team at IDEA will be live-streaming three debate tournaments this April in the United States.
Each of these tournaments will be streamed in real time, and the video archives will be available for subsequent viewing. Our Twitter feeds will include live updates as the events unravel. All of this is free of charge, so we hope you enjoy the opportunity to watch high-quality debates without having to travel!
As for the schedule...
*United States Universities Debate Championship 2011*
Burlington, Vermont
April 1st - 3rd
http://www.idebate.org/streaming/usu2011/
*HWS / IDEA Round Robin*
Geneva, New York
April 8th - 9th
http://www.idebate.org/streaming/hwsrr2011/
*Campeonato Norte Americano de Debate (debates in Spanish)*
Ithaca, New York
April 7th - 10th
http://www.idebate.org/streaming/cnad2011/
We will email more updates as they become necessary.
Thanks,
Alex Dukalskis
Executive Director
International Debate Education Association (IDEA), United States
http://www.idebate.org/
http://idebate.blogspot.com/
Each of these tournaments will be streamed in real time, and the video archives will be available for subsequent viewing. Our Twitter feeds will include live updates as the events unravel. All of this is free of charge, so we hope you enjoy the opportunity to watch high-quality debates without having to travel!
As for the schedule...
*United States Universities Debate Championship 2011*
Burlington, Vermont
April 1st - 3rd
http://www.idebate.org/streaming/usu2011/
*HWS / IDEA Round Robin*
Geneva, New York
April 8th - 9th
http://www.idebate.org/streaming/hwsrr2011/
*Campeonato Norte Americano de Debate (debates in Spanish)*
Ithaca, New York
April 7th - 10th
http://www.idebate.org/streaming/cnad2011/
We will email more updates as they become necessary.
Thanks,
Alex Dukalskis
Executive Director
International Debate Education Association (IDEA), United States
http://www.idebate.org/
http://idebate.blogspot.com/
Selasa, 22 Maret 2011
Israeli Open Championship Results
The Israeli Open Championship (in Hebrew) was held this weekend at the University of Haifa.
Winners: Naty Peral and Rannen Nicola (i, Robot).
Best Speaker: Maya Bousri (IDC A)
Finalists:
OG: Rannen Nicola & Naty Peral (i, Robot)
OO: Itsik Zarfati & Maya Bousri (IDC A)
CG: Mila Finkelshtain & Meir Yarom (Great Expectations)
CO: Omer Nevo & Sella Nevo (Proofs from THE BOOK)
Final panelists were: Michael Shapira (CA) Anat Gelber, Yoni Cohen Idov, Uri Feldman (DCA), Yael Betzalel (DCA), Lior Hadas and Anat Zaidenberg.
Motions
1) This Knesset will cap rent in city centres.
2) This Knesset will allow familes with many children to sell babies to those who can no longer have children.
3) This Knesset will hold Israeli debating events on the Sabbath.
Semi: This Knesset will move the entire Isreali education system from Hebrew to English.
Final: This Knesset will forbid Israeli citizens from raising children in areas beyond the seperation fence.
Winners: Naty Peral and Rannen Nicola (i, Robot).
Best Speaker: Maya Bousri (IDC A)
Finalists:
OG: Rannen Nicola & Naty Peral (i, Robot)
OO: Itsik Zarfati & Maya Bousri (IDC A)
CG: Mila Finkelshtain & Meir Yarom (Great Expectations)
CO: Omer Nevo & Sella Nevo (Proofs from THE BOOK)
Final panelists were: Michael Shapira (CA) Anat Gelber, Yoni Cohen Idov, Uri Feldman (DCA), Yael Betzalel (DCA), Lior Hadas and Anat Zaidenberg.
Motions
1) This Knesset will cap rent in city centres.
2) This Knesset will allow familes with many children to sell babies to those who can no longer have children.
3) This Knesset will hold Israeli debating events on the Sabbath.
Semi: This Knesset will move the entire Isreali education system from Hebrew to English.
Final: This Knesset will forbid Israeli citizens from raising children in areas beyond the seperation fence.
Senin, 21 Maret 2011
BP debate job in Colorado
Colorado Christian University in Denver, Colorado is starting a British Parliamentary (BP) or Worlds Debate Team, and seeks a part-time Assistant Debate Coach to help coach the team and administrate the program from August 2011 through April 2012. The job description is attached. Depending on academic qualifications and teaching experience, the Assistant Coach may also be able to teach courses in public speaking, persuasion, argumentation, and debate for additional compensation (and under a separate contract).
This is a GREAT position for a former debater in between full-time commitments seeking to stay involved in the debate world and bolstering one’s income in a flexible, part-time position.
Please circulate widely and contact me for any further information.
Ryan T. Hartwig, PhD
Assistant Professor of Communication/Director of Debate
Colorado Christian University
rthartwig (at) ccu.edu
Overview:
The Department of Communication Studies at Colorado Christian University in Denver, Colorado invites applications for a part-time Assistant Debate Coach to help coach CCU’s new British Parliamentary (BP) or Worlds Debate Team. The part-time 9-month staff position runs from August 2011 through April 2012, and is eligible for possible annual renewal dependent on funding and satisfactory performance.
Responsibilities and Duties:
Primary responsibilities of the position are to assist the Director of Debate (and Head Coach of Debate Team) with all aspects of directing, leading, and managing CCU’s debate program, include training and coaching debaters, program administration, travel to local, national, and international tournaments, and participation in campus and community outreach. Weekly duties during the academic year include 10-12 hours per week participating and helping to lead debate team practices held up to twice a week, meeting individually with debate teams for coaching and mentoring, meeting with the Director of Debate, and assisting with the general administration of the debate program. The team will travel to approximately 6-8 out-of-state tournaments during the academic year, and participate (either as participants or judges) at another 5-7 local tournaments. The Assistant Debate Coach would be expected to attend all of those events with the team.
Depending on academic qualifications and teaching experience, the Assistant Coach may also be able to teach courses in public speaking, persuasion, argumentation, and debate for additional compensation (and under a separate contract).
Qualifications:
Minimum qualifications are a Bachelors Degree in a relevant field and demonstrated proficiency; expertise as a collegiate debater or as a debate teacher/coach at the high school or college level; and a familiarity with and ability to effectively coach British Parliamentary (Worlds) Debate.
Additional desirable qualifications include demonstrated effectiveness in coaching/directing a debate program, advanced graduate coursework in Communication Studies, and the ability to teach other courses in rhetoric, argumentation, and public speaking.
In addition, CCU’s debate team will debut in Fall 2011. Thus, the Assistant Debate Coach must take initiative, be a self-starter, possess an entrepreneurial spirit, and desire to build a nationally-recognized debate program.
Applications and More Information:
We will begin reviewing applications on April 1 and continue until the position is filled. Applicants should complete the Assistant Debate Coach application found on the following link: https://careers.ccu.edu/detail.asp?ccu463
For more information, please contact:
Ryan T. Hartwig, PhD
Assistant Professor of Communication / Director of Debate
Colorado Christian University
8787 West Alameda Ave.
Lakewood, CO 80226 303.963.3479 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 303.963.3479 end_of_the_skype_highlighting – rthartwig@ccu.edu
This is a GREAT position for a former debater in between full-time commitments seeking to stay involved in the debate world and bolstering one’s income in a flexible, part-time position.
Please circulate widely and contact me for any further information.
Ryan T. Hartwig, PhD
Assistant Professor of Communication/Director of Debate
Colorado Christian University
rthartwig (at) ccu.edu
Overview:
The Department of Communication Studies at Colorado Christian University in Denver, Colorado invites applications for a part-time Assistant Debate Coach to help coach CCU’s new British Parliamentary (BP) or Worlds Debate Team. The part-time 9-month staff position runs from August 2011 through April 2012, and is eligible for possible annual renewal dependent on funding and satisfactory performance.
Responsibilities and Duties:
Primary responsibilities of the position are to assist the Director of Debate (and Head Coach of Debate Team) with all aspects of directing, leading, and managing CCU’s debate program, include training and coaching debaters, program administration, travel to local, national, and international tournaments, and participation in campus and community outreach. Weekly duties during the academic year include 10-12 hours per week participating and helping to lead debate team practices held up to twice a week, meeting individually with debate teams for coaching and mentoring, meeting with the Director of Debate, and assisting with the general administration of the debate program. The team will travel to approximately 6-8 out-of-state tournaments during the academic year, and participate (either as participants or judges) at another 5-7 local tournaments. The Assistant Debate Coach would be expected to attend all of those events with the team.
Depending on academic qualifications and teaching experience, the Assistant Coach may also be able to teach courses in public speaking, persuasion, argumentation, and debate for additional compensation (and under a separate contract).
Qualifications:
Minimum qualifications are a Bachelors Degree in a relevant field and demonstrated proficiency; expertise as a collegiate debater or as a debate teacher/coach at the high school or college level; and a familiarity with and ability to effectively coach British Parliamentary (Worlds) Debate.
Additional desirable qualifications include demonstrated effectiveness in coaching/directing a debate program, advanced graduate coursework in Communication Studies, and the ability to teach other courses in rhetoric, argumentation, and public speaking.
In addition, CCU’s debate team will debut in Fall 2011. Thus, the Assistant Debate Coach must take initiative, be a self-starter, possess an entrepreneurial spirit, and desire to build a nationally-recognized debate program.
Applications and More Information:
We will begin reviewing applications on April 1 and continue until the position is filled. Applicants should complete the Assistant Debate Coach application found on the following link: https://careers.ccu.edu/detail.asp?ccu463
For more information, please contact:
Ryan T. Hartwig, PhD
Assistant Professor of Communication / Director of Debate
Colorado Christian University
8787 West Alameda Ave.
Lakewood, CO 80226 303.963.3479 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 303.963.3479 end_of_the_skype_highlighting – rthartwig@ccu.edu
Eliminated debaters making the judge break?
Steve at Progymnasmata has an interesting article based on a mail from Paul Gross of the University of Vermont. The proposal is to allow eliminated debaters to be considered for the judge break. You can read the full article here but in the meantime here is a comment I have posted to the article:
I can see the benefit on paper of doing this. I was DCA at a tournament where a former world champion was debating with a fresher and just missed the break. They would have been a great addition to the judging pool but we could not use them. However that said you would generally expect that the best debaters would be in the elimination rounds. Therefore if it is a small tournament (say 20 teams) you will find that half of the speakers will have made the break and the speakers you are left with may not add quality to the judging pool.
Tournaments which are large enough to attract a depth of quality teams that means many potentially good judges will miss the debating break are also tournaments that attract a good depth of quality judges. You need to make sure that breaking as a judge does not become a consolation prize for the 3-4 teams just outside the break. If this happens it reduces the incentive for people to come and judge the whole tournament. Why would you slog through 6-7 preliminary rounds as a judge only to be told we don’t want you in the break because debaters who failed to make the break are still regarded as better judges.
Also for many people adjudication is as competitive as debating. Having been CA or DCA at a number of large tournaments I can tell you the couple hours after the break are a rollercoaster of reactions. You will get some judges coming to you and thanking you for giving them a chance. However you will also get many judges who are angry and extremely disappointed at missing the break. Some take it to extremes and if they were judging a bubble final preliminary round you could not be certain that the judge break will not be a factor in their decision. If they have estimated that they are just hanging onto one of the last slots in the judge break would you trust them to eliminate a team that will probably then push them out of the judge break?
The proposal has some merit but I think it should be a potential option rather than a default option. Add the potential to call up an eliminated debater into the judge break to the arsenal of the adjudication team BUT it should be an exceptional event. If it becomes a regular event then I fear it will have an adverse impact.
I can see the benefit on paper of doing this. I was DCA at a tournament where a former world champion was debating with a fresher and just missed the break. They would have been a great addition to the judging pool but we could not use them. However that said you would generally expect that the best debaters would be in the elimination rounds. Therefore if it is a small tournament (say 20 teams) you will find that half of the speakers will have made the break and the speakers you are left with may not add quality to the judging pool.
Tournaments which are large enough to attract a depth of quality teams that means many potentially good judges will miss the debating break are also tournaments that attract a good depth of quality judges. You need to make sure that breaking as a judge does not become a consolation prize for the 3-4 teams just outside the break. If this happens it reduces the incentive for people to come and judge the whole tournament. Why would you slog through 6-7 preliminary rounds as a judge only to be told we don’t want you in the break because debaters who failed to make the break are still regarded as better judges.
Also for many people adjudication is as competitive as debating. Having been CA or DCA at a number of large tournaments I can tell you the couple hours after the break are a rollercoaster of reactions. You will get some judges coming to you and thanking you for giving them a chance. However you will also get many judges who are angry and extremely disappointed at missing the break. Some take it to extremes and if they were judging a bubble final preliminary round you could not be certain that the judge break will not be a factor in their decision. If they have estimated that they are just hanging onto one of the last slots in the judge break would you trust them to eliminate a team that will probably then push them out of the judge break?
The proposal has some merit but I think it should be a potential option rather than a default option. Add the potential to call up an eliminated debater into the judge break to the arsenal of the adjudication team BUT it should be an exceptional event. If it becomes a regular event then I fear it will have an adverse impact.
Minggu, 20 Maret 2011
Ohio holds it's first World's style tournament
The first Ohio Wesleyan tournament was held this weekend and was won by Vermont. This is the first Worlds style debate held in Ohio which has traditionally been dominated by the "Lincon Douglas" or "Policy" format and shows the increasing success of the parliamentary debating format. Michigan Flint were runner's up.
Final
OG: Grove City HP
OO: Michigan Flint FW
CG: Vermont GL
CO: Grove City DW
Motions:
Final: This House would put boots on the ground for regime change in Libya
Semi: This House would end our dependence on robots before it's too late. Room1
Rd6 This House would ban home schooling. Would this motion make sense in Europe? Just curious.
Rd5 This House believes that recent regime changes in Tunisia and Egypt will cause more harm than good.
Rd4 This House believes that China should end its one-child policy.
Rd2 This House believes that now is the time to abandon nuclear power.
For more info visit http://progymna.blogspot.com/
Final
OG: Grove City HP
OO: Michigan Flint FW
CG: Vermont GL
CO: Grove City DW
Motions:
Final: This House would put boots on the ground for regime change in Libya
Semi: This House would end our dependence on robots before it's too late. Room1
Rd6 This House would ban home schooling. Would this motion make sense in Europe? Just curious.
Rd5 This House believes that recent regime changes in Tunisia and Egypt will cause more harm than good.
Rd4 This House believes that China should end its one-child policy.
Rd2 This House believes that now is the time to abandon nuclear power.
For more info visit http://progymna.blogspot.com/
Sabtu, 19 Maret 2011
USU judge briefing.
The United States University Championships have posted a judge test for judges attending the upcoming championships. The briefing is a copy of the briefing for Botswana Worlds but I'm sure there are lots of people may not have seen it so it is worth a look. I have deleted the segment about the test itself because I'm sure they don't want lots of people filling in the test who do not intend to go to the championships.
Like major international tournaments such as worlds, we will be requiring all of our judges to take a judge test before round one. The test involves watching a debate as an online video and then rendering a decision as well as answering some questions about the format.
We urge all judges to review the judge briefing materials (we are glad to be using the excellent judge briefing document used for Botswana worlds, by permission) BEFORE they take the test. The judge briefing can be found at: http://debate.uvm.edu/dcpdf/BW2011JudgeBriefing.pdf
After that, judges should go to the JUDGE TEST at the USU 2011 website and watch the debate. http://debate.uvm.edu/debateblog/usu2011/Judge_Test.html
We will then use this data in judge assignment at the tournament, and will supplement it with feedback gathered from debaters and judges during the tournament.
If you are the contact person for your institution you need to inform all of your judges of this requirement and make sure that they complete the judge test. It is your responsibility to do this. If your judges fail to take the online test they may not cover your commitment at the tournament and you WILL BE CHARGED A HIRED JUDGE FEE at registration to cover your teams.
Many of the best debaters in America and the world will be at the tournament. They deserve competent judging and this is our attempt to make sure they get it. We appreciate your cooperation.
Like major international tournaments such as worlds, we will be requiring all of our judges to take a judge test before round one. The test involves watching a debate as an online video and then rendering a decision as well as answering some questions about the format.
We urge all judges to review the judge briefing materials (we are glad to be using the excellent judge briefing document used for Botswana worlds, by permission) BEFORE they take the test. The judge briefing can be found at: http://debate.uvm.edu/dcpdf/BW2011JudgeBriefing.pdf
After that, judges should go to the JUDGE TEST at the USU 2011 website and watch the debate. http://debate.uvm.edu/debateblog/usu2011/Judge_Test.html
We will then use this data in judge assignment at the tournament, and will supplement it with feedback gathered from debaters and judges during the tournament.
If you are the contact person for your institution you need to inform all of your judges of this requirement and make sure that they complete the judge test. It is your responsibility to do this. If your judges fail to take the online test they may not cover your commitment at the tournament and you WILL BE CHARGED A HIRED JUDGE FEE at registration to cover your teams.
Many of the best debaters in America and the world will be at the tournament. They deserve competent judging and this is our attempt to make sure they get it. We appreciate your cooperation.
Kamis, 17 Maret 2011
WUPID: Team Sponsorship (Airfare) For The Top 30 Invited Institutions.
From http://thedebatingnews.wordpress.com/
All of us wants to go to WUPID – that’s what I was told. But when you actually come from an institution that is entitled to a zero registration fee policy, your determination is kind of slowed down a bit as the challenge of acquiring sponsorship for your airfare seems rather distant.
After organizing WUPID for four times, I have genuinely realized that the actual predicament for institution to send teams to the championship all lies in the cost of airfare, especially for teams outside the Asia Pacific. The solution is simple. Turning WUPID into an event very much like the Formula 1. And as students simply don’t have the time and perhaps the knowledge to look for their own team sponsor, we’re here to help you out. However, we need you to help us to help you. Therefore, we would simply need three documents:
The profile of the debating union / club / society;
The profile of the debaters that will be representing the respected institution; and
A formal letter requesting for funding.
Do not however imagine that this is some kind of charity. Under normal circumstances, sponsored teams would have to bear the title of the corporate sponsor i.e. CIMB Monash throughout WUPID 2011, furnish themselves with merchandises bearing the title and/or logo of the company and behave in a manner that does not disgrace and bring harm to the company’s name or brand.
For this initiative to work however, our sponsorship seekers would definitely need time. There is a lot of effort involved and absolutely far from the notion of falling asleep in the bath tub and waking up somewhere else. We intend to work closely with the organizers of DLSU Manila Worlds as well as the organizers of the Singapore Debate Open 2011. So please send us the information before May 2011 at wupidmania@gmail.com or yunus@hngsc.com.
I don’t know. I cannot promises or guarantee that we would be able to secure the needed funding for the airfare. But I do know this. It gets easier every year.
Click here to see the list of invited instutions to WUPID 2011.
Muhammad Yunus
All of us wants to go to WUPID – that’s what I was told. But when you actually come from an institution that is entitled to a zero registration fee policy, your determination is kind of slowed down a bit as the challenge of acquiring sponsorship for your airfare seems rather distant.
After organizing WUPID for four times, I have genuinely realized that the actual predicament for institution to send teams to the championship all lies in the cost of airfare, especially for teams outside the Asia Pacific. The solution is simple. Turning WUPID into an event very much like the Formula 1. And as students simply don’t have the time and perhaps the knowledge to look for their own team sponsor, we’re here to help you out. However, we need you to help us to help you. Therefore, we would simply need three documents:
The profile of the debating union / club / society;
The profile of the debaters that will be representing the respected institution; and
A formal letter requesting for funding.
Do not however imagine that this is some kind of charity. Under normal circumstances, sponsored teams would have to bear the title of the corporate sponsor i.e. CIMB Monash throughout WUPID 2011, furnish themselves with merchandises bearing the title and/or logo of the company and behave in a manner that does not disgrace and bring harm to the company’s name or brand.
For this initiative to work however, our sponsorship seekers would definitely need time. There is a lot of effort involved and absolutely far from the notion of falling asleep in the bath tub and waking up somewhere else. We intend to work closely with the organizers of DLSU Manila Worlds as well as the organizers of the Singapore Debate Open 2011. So please send us the information before May 2011 at wupidmania@gmail.com or yunus@hngsc.com.
I don’t know. I cannot promises or guarantee that we would be able to secure the needed funding for the airfare. But I do know this. It gets easier every year.
Click here to see the list of invited instutions to WUPID 2011.
Muhammad Yunus
Minggu, 13 Maret 2011
3rd Malaysia Debate Open report
The 3rd Malaysia Debate Open, held at Multimedia University, Melaka last weekend has been really amazing. Within a short time frame of three days, we had 96 teams from 11 countries debated in 7 prelims and 4 break rounds. The tournament had been exceptional well run with only an hour delay on each day despite having to accommodate a sudden increase of 20 teams that came on day 1, and an additional preliminary round.
I would like extend my utmost gratitude and thanks to the three deputy chief adjudicator (Skanda Prasad, Tasneem Elias and Ahyoung Kim), conveners (Sarah Quin and Sha-maine), tournament directors (Ila and Kumar), the tab team (headed by Latif), organizing and working committee for making all this possible. These individuals had sacrificed partying/sleep/classes to make this event a success. Also equally important, I was like to personally thank all the participants, both debaters and adjudicator for coming and made the past few days a really memorable experience.
The tournament this year saw a significant number of composite teams and incredibly strong pool of debaters/adjudicators. Hence, a big congratulations to team Powerpuff Girls (Shiveena, Gica and Ces) for winning the championship and to Logan from Dog Curry (Tate, Nam Chul, Logan) for grabbing both the best grand final and best overall speaker award.
The list of the breaking teams and the top 10 speakers:
Champions: Powerpuff Girls (Shiveena Paramanand, Gica Mangahas and Cecile Gotamco)
Finalist: Dog Curry (Tate, Nam Chul Kim, Logan)
Semi-Finalists: Sugarfree (Rolan Garcia, Dani de Castro, Jayson Maulit) and Team Sum ( Kanna, Reuban, Syed Arafat)
Quarter Finalists: IIUM 2 (Habib, Azrul, Azri), IIUM 3 (Irzal, Sarah, Senad), Ateneo X (Walter, James, Allan) and NTU 1 (Arvind, Rohan, Milind)
Octo Finalists: LAG (Groobie, Lavania, Timothy), MIDP 1Msia (Hafiz, Tubby, Sooch), NUS (Ashok, Sadhana, Aji), NLSIU 1 (Aniruddha, Anil, Dibyojyoti), Two and a half girls (Aina, Aerie, Mai), Obamamamas (Ain, Izzat, Atiq), Waseda (Kowa, Marie, Takeru)
Top 10 speakers:
1) Logan
2) Tate
3) Timothy Andrew
4) Dani De Castro
5) Tubby
6) Gica Mangahas
7) Rolan Garcia
7) Jayson Maulit
9) Iqbal Hafiedz
9) Suchar
The full speaker and team tabs are available at http://malaysiadebateopen.com/?page_id=15.
Motions:
Demo Debate:
THW prioritize military veterans for jobs.
Round 1: Malaysia Boleh!
THBT religious conversion should not be a pre-requisite for marriage.
THW allow political parties to announce alliances only before elections.
THW abolish unnatural sex laws (oral/anal sex).
Round 2: Food
THBT countries with overall food shortage should not join the race for bio-fuels.
THW ban speculative trading on food products.
THW penalize corporations that waste food.
Round 3: Animals
THBT PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) should only accept vegetarians as members.
THW ban the neutering of pets.
THW allow the sale of parts of endangered animals which die natural deaths.
Round 4: IR
THBT the West would recognize Palestinian attacks on Israeli settlements as legitimate.
TH supports military intervention in Libya.
THW reintroduce the Sunshine Policy towards North Korea.
Round 5: Movement
THW pay beggars to leave big cities.
TH rejects the confinement of refugees.
THBT countries should give open borders to traditionally nomadic groups.
Round 6: Religion
THBT fear should not be used as a means of propagating religion to children.
THW ban religious preaching in public places.
THW ban religious groups from lobbying.
Round 7: Adam and/or Eve
THBT governments of developed countries should incentivize overseas adoption from Least Developed Countries
THW introduce affirmative action for sexual minorities (LGBT)
THBT mandatory military service should include women
Octo finals: Media
THBT governments sponsorship of TV shows that promote its agendas is justified.
THW disallow the making of biographical movies without the consent of the subject or his legal heir.
THW not give awards to celebs who glorify or openly use drugs.
Quarter finals: Law
THBT states should remove diplomatic immunity for judicial fairness.
THBT states should pay compensation to criminals who are acquitted after appeal.
THW ban the media from airing opinions on ongoing court trials
Semi Finals: Health and Medicine
THW deny healthcare to those who engage in illegal organ trading.
THW allow drug companies to advertize their products only to doctors.
THW ban research on behavior modification.
Grand Finals: Culture and Society
THBT cultural compatibility is legitimate grounds for differential immigration policies.
THBT it is justified for governments to destroy historical evidence which can cause social unrest.
TH supports state initiatives to define a national cultural identity.
I hope everyone had fun here in Melaka. If there is a 4th MDO, we'll be looking forward to see all of you again next year!
Warm Regards,
Alexander Loh,
Chief Adjudicator,
3rd Malaysia Debate Open,
Multimedia University Melaka.
I would like extend my utmost gratitude and thanks to the three deputy chief adjudicator (Skanda Prasad, Tasneem Elias and Ahyoung Kim), conveners (Sarah Quin and Sha-maine), tournament directors (Ila and Kumar), the tab team (headed by Latif), organizing and working committee for making all this possible. These individuals had sacrificed partying/sleep/classes to make this event a success. Also equally important, I was like to personally thank all the participants, both debaters and adjudicator for coming and made the past few days a really memorable experience.
The tournament this year saw a significant number of composite teams and incredibly strong pool of debaters/adjudicators. Hence, a big congratulations to team Powerpuff Girls (Shiveena, Gica and Ces) for winning the championship and to Logan from Dog Curry (Tate, Nam Chul, Logan) for grabbing both the best grand final and best overall speaker award.
The list of the breaking teams and the top 10 speakers:
Champions: Powerpuff Girls (Shiveena Paramanand, Gica Mangahas and Cecile Gotamco)
Finalist: Dog Curry (Tate, Nam Chul Kim, Logan)
Semi-Finalists: Sugarfree (Rolan Garcia, Dani de Castro, Jayson Maulit) and Team Sum ( Kanna, Reuban, Syed Arafat)
Quarter Finalists: IIUM 2 (Habib, Azrul, Azri), IIUM 3 (Irzal, Sarah, Senad), Ateneo X (Walter, James, Allan) and NTU 1 (Arvind, Rohan, Milind)
Octo Finalists: LAG (Groobie, Lavania, Timothy), MIDP 1Msia (Hafiz, Tubby, Sooch), NUS (Ashok, Sadhana, Aji), NLSIU 1 (Aniruddha, Anil, Dibyojyoti), Two and a half girls (Aina, Aerie, Mai), Obamamamas (Ain, Izzat, Atiq), Waseda (Kowa, Marie, Takeru)
Top 10 speakers:
1) Logan
2) Tate
3) Timothy Andrew
4) Dani De Castro
5) Tubby
6) Gica Mangahas
7) Rolan Garcia
7) Jayson Maulit
9) Iqbal Hafiedz
9) Suchar
The full speaker and team tabs are available at http://malaysiadebateopen.com/?page_id=15.
Motions:
Demo Debate:
THW prioritize military veterans for jobs.
Round 1: Malaysia Boleh!
THBT religious conversion should not be a pre-requisite for marriage.
THW allow political parties to announce alliances only before elections.
THW abolish unnatural sex laws (oral/anal sex).
Round 2: Food
THBT countries with overall food shortage should not join the race for bio-fuels.
THW ban speculative trading on food products.
THW penalize corporations that waste food.
Round 3: Animals
THBT PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) should only accept vegetarians as members.
THW ban the neutering of pets.
THW allow the sale of parts of endangered animals which die natural deaths.
Round 4: IR
THBT the West would recognize Palestinian attacks on Israeli settlements as legitimate.
TH supports military intervention in Libya.
THW reintroduce the Sunshine Policy towards North Korea.
Round 5: Movement
THW pay beggars to leave big cities.
TH rejects the confinement of refugees.
THBT countries should give open borders to traditionally nomadic groups.
Round 6: Religion
THBT fear should not be used as a means of propagating religion to children.
THW ban religious preaching in public places.
THW ban religious groups from lobbying.
Round 7: Adam and/or Eve
THBT governments of developed countries should incentivize overseas adoption from Least Developed Countries
THW introduce affirmative action for sexual minorities (LGBT)
THBT mandatory military service should include women
Octo finals: Media
THBT governments sponsorship of TV shows that promote its agendas is justified.
THW disallow the making of biographical movies without the consent of the subject or his legal heir.
THW not give awards to celebs who glorify or openly use drugs.
Quarter finals: Law
THBT states should remove diplomatic immunity for judicial fairness.
THBT states should pay compensation to criminals who are acquitted after appeal.
THW ban the media from airing opinions on ongoing court trials
Semi Finals: Health and Medicine
THW deny healthcare to those who engage in illegal organ trading.
THW allow drug companies to advertize their products only to doctors.
THW ban research on behavior modification.
Grand Finals: Culture and Society
THBT cultural compatibility is legitimate grounds for differential immigration policies.
THBT it is justified for governments to destroy historical evidence which can cause social unrest.
TH supports state initiatives to define a national cultural identity.
I hope everyone had fun here in Melaka. If there is a 4th MDO, we'll be looking forward to see all of you again next year!
Warm Regards,
Alexander Loh,
Chief Adjudicator,
3rd Malaysia Debate Open,
Multimedia University Melaka.
Strategy Competition
This post isn't strictly about a debating event but it could be a useful tool for people to practice their strategic thinking in debates. Also debaters used to thinking strategically about proposals may be in with a good chance of winning.
Wikistrat is holding it's first International Grand Strategy Competition later this year and there's a strong crossover between the skills of debating and this tournament, despite being in a written format.
The whole event takes place online, there are no entry fees, and the team ranking #1 will receive a $10,000 USD as a cash prize.
Ideally participants will come from an international relations or political science background as they will be proposing country strategies and foreign policy.
More information and to register interest: http://about.wikistrat.com/strategy-competition/
Thanks again,
Daniel Green
Wikistrat is holding it's first International Grand Strategy Competition later this year and there's a strong crossover between the skills of debating and this tournament, despite being in a written format.
The whole event takes place online, there are no entry fees, and the team ranking #1 will receive a $10,000 USD as a cash prize.
Ideally participants will come from an international relations or political science background as they will be proposing country strategies and foreign policy.
More information and to register interest: http://about.wikistrat.com/strategy-competition/
Thanks again,
Daniel Green
ASDC III: First Phase of Registration
Ewha Debating Initiative Society (EDiS) and the Daewon Debate Team (DDT) invite your institution to Asian Schools Debate Championship 2011: Seoul. The tournament was found by De La Salle Debate Society (LSDS) to galvanize the Asian high school debate community by bringing them together for an agora of intellectual and cultural discourse.
Though the tournament is on its third year, this is the first time that it will be hosted outside of the Philippines. In 2011, the prominent tournament will be hosted in South Korea’s metropolis capital, Seoul from July 22nd to 28th. Already, more than a hundred participants from 23 institutions from 10 different countries have registered.
The debates will be in the Asians format with 7 preliminary rounds in a league format and the top 16 teams will compete for the championship in a tournament format. Furthermore, the tournament will include a culture banquet, break night and championship dinner, and a tour of Seoul.
Should there be any questions about the tournament, please contact us at asdc2011seoul@gmail.com. Also, please check our facebook page: ASDC 2011: Seoul. The official website for the tournament is on its way, but the organizing committee wanted to receive registration as soon as possible in order to deliver the best logistics possible by receiving the necessary information early.
Please join us in our efforts to support the empowerment of future Asian leaders and their development. We look forward to seeing your institution in Seoul this July for our competition.
Thank you,
Jeewon Yoo
Convener
Daewon Foreign Language High School ‘11
Though the tournament is on its third year, this is the first time that it will be hosted outside of the Philippines. In 2011, the prominent tournament will be hosted in South Korea’s metropolis capital, Seoul from July 22nd to 28th. Already, more than a hundred participants from 23 institutions from 10 different countries have registered.
The debates will be in the Asians format with 7 preliminary rounds in a league format and the top 16 teams will compete for the championship in a tournament format. Furthermore, the tournament will include a culture banquet, break night and championship dinner, and a tour of Seoul.
Should there be any questions about the tournament, please contact us at asdc2011seoul@gmail.com. Also, please check our facebook page: ASDC 2011: Seoul. The official website for the tournament is on its way, but the organizing committee wanted to receive registration as soon as possible in order to deliver the best logistics possible by receiving the necessary information early.
Please join us in our efforts to support the empowerment of future Asian leaders and their development. We look forward to seeing your institution in Seoul this July for our competition.
Thank you,
Jeewon Yoo
Convener
Daewon Foreign Language High School ‘11
Selasa, 08 Maret 2011
Nigerian Nationals 2011
Debate and Development Resource Center, Nigeria, the coordinator of Nigerian Debate Movement and University of Calabar Debate Club is proud to organize Nigeria Universities Debating Championship (The Nigerian Nationals-2011) to be held in University of Calabar, on August 13-19, 2011.
This year edition promises to bring together top debate teams and student public speakers from across the country and other West African neighbors like Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Gambia and offer them all a unique chance to interact with each other and engage in fun and high intensity student tournament. This will also be a wonderful opportunity for all the teams to experience the new styles of international debating and explore the peaceful city of Calabar. We therefore invite university students as well as Secondary school students to apply for this week -long debate talent hunt: There will be a parallel tournament so as to allow both students from the universities and high schools to benefit from this tournament so as to spread the culture of debating.
The event would also bring top trainers and adjudicators from Botswana, US and UK.
Programmes: Training, Debate, cultural exposition, public speaking, conference and interactive show with leaders in business, civil society and government. This debating championship will provide a forum in which Nigeria and West African students can be exposed to new ideas, discuss a range of topical issues and be challenged to think critically. This tournament will also be used to elect members in Nigeria Debate Movement Board which will facilitate the dissemination of training materials, coordinate Nigeria Debating events and organize trainings, all to ensure sustainability and spread of debate across Nigeria.
The conference will welcome scholars and educators from diverse fields for vigorous dialogue and exchange. We intend for the conference to welcome all who are involved in public discussions and debates about different issues in Nigeria and internationally. We also expect students from the following faculties; Law, Business, Marketing and communication to seize this opportunity to learn the skills on argumentation and rhetoric, debate and critical thinking, . We will be bringing international experts to handle all the sessions.
Registration: $25 per person for Nigerian students and $65 for international participants. This would cover all the boarding & lodging arrangements, meals for 6 days, all competition venues and transportation, social events, opening and breaking night parties, cultural expo night/talent hunt and a visit to the tourist locations. It also includes a speaker and coach training workshop for 2 days and adjudication tests. Each school can only enter up to 5 participants with a coach. Students from Senior and Junior secondary schools who completed school in the last six months and are not yet registered at a tertiary institution are eligible to participate as representative of their former school
Prizes: The winner for both University and Secondary schools categories will win the maiden Nigerian Champion of Champions Cup.
The best Speaker- Public Speaker Cup
The best Judge Award
Debate Format: British Parliamentary
Registration Deadline: July 1st, 2011.
Registration procedures: Register here with this link and send us an intent email to registration@debatenigeria.org if you have any question or requesting for Bank information.
This championship promises to be thrilling, exciting and adventurous
…. Don’t miss out 200 Debaters, 1 Champion
Debate Nigeria
This year edition promises to bring together top debate teams and student public speakers from across the country and other West African neighbors like Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Gambia and offer them all a unique chance to interact with each other and engage in fun and high intensity student tournament. This will also be a wonderful opportunity for all the teams to experience the new styles of international debating and explore the peaceful city of Calabar. We therefore invite university students as well as Secondary school students to apply for this week -long debate talent hunt: There will be a parallel tournament so as to allow both students from the universities and high schools to benefit from this tournament so as to spread the culture of debating.
The event would also bring top trainers and adjudicators from Botswana, US and UK.
Programmes: Training, Debate, cultural exposition, public speaking, conference and interactive show with leaders in business, civil society and government. This debating championship will provide a forum in which Nigeria and West African students can be exposed to new ideas, discuss a range of topical issues and be challenged to think critically. This tournament will also be used to elect members in Nigeria Debate Movement Board which will facilitate the dissemination of training materials, coordinate Nigeria Debating events and organize trainings, all to ensure sustainability and spread of debate across Nigeria.
The conference will welcome scholars and educators from diverse fields for vigorous dialogue and exchange. We intend for the conference to welcome all who are involved in public discussions and debates about different issues in Nigeria and internationally. We also expect students from the following faculties; Law, Business, Marketing and communication to seize this opportunity to learn the skills on argumentation and rhetoric, debate and critical thinking, . We will be bringing international experts to handle all the sessions.
Registration: $25 per person for Nigerian students and $65 for international participants. This would cover all the boarding & lodging arrangements, meals for 6 days, all competition venues and transportation, social events, opening and breaking night parties, cultural expo night/talent hunt and a visit to the tourist locations. It also includes a speaker and coach training workshop for 2 days and adjudication tests. Each school can only enter up to 5 participants with a coach. Students from Senior and Junior secondary schools who completed school in the last six months and are not yet registered at a tertiary institution are eligible to participate as representative of their former school
Prizes: The winner for both University and Secondary schools categories will win the maiden Nigerian Champion of Champions Cup.
The best Speaker- Public Speaker Cup
The best Judge Award
Debate Format: British Parliamentary
Registration Deadline: July 1st, 2011.
Registration procedures: Register here with this link and send us an intent email to registration@debatenigeria.org if you have any question or requesting for Bank information.
This championship promises to be thrilling, exciting and adventurous
…. Don’t miss out 200 Debaters, 1 Champion
Debate Nigeria
Senin, 07 Maret 2011
New debating podcasts available
During the World Debate Forum held in Botswana in January 2011 many African debate organizers said that they needed basic training materials, but that the poor conditions of local Internet connectivity made it difficult for them to use videos. As a solution, Alfred Snider (World Debate Institute and Debate Central) volunteered to take video training files and turn them into audio only, then organize them and make them available for download.
http://debate.uvm.edu/low.html
The podcasts include presentations from the World Schools Debate Academy, International Debate Academy, East Debate Institute, the World Debate Institute's world schools session and the Serbia Debate Academy. There are also two WUDC format debates from the USA and two WSDC format debates from Europe. They are available as mp3 files. Download them, load them up in any mp3 player, and enjoy.
http://debate.uvm.edu/low.html
The podcasts include presentations from the World Schools Debate Academy, International Debate Academy, East Debate Institute, the World Debate Institute's world schools session and the Serbia Debate Academy. There are also two WUDC format debates from the USA and two WSDC format debates from Europe. They are available as mp3 files. Download them, load them up in any mp3 player, and enjoy.
Minggu, 06 Maret 2011
Some brief snippets of news
A few interesting but brief updates popped up on my google reader this morning. Rather than post them separately I'll combine them together into one post.
- According to Cambridge student newspaper The Tab WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will address Cambridge Union Debating Society on Tuesday, March 15. Should be an interesting debate if you are in the Cambridge area.
- You may have seen the post with a link to videos from the Vienna IV over the weekend. You may even have watched some of the debates on line. Well the overall result was a victory for the Colgate team of Austin Schwartz and Travis Steele. In the final they beat Galatasaray (Engin Arikan & Denizhan Kilic) Heidelberg (Jan Lüken & Marcus Ewald), Belgrade (Goran Jankuloski & Tijana Mejalkovic).
The motion was This house believes that parties’ electoral campaigns should only be funded by the state.
You can find the video of the final plus the full results at http://viv11.debattierklubwien.at/
- Finally the University of Limerick Debating Union will be awarding it's annual Auditor's medal for contribution to discourse and debating to Dr Garret Fitzgerald, former Taoiseach of Ireland,. The presentation will be made to Dr Fitzgerald on Thursday 10th March in UL. All going well I plan to attend.
- According to Cambridge student newspaper The Tab WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will address Cambridge Union Debating Society on Tuesday, March 15. Should be an interesting debate if you are in the Cambridge area.
 |
| Vienna IV winners |
The motion was This house believes that parties’ electoral campaigns should only be funded by the state.
You can find the video of the final plus the full results at http://viv11.debattierklubwien.at/
- Finally the University of Limerick Debating Union will be awarding it's annual Auditor's medal for contribution to discourse and debating to Dr Garret Fitzgerald, former Taoiseach of Ireland,. The presentation will be made to Dr Fitzgerald on Thursday 10th March in UL. All going well I plan to attend.
Live debates from Vienna IV
Visit http://www.ustream.tv/channel/vienna-iv-2011 or http://viv11.debattierklubwien.at/ to follow the debates.
Jumat, 04 Maret 2011
Worlds Magazine 3rd Issue
The third issue of the De La Salle Worlds Magazine has just been released. It contains a number of interesting articles including an interview with their co-CA, Sam Block, and one of the DCAs, Art Ward. Other important updates (registration dates etc) can also be found in the same issue.
Kamis, 03 Maret 2011
Q&A Debating for "adults"
Here is another question and answer from my e-mail archive. This one is a common question because once people finish college there really isn't an option for them to continue debating. The question is about Ireland but I think it can apply to almost any country. Perhaps a few of us should get together and set something up but in the meantime I hope this is useful to someone.
I am looking to join a debating club/ public speaking club for adults in Dublin. Do you know of one?
Thank you
Debating: I’ve looked a couple of times to see if is a debating club for adults and actually it tends to be a very rare. They pop up every now and then but often they are run to a political agenda (I have seen a few socialist debating clubs advertise events and I know Ogra Fianna Fail do some debating but you aren’t really going to get a diverse range of opinions in events like these).
Some organisations like Macra na Feirme and Junior Chambers hold debating competitions but that’s only an offshoot of their core activities. I came across a Dublin Debating Society a few years ago as they were debating against a Toastmasters club. However I haven’t heard anything about them in a long time and can find no trace of them on line now.
Given the popularity of debating in college I’m always surprised how there isn’t more debating for adults. I once looked as setting one up in Limerick but found that there was not a lot of interest from the general public and we didn’t even have enough people to hold a debate let alone have an audience. I think the key is to have regular interesting guest speakers to attract a crowd and from that crowd the membership will develop. Unlike Limerick a club in Dublin would have a much greater pool of interesting speakers to call on but no one ever seems to have tried setting one up. I know there are clubs in London, Toronto, Singapore etc that seem to do quite well.
Public speaking: I’ve already mentioned Toastmasters above. Toastmasters are often looked down on by university debating and certainly its a very different atmosphere and philosophy. However it is the only world wide organisation catering for public speaking. I think this might be an option you should try. A typical toastmasters meeting contains both impromptu short speeches and longer prepared speeches. It’s an interesting mix that seems to suit most people. You will get to make a impromptu “table topics” speech at every week. No one is forced to speak so if you don’t want to you don’t have to but in general once people have settled in they tend to be happy to take part.
Then 3-4 times a year you make a longer prepared speech based on a training manual which develops your public speaking style over 10 modules. Feedback is given by an assigned evaluator (and by the general audience in the form of feedback notes) but in a very encouraging positive way. Once you have completed the first manual of 10 modules there are a number of other shorter manuals you can then take up to develop other areas (e.g. business communication).
I believe the key thing about Toastmasters is finding a club that suits you. The first club I went to was the original club in my city. The member profile was on the older side (I would say the average age was late 40s). There is nothing wrong with that but I was in my 20s and didn’t really feel comfortable there. After that I tried a newer club in Limerick (there are 3-4 in the city) and there I found the member profile much younger and really enjoyed the company of the people there (I actually met my wife there, but that’s another story).
I recommend looking at your local newspapers and see what toastmaster clubs are near you (or try http://www.toastmasters.com/ to find a list of clubs). Don’t feel obliged to join the one closest to you. You can normally attend 3 meetings as a guest without joining so you can see if you like the atmosphere and the people. If you don’t feel comfortable there then try another club. Hopefully you will find one that you like.
I hope that gives you some guidance. If there is anything more I can do to help let me know. If you want clarification on anything above let me know.
Regards,
Colm
Question:
Hi ColmI am looking to join a debating club/ public speaking club for adults in Dublin. Do you know of one?
Thank you
XXXX
Answer:
Hi Xxxx,This is actually a very common question but not one I have an easy answer for. I’ll split my answer to your question into two areas Debating and Public speaking. For debating the options are not very good but for public speaking things are a bit more hopeful.
Debating: I’ve looked a couple of times to see if is a debating club for adults and actually it tends to be a very rare. They pop up every now and then but often they are run to a political agenda (I have seen a few socialist debating clubs advertise events and I know Ogra Fianna Fail do some debating but you aren’t really going to get a diverse range of opinions in events like these). Some organisations like Macra na Feirme and Junior Chambers hold debating competitions but that’s only an offshoot of their core activities. I came across a Dublin Debating Society a few years ago as they were debating against a Toastmasters club. However I haven’t heard anything about them in a long time and can find no trace of them on line now.
Given the popularity of debating in college I’m always surprised how there isn’t more debating for adults. I once looked as setting one up in Limerick but found that there was not a lot of interest from the general public and we didn’t even have enough people to hold a debate let alone have an audience. I think the key is to have regular interesting guest speakers to attract a crowd and from that crowd the membership will develop. Unlike Limerick a club in Dublin would have a much greater pool of interesting speakers to call on but no one ever seems to have tried setting one up. I know there are clubs in London, Toronto, Singapore etc that seem to do quite well.
Public speaking: I’ve already mentioned Toastmasters above. Toastmasters are often looked down on by university debating and certainly its a very different atmosphere and philosophy. However it is the only world wide organisation catering for public speaking. I think this might be an option you should try. A typical toastmasters meeting contains both impromptu short speeches and longer prepared speeches. It’s an interesting mix that seems to suit most people. You will get to make a impromptu “table topics” speech at every week. No one is forced to speak so if you don’t want to you don’t have to but in general once people have settled in they tend to be happy to take part.
Then 3-4 times a year you make a longer prepared speech based on a training manual which develops your public speaking style over 10 modules. Feedback is given by an assigned evaluator (and by the general audience in the form of feedback notes) but in a very encouraging positive way. Once you have completed the first manual of 10 modules there are a number of other shorter manuals you can then take up to develop other areas (e.g. business communication).
I believe the key thing about Toastmasters is finding a club that suits you. The first club I went to was the original club in my city. The member profile was on the older side (I would say the average age was late 40s). There is nothing wrong with that but I was in my 20s and didn’t really feel comfortable there. After that I tried a newer club in Limerick (there are 3-4 in the city) and there I found the member profile much younger and really enjoyed the company of the people there (I actually met my wife there, but that’s another story).
I recommend looking at your local newspapers and see what toastmaster clubs are near you (or try http://www.toastmasters.com/ to find a list of clubs). Don’t feel obliged to join the one closest to you. You can normally attend 3 meetings as a guest without joining so you can see if you like the atmosphere and the people. If you don’t feel comfortable there then try another club. Hopefully you will find one that you like.
I hope that gives you some guidance. If there is anything more I can do to help let me know. If you want clarification on anything above let me know.
Regards,
Colm
Last week for travel subsidies to judge in China!
Frist, thanks to all who have already submitted applications for adjudicator positions at the FLTRP Cup. We will make our first-round assessments for travel subsidies for adjudicators interested in attending the FLTRP Cup on March 10. If you have not submitted your application by this date you will likely miss out on available travel subsidy funds. Please visit http://www.chinadebate.org/Adjudicator.asp to apply.
The Foreign Languages Teaching and Research Press (FLTRP), organizer of the most prestigious English language debating tournament in China, invites you participate as a guest adjudicator at the 15th FLTRP Cup National English Debating Championship. The FLTRP Cup will be held May 7-14, 2011 at the FLTRP’s Convention Center in Beijing.
To apply to be an adjudicator, please visit: http://www.chinadebate.org/Adjudicator.asp
Last year, the FLTRP Cup made a successful transition to the British Parliamentary format, the style of debating employed by the World Universities Debating Championships. This transition was critical to connecting Chinese universities to the world of international debating and required the cooperation of volunteers willing to contribute their experience as adjudicators to the effort. We had an outstanding group of adjudicators attend, including Jess Prince (Canada), Sam Greenland (Australia), Josh Martin (USA), Stephen Boyle (Ireland), Lars Duursma (the Netherlands), Uri Merhav (Israel), Loke Wing Fatt (Singapore), Filip Dobranic (Slovenia), Jason Rogers (Canada), Justice Motlhabani (Botswana) and Monica Ferris (Canada) just to name a few. To continue the progress made last year, we are even more committed to bringing qualified adjudicators to this year's tournament.
Though the competition is open only to Chinese university students, there is a great need for skilled adjudicators to ensure that the standards of the BP style are upheld. To encourage you to participate in this effort, the FLTRP is sponsoring an incentive package for all qualified adjudicators with significant BP experience who agree to adjudicate at the 15th FLTRP Cup. All qualified adjudicators will receive:
· Scheduled transfers from Beijing airport to the FLTRP Convention Center (May 7)
· Hotel at the FLTRP Convention Center (May 7-14)
· All meals while at the Convention Center (May 7-14)
· Transfer to downtown Beijing (May 14)
· Hotel in downtown Beijing (May 14-17)
· Tours of major sites like the Great Wall & Forbidden City (May 15-16)
· Some meals while in downtown Beijing (May 15-16)
· Transfers to airport on May 17
Additionally, we will offer partial air travel subsidies to select qualified adjudicators.
The FLTRP Cup is the oldest, largest and most celebrated intercollegiate debating competition in China. Since it’s inception, the FLTRP Cup has been a major sponsor of intercollegiate debating in China and is on the forefront of promoting open discourse and intellectual exchange among the best and brightest of Chinese college students.
Questions may be directed to steve.johnson.alaska@gmail.com or to fltrpcup@gmail.com.
The Foreign Languages Teaching and Research Press (FLTRP), organizer of the most prestigious English language debating tournament in China, invites you participate as a guest adjudicator at the 15th FLTRP Cup National English Debating Championship. The FLTRP Cup will be held May 7-14, 2011 at the FLTRP’s Convention Center in Beijing.
To apply to be an adjudicator, please visit: http://www.chinadebate.org/Adjudicator.asp
Last year, the FLTRP Cup made a successful transition to the British Parliamentary format, the style of debating employed by the World Universities Debating Championships. This transition was critical to connecting Chinese universities to the world of international debating and required the cooperation of volunteers willing to contribute their experience as adjudicators to the effort. We had an outstanding group of adjudicators attend, including Jess Prince (Canada), Sam Greenland (Australia), Josh Martin (USA), Stephen Boyle (Ireland), Lars Duursma (the Netherlands), Uri Merhav (Israel), Loke Wing Fatt (Singapore), Filip Dobranic (Slovenia), Jason Rogers (Canada), Justice Motlhabani (Botswana) and Monica Ferris (Canada) just to name a few. To continue the progress made last year, we are even more committed to bringing qualified adjudicators to this year's tournament.
Though the competition is open only to Chinese university students, there is a great need for skilled adjudicators to ensure that the standards of the BP style are upheld. To encourage you to participate in this effort, the FLTRP is sponsoring an incentive package for all qualified adjudicators with significant BP experience who agree to adjudicate at the 15th FLTRP Cup. All qualified adjudicators will receive:
· Scheduled transfers from Beijing airport to the FLTRP Convention Center (May 7)
· Hotel at the FLTRP Convention Center (May 7-14)
· All meals while at the Convention Center (May 7-14)
· Transfer to downtown Beijing (May 14)
· Hotel in downtown Beijing (May 14-17)
· Tours of major sites like the Great Wall & Forbidden City (May 15-16)
· Some meals while in downtown Beijing (May 15-16)
· Transfers to airport on May 17
Additionally, we will offer partial air travel subsidies to select qualified adjudicators.
The FLTRP Cup is the oldest, largest and most celebrated intercollegiate debating competition in China. Since it’s inception, the FLTRP Cup has been a major sponsor of intercollegiate debating in China and is on the forefront of promoting open discourse and intellectual exchange among the best and brightest of Chinese college students.
Questions may be directed to steve.johnson.alaska@gmail.com or to fltrpcup@gmail.com.
Rabu, 02 Maret 2011
Q&A Confidence hit in "second season"
Here is the next Q&A e-mail I came across in my clean up of my e-mails. I suspect this is a common problem as a lot of speakers find they do well as freshers/maidens but find it difficult when they reach second year and are expected to compete against senior speakers.
Hi Colm,
I have also been told that while I have the basics of analysis and structure to my speech it is only mediocre. Again would you have anything to show me on that ?
Regards,
XXXX
Without having seen you speak it's hard to say what are your strengths and weaknesses. You say you know the basics and that's good to start with. After that the the main thing is practice. There really is no replacement for it. Debating is like any skill. The more you practice it the better you get. A lot of the reason for that is there isn't a check list that can be applied to every debate. Sure there is the basic stuff but after that every debate is different. The definitions, the challenges, the arguments, the rebuttal etc or the lack of any of these all change the course of the debate. You have to go through this time and again to learn the differences. In the likes of Oxford, Sydney etc they will have several debates and workshops a week and competitions at the weekends so some speakers (in particular in the run up to Worlds) are practicing 2-3 times a week and debating 5-7 times at the weekend.
OK so that's not a very helpful suggestion on the debating stuff. Practice. Anyone could have told you that. One other thing strikes me on your e-mail though. "I'm still pretty shit" "I am still sloppy" "I'm afraid", "only mediocre", "bogged down". Your confidence is shot!
That's fine. That's fixable. I was there in my debating career. I didn't think I was good enough and therefore I was not good enough for a very long time. What you need to do is build up something that can be the core strength of your debating ability. Something that can be your crutch that you can mentally go to when you walk into a room and look at the others in there and say to yourself "I'm better than everyone else here at.......". For some people it is their speaking style, For some people it is their analytical ability. For some people it is their depth of knowledge.
If you can do that in one area your confidence will improve. If your confidence improves you will become more persuasive. If you become more persuasive you will win more debates. If you win more debates your confidence improves and so on.
So what do you do. Well the easiest is to start to work on your knowledge. I don't know if case files are still common on the circuit. They go through phases when they are seen as essential and when they are seen as naff. In the times when it's naff those people in the final with backpacks. They are hiding their case files in the backpacks. You are not going to know everything about the huge range of topics we expect debaters to be able to argue so you need to have a case file of information.
Do you have your Times or Mace motion yet? If you do start working on those. Read about the subject. What's the background to the topic. Understand the issues on BOTH sides. Get the best articles you can find on the subject and summarise the main points. Attach the summary and the key articles together and there is your first file of knowledge. Don't try to memorise it. This isn't an exam. Understand what you are reading then file the sheets so you can get the info out when you need it.
Now once you have done your times and mace debates move on to the motions that were at UCD. After that the motions at Oxford and Cambridge. Start reading the paper every day. If you have some free time instead of listening to music listen to a news show on the radio at least once a day. It's probably only 30 minutes to get the main issues and you will be surprised what sinks in. Over time you will build up your knowledge base so that you can walk into a room and realise that you know more about this topic than everyone else in there.
Now how do you apply that knowledge. For that look at http://worlddebating.blogspot.com/2005/12/preparing-for-worlds-3-first.html. The basic principle of how to think about your argument What is this Debate really about? What is usually required to win this debate? What can we add to the debate that hasn’t already been said? Are our arguments convincing? Are our examples good & getting to the heart of the issue or simply taking up time?
If you have the knowledge and ask yourself those sort of questions about your argument you will find that your performances improve.
It's going to be a slog. Don't get disheartened. You are going to take some beatings over the next few months but hopefully you will see some progress as well. The best thing is to set yourself a target (say top half at a particular IV). That gives you something to aim for and a reasonable time frame to get the work done.
I hope some of that helped. Let me know how you get on.
Colm
Hi Colm,
I was looking at the guides for debating at KOC worlds, and I found them really interesting. The thing is, I've been debating for a year (I'm now a second year) and I'm still pretty shit but I really want to improve and I found that the advice on some stuff to be a little general for where I'm at. I'm not that bad, but I came pretty low on the tab at XXX and we have one or two really good first years who I'm afraid could out strip me this year !
I've been told my problem is that while I have the basics of stuff like role fulfillment and structure and I understand how it works, I am still sloppy and tend to forget about the more nuanced aspects of it. Would you have anything on that ?
Also, I am wondering if you have any advice on how to clear up messy debates ? Do you have any pointers on how to watch out for and recognise it and how to rectify it ? Or how to prevent creating one when in first prop ?
I know I'm already asking you a lot, but I also found your articles on first principles to be really interesting. Would you have any more guides on first principles and how I can improve my competence with bringing debates back to that ? That's where I could really gain, because I often get bogged down by weird motions and hence make dodgy points.
I'm sure you get a lot of emails like this so I'd be very grateful if you could respond.
Regards,
XXXX
Answer:
Hi XXXX,
I know where you're coming from. Some people seem to take it up very quickly but for most people it's a bit of a slog. I was not a good debater. It took me 3 years to even become average at debating. I think if I was to go back now I would be better but in reality it was hard work for me. I think the best way to think about it is like Golf. There are some golfers who can just pick up a club and do really well (Darren Clark) but there are others for whom it is a hard slog of work (Padraic Harrington). Both can be successful you just have to remember that just because you aren't a natural doesn't mean you can't win majors in the future.
Without having seen you speak it's hard to say what are your strengths and weaknesses. You say you know the basics and that's good to start with. After that the the main thing is practice. There really is no replacement for it. Debating is like any skill. The more you practice it the better you get. A lot of the reason for that is there isn't a check list that can be applied to every debate. Sure there is the basic stuff but after that every debate is different. The definitions, the challenges, the arguments, the rebuttal etc or the lack of any of these all change the course of the debate. You have to go through this time and again to learn the differences. In the likes of Oxford, Sydney etc they will have several debates and workshops a week and competitions at the weekends so some speakers (in particular in the run up to Worlds) are practicing 2-3 times a week and debating 5-7 times at the weekend.OK so that's not a very helpful suggestion on the debating stuff. Practice. Anyone could have told you that. One other thing strikes me on your e-mail though. "I'm still pretty shit" "I am still sloppy" "I'm afraid", "only mediocre", "bogged down". Your confidence is shot!
That's fine. That's fixable. I was there in my debating career. I didn't think I was good enough and therefore I was not good enough for a very long time. What you need to do is build up something that can be the core strength of your debating ability. Something that can be your crutch that you can mentally go to when you walk into a room and look at the others in there and say to yourself "I'm better than everyone else here at.......". For some people it is their speaking style, For some people it is their analytical ability. For some people it is their depth of knowledge.
If you can do that in one area your confidence will improve. If your confidence improves you will become more persuasive. If you become more persuasive you will win more debates. If you win more debates your confidence improves and so on.
So what do you do. Well the easiest is to start to work on your knowledge. I don't know if case files are still common on the circuit. They go through phases when they are seen as essential and when they are seen as naff. In the times when it's naff those people in the final with backpacks. They are hiding their case files in the backpacks. You are not going to know everything about the huge range of topics we expect debaters to be able to argue so you need to have a case file of information.
Do you have your Times or Mace motion yet? If you do start working on those. Read about the subject. What's the background to the topic. Understand the issues on BOTH sides. Get the best articles you can find on the subject and summarise the main points. Attach the summary and the key articles together and there is your first file of knowledge. Don't try to memorise it. This isn't an exam. Understand what you are reading then file the sheets so you can get the info out when you need it.
Now once you have done your times and mace debates move on to the motions that were at UCD. After that the motions at Oxford and Cambridge. Start reading the paper every day. If you have some free time instead of listening to music listen to a news show on the radio at least once a day. It's probably only 30 minutes to get the main issues and you will be surprised what sinks in. Over time you will build up your knowledge base so that you can walk into a room and realise that you know more about this topic than everyone else in there.
Now how do you apply that knowledge. For that look at http://worlddebating.blogspot.com/2005/12/preparing-for-worlds-3-first.html. The basic principle of how to think about your argument What is this Debate really about? What is usually required to win this debate? What can we add to the debate that hasn’t already been said? Are our arguments convincing? Are our examples good & getting to the heart of the issue or simply taking up time?
If you have the knowledge and ask yourself those sort of questions about your argument you will find that your performances improve.
It's going to be a slog. Don't get disheartened. You are going to take some beatings over the next few months but hopefully you will see some progress as well. The best thing is to set yourself a target (say top half at a particular IV). That gives you something to aim for and a reasonable time frame to get the work done.
I hope some of that helped. Let me know how you get on.
Colm
Results of Frank Thakur Das Memorial Debate, India
The Frank Thakur Das Memorial Debate was recently held at Mal College, Delhi University, India
The winners were Ramjas B (Karandeep Aazan Khanna & Kapilan Mahalingam) while the runners up were Ramjas A (Shobhit Nanda & Rohan Kochar)
The motions were:
Round 1
1. Festivals : THBT commercialization of festivals is good
2. Fasting : THW ban religious fasts unto death
3. Faith: THW use faith based rehabs in prisons.
Round 2
1. National Anthem: THW not force children to sing the national anthem in schools
2. Cultural Societies: THBT cultural societies should tax their members’ earnings.
3. G.I Joes: THBT parents should not give their children GI Joes and other war toys (tanks, guns, submarines, grenades etc)
Round 3
1. Bosses / Subordinates: THBT bosses should be held accountable for corruption activities of their subordinates
2. Espionage: THW decriminalize corporate espionage
3. Rashtrapati Bhawan: THW rent rooms in the Rashtrapati Bhawan (president’s residence)
Round 4 – Fictitious Setting
1. Superheroes : THBT all individuals with superpowers should be de-powered
2. Harry Potter: THBT Aurors should be allowed to use all unforgiveable curses at all times
3. Archies: THBT the makers of Archies should create a homosexual Love story.
Round 5
1. Gujarat : THW legalize the sale of alcohol at competitive prices in Gujarat
2. No man Left Behind: THW discard the no man left behind policy
3. Voter Rights: THW grant voters the right to recall.
Round 6
1. Illegal Immigrants: THW grant birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants
2. Ex-Rebels: THBT ex-rebels should not be integrated into state security forces.
3. Scientists & Researchers: THBT full time scientists and researchers should not pay tax on their salaries.
Quarters
1. Black Money: THW allow citizens to transfer black money into white without the fear of prosecution
2. Lifestyle Choices: THBT the government should restrict lifestyle choices to combat climate change
3. Gender Discrimination: THBT religious bodies should not be allowed to discriminate on the basis of gender.
Semis
1. Material Advancement: THBT material advancement is more important than civil and political rights.
2. Koreas: THW reunify the Koreas
3. Islamic Dress: THBT the Arab world should stop selling oil to France until it removes restrictions on Islamic Dress
Finals
1. THBT Democracy is a luxury
2. THW create an international battlefield (war haven)
3. THBT a world where lying is impossible would be worse than one where it is possible.
Thanks to Devna Soni for ths info.
The winners were Ramjas B (Karandeep Aazan Khanna & Kapilan Mahalingam) while the runners up were Ramjas A (Shobhit Nanda & Rohan Kochar)
The motions were:
Round 1
1. Festivals : THBT commercialization of festivals is good
2. Fasting : THW ban religious fasts unto death
3. Faith: THW use faith based rehabs in prisons.
Round 2
1. National Anthem: THW not force children to sing the national anthem in schools
2. Cultural Societies: THBT cultural societies should tax their members’ earnings.
3. G.I Joes: THBT parents should not give their children GI Joes and other war toys (tanks, guns, submarines, grenades etc)
Round 3
1. Bosses / Subordinates: THBT bosses should be held accountable for corruption activities of their subordinates
2. Espionage: THW decriminalize corporate espionage
3. Rashtrapati Bhawan: THW rent rooms in the Rashtrapati Bhawan (president’s residence)
Round 4 – Fictitious Setting
1. Superheroes : THBT all individuals with superpowers should be de-powered
2. Harry Potter: THBT Aurors should be allowed to use all unforgiveable curses at all times
3. Archies: THBT the makers of Archies should create a homosexual Love story.
Round 5
1. Gujarat : THW legalize the sale of alcohol at competitive prices in Gujarat
2. No man Left Behind: THW discard the no man left behind policy
3. Voter Rights: THW grant voters the right to recall.
Round 6
1. Illegal Immigrants: THW grant birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants
2. Ex-Rebels: THBT ex-rebels should not be integrated into state security forces.
3. Scientists & Researchers: THBT full time scientists and researchers should not pay tax on their salaries.
Quarters
1. Black Money: THW allow citizens to transfer black money into white without the fear of prosecution
2. Lifestyle Choices: THBT the government should restrict lifestyle choices to combat climate change
3. Gender Discrimination: THBT religious bodies should not be allowed to discriminate on the basis of gender.
Semis
1. Material Advancement: THBT material advancement is more important than civil and political rights.
2. Koreas: THW reunify the Koreas
3. Islamic Dress: THBT the Arab world should stop selling oil to France until it removes restrictions on Islamic Dress
Finals
1. THBT Democracy is a luxury
2. THW create an international battlefield (war haven)
3. THBT a world where lying is impossible would be worse than one where it is possible.
Thanks to Devna Soni for ths info.
Q&A Points of information
You may recall that around the last World Championships I created a lot of posts with information from my computer archive. Continuing on this I'm working my way through my hotmail account and cleaning up years of messages in it. In this process I have come across a lot of questions I have been asked about debating and the replies I sent. I've decided to post some of them here for future reference. So to continue.....
Question: I have some questions points of information. I'll be doing the xxxx debate soon, so I'm just confused about them.
Should it be like a piece of rebuttal, or is it hust a simple piece of fact?
Plus, I made an absolute fool of myself last year by making NONE. I just got shy, and I was trying to come up with full rebuttal sections, but by the time that I had them finished, they had moved onto another point.
To address some of your specific queries you asked is it a piece of rebuttal or a fact. It can be either, neither or many other things. That probably doesn't seem like it help but my advice is this : if you are just starting out don't tie yourself up in knots worrying about what makes a good point of information. There are some very simple things to do as a beginner:
- If you think of something to say then offer a point with it. It doesn't matter if you think you sound stupid because they very rarely are stupid. Get up there and offer it.
- Research your motion. Know it as well as you can and then listen carefully to what the other side are saying. You will find that the better you know the subject the more flaws you spot in the opposition speeches and these are what you can offer points on.
- A point of info is just like an interjection you make in a conversation with your friends. It could be a fact, a joke, a disagreement (i.e. rebuttal) whatever comes naturally in the conversation. The same applies to the POI.
- Don't sit there over analysing your points of information. Does it hit the right issue, is it worded correctly, is it backing up my case, will I look stupid. Just offer it. You will find if you trust your first instinct then 90% of the time you will get it right.
- Like any skill in debating practice makes perfect. Don’t expect to be offering killer points of information in your first year debating. Keep offering them and as your skill and confidence increase your points of information will become better and better.
Now some things to avoid in your Point of Information
- Don't go over 15 seconds. They can be as short as you like (if you offer a point in 5 seconds then there is a chance the speaker wasn't listening and was looking at his/her speech and then they look stupd) but don't go over 15 secs as the chair will cut you off and you may not have made the point.
- Be relevant to what they are saying at the time. Don't try to drag them back to a point back in their speech. It looks bad and indicates that you are struggling to keep up with what they are saying. If you think of a good rebuttal point but the speaker has moved on to another issue then just note it down and use it for your rebuttal in your speech. If you have already spoken note it and hope someone else on their side makes the point again. If that person is the last speaker and you don't get to make the point don't worry about it. That will happen to you dozens of times in your speaking career.
Question: I have some questions points of information. I'll be doing the xxxx debate soon, so I'm just confused about them.
What should their content be?
Is it ok to stand up and tell the speaker that you don't agree with their point, to tell them that their explanation is bad?Should it be like a piece of rebuttal, or is it hust a simple piece of fact?
Plus, I made an absolute fool of myself last year by making NONE. I just got shy, and I was trying to come up with full rebuttal sections, but by the time that I had them finished, they had moved onto another point.
By the way, is it ok to give a point of information on a point that the speaker has moved on from?
Answer:
First of all I'll direct you to my training article on points of information. http://worlddebating.blogspot.com/2007/09/tips-points-of-info.html. That will cover the specifics of how and when to offer a point. 
To address some of your specific queries you asked is it a piece of rebuttal or a fact. It can be either, neither or many other things. That probably doesn't seem like it help but my advice is this : if you are just starting out don't tie yourself up in knots worrying about what makes a good point of information. There are some very simple things to do as a beginner: - If you think of something to say then offer a point with it. It doesn't matter if you think you sound stupid because they very rarely are stupid. Get up there and offer it.
- Research your motion. Know it as well as you can and then listen carefully to what the other side are saying. You will find that the better you know the subject the more flaws you spot in the opposition speeches and these are what you can offer points on.
- A point of info is just like an interjection you make in a conversation with your friends. It could be a fact, a joke, a disagreement (i.e. rebuttal) whatever comes naturally in the conversation. The same applies to the POI.
- Don't sit there over analysing your points of information. Does it hit the right issue, is it worded correctly, is it backing up my case, will I look stupid. Just offer it. You will find if you trust your first instinct then 90% of the time you will get it right.
- Like any skill in debating practice makes perfect. Don’t expect to be offering killer points of information in your first year debating. Keep offering them and as your skill and confidence increase your points of information will become better and better.
Now some things to avoid in your Point of Information
- Don't go over 15 seconds. They can be as short as you like (if you offer a point in 5 seconds then there is a chance the speaker wasn't listening and was looking at his/her speech and then they look stupd) but don't go over 15 secs as the chair will cut you off and you may not have made the point.
- Be relevant to what they are saying at the time. Don't try to drag them back to a point back in their speech. It looks bad and indicates that you are struggling to keep up with what they are saying. If you think of a good rebuttal point but the speaker has moved on to another issue then just note it down and use it for your rebuttal in your speech. If you have already spoken note it and hope someone else on their side makes the point again. If that person is the last speaker and you don't get to make the point don't worry about it. That will happen to you dozens of times in your speaking career.
Selasa, 01 Maret 2011
Register for Galway Euros TODAY!
We would like to remind all institutions that the re-registration for Galway EUDC 2011 will take place Wednesday 2nd March, as has been advertised and previously communicated. The team cap will fill up very quickly therefore we want to be quite clear that registration will open at exactly 12 noon GMT. (12pm Galway, London, Lisbon. 1pm Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin. 2pm Athens, Ankara, Tallinn. 3pm Moscow, Doha) Registration will remain open for only 24 hours on this occasion, as we are confident that this will capture the vast majority of entrants, and that our team cap will be filled within this time. We will be accepting additional teams to the waiting list via emails to this address - only once registration has closed!
Only institutions need register in this first phase as independent judges will be asked to register 2 weeks later on the 16th of March.
As we are conscious of the time factor the details that you will be required to submit have been reduced to 5 so as to make the process as quick as possible. Those details are
- Institution Name
- Country
- Delegate Leaders Name
- Contact Email
- Number of teams and judges registering.
As announced, the team cap will be 200 and 3 teams per institution. Requests for extra teams must be made by email before the 9th of March and will be dealt with after the waiting list has been exhausted. As in previous years, while registration places will be allocated on the basis of the order in which they registered, one team spot will be reserved per eligible country.
Once institutions have successfully registered they will then have 3 weeks to transfer a deposit of €50 per person. This will be a non-refundable mandatory payment and must be made before the 23rd of March. Failure to pay this deposit on time will result in removal from the registration list and waiting teams will be given the opportunity to take the vacant places. Institutions may opt to pay the full amount of €265 per person at this stage if they please. The balance will otherwise need to be paid by the 27th of April.
The registration programme can be accessed through our website www.galwayeudc2011.ie/register and any further details or questions can be addressed to registration@galwayeudc2011.ie
Once again, I would like to apologise on behalf of the OrgComm of Galway EUDC 2011 for the inconvenience caused by having to re-run registration. We thank you for your understanding.
Nollaig O'Scannlain
Convenor Galway EUDC 2011
Only institutions need register in this first phase as independent judges will be asked to register 2 weeks later on the 16th of March.
As we are conscious of the time factor the details that you will be required to submit have been reduced to 5 so as to make the process as quick as possible. Those details are
- Institution Name
- Country
- Delegate Leaders Name
- Contact Email
- Number of teams and judges registering.
As announced, the team cap will be 200 and 3 teams per institution. Requests for extra teams must be made by email before the 9th of March and will be dealt with after the waiting list has been exhausted. As in previous years, while registration places will be allocated on the basis of the order in which they registered, one team spot will be reserved per eligible country.
Once institutions have successfully registered they will then have 3 weeks to transfer a deposit of €50 per person. This will be a non-refundable mandatory payment and must be made before the 23rd of March. Failure to pay this deposit on time will result in removal from the registration list and waiting teams will be given the opportunity to take the vacant places. Institutions may opt to pay the full amount of €265 per person at this stage if they please. The balance will otherwise need to be paid by the 27th of April.
The registration programme can be accessed through our website www.galwayeudc2011.ie/register and any further details or questions can be addressed to registration@galwayeudc2011.ie
Once again, I would like to apologise on behalf of the OrgComm of Galway EUDC 2011 for the inconvenience caused by having to re-run registration. We thank you for your understanding.
Nollaig O'Scannlain
Convenor Galway EUDC 2011
Langganan:
Postingan (Atom)