lessons from WUDC 2013

Hi there!

In this post, I will try my level best to summarize different things(adjudication, tips from seniors, good stuff I saw other debaters doing) I learnt from my days at TU, Berlin as part of the WUDC 2013. If you are a really pro debater, you probably know most, if not all, of this. If you are a newbie at debating, this post might just help you as you go on to debate at various regional/international tournaments. So, here it goes:

1) Analysis & POIs

The problem with most Asian debaters is that we tend to throw arguments at adjudicators expecting them to fully grasp what we are trying to say. While this is better than standing simply for a better part of your speech time of seven minutes, most adjudicators aren't going to love you for doing this. We did this, or rather failed to analyse properly, in our first round at WUDC. If you are OG/CG, you are going to get a lot of credit for supporting your assertions with well-explained logic. While it is easy as Opposition bench to simply nay-say whatever the Government speakers say, in the eyes of a good adjudicator, you aren't going to get too many bouquets. Instead of throwing questions/statements, make it a proper cohesive argument so that you fulfill your burden as Opposition. If you don't have much to say as Opposition, having something more than an assertion such as "This will not solve the problem" will give you more stuff to talk about and also win you accolades for analysis from the adjudication panel. We were always smart enough to think of related points, but we needed to work more on how we presented it. It sucks as hell to hear from the Chair saying "Your point about abcd would lead to this. This would lead to something else. Because of this something else, so many people would be affected. But this logic didn't come up in your speech". Just because I said analyse, don't over analyse/over contextualize. Always know when to draw a line!

Most average teams resist from taking POIs or asking POIs. Asking POIs is one of the best ways for you to stay engaged in a debate even after you are done speaking. Some POIs are pretty crucial in the sense, they target fundamental assumptions of the opposite side which when not dealt with can completely destroy their case. Unless you take POIs in your speech, you aren't giving your opposite bench to present their view of things, pose clarifications. So, ask and take POIs bravely. Don't worry, adjudicators are watching and will love you if you contribute to the engagement in a debate :)!

Post Script: If you are any of the Opening Benches, do take special effort to grab up all the points available before you. This is the only way you can prevent the Closing Benches from coming and making the annoying "The OG mentioned this in passing...but we are going to elaborate this" speeches. :)

2) Structure

It is always good to have great structure (something I'm still working on!), especially as a Whip. Always flag post. If you are a beginner, go with the "Hi! Lunch was terrible. I'm going to offer three rebuttals and two substantives. Here are my rebuttals. Bang, bang, bang. Here are my substantives. Bang, bang." This might sound boring to all those of you who love to innovate, but trust me, I've seen pro-debaters (read Pranav) adhere to this structure and it didn't do them any harm. 

A really effective way to organize your substantive point is "ASSERTION. LOGIC. EVIDENCE". Say your point, give the logic behind and provide concrete evidence so that adjudicators get convinced of the validity of your point.

Here's a tip for people with terrible structures, like me. 

a) Pair up with someone with awesome structure so that together at least 50% of what you guys say is reflected in the adjs' notes. 

b) Organise your notes really well. Have an idea of what you are actually going to say during your speech beforehand. While it might seem a cakewalk to go out there and make an impromptu 7 minute speech, it really is extremely hard to do so without messing up your speaker points for lack of clarity. If on the other hand, you draw up a structure like I have outlined during the time before the motions get released, you can fill it in later and go out there and do a decently good speech.

Also, it really helps to introduce what your partner will say/ summarize your points/your bench points at the end of the speech. It will help other teams/adjs understand the crux of your arguments in a jiffy and can help them take better cognizance of your contribution to the debate.  

3) Work as a team

In BP debating, it is all too usual for a team to come up with a motion that they have absolutely no idea about. In our case, it was the sovereign debt crisis. We had a decent idea about the Eurozone but it still floated way above our levels of understanding. When we had a motion about "THW forgive Greek sovereign debt", we managed to finish second against two decent teams. This is because when you work as a team, you might have had different academic/cultural/historical experiences and there is always bound to be something that can be used in a debate. Respect your partner and engage in constructive debate during your preparation time. Question the logic of your partner but do not under any scenario, impose your will over him/her. Two reasons why this is a terrible idea:

a) Your working relations with your partner is going from then on. For a tournament like WUDC comprising 9 round, this is a really horrible way to go forward. United we win, divided we fall :)

b) Your partner isn't going to be able to do that great a job of explaining your argument unless you really sit down and explain it to him/her.

During the debate, do set aside some place where both you and your partner can jot notes POIs, arguments, etc. Some average speakers tend to ignore particularly strong speakers from the other side. When both you and your partner are both aware of the POI and simultaneously raise up to petition the speaker, 9 on 10 times he/she is going to be intimated and pick one of you. So, it is a really wise idea to communicate your ideas during the debate.

4) Manage your time wisely

During our preparation time, until very recently, we were focused on thinking on answering the question "What else?". This can be linked to #1 where I spoke about debaters loving throwing ill-developed arguments at adjudicators. However, in our last round against St. John's NY, University of Bristol and Amherst (Motion: THW ban all political parties and require all candidates for national public office to run as independents), we realized our CG didn't have any radically different new material from us. However, they did a way better job than us in analyzing the argument which put them ahead of us.

Instead of spending your time trying to rack up new points during your 15 minutes of prep time, stop thinking after 10 minutes and focus on developing whatever you have got. Most often than not, you won't be able to think of anything else in the remaining five minutes. Also, you can leave a better impression on the adjudicator if you gave two well-elaborated arguments rather than five hanging-in-the-air inconclusive arguments.

Also, during your speech, do maintain some sort of eye contact with your partner. While you are out there speaking, everything you say might appear to make sense to you. However, for someone like your co-debater, who is sitting down and watching adjudicators take notes, it is more easier to determine if you are beating around the bush or saying something meaningful. If your teammate signals you to move on, do wind up your current argument and move on to the next point.

5) (to end on a cheerful note) Have fun! 

Well, this is not something most debaters shy from. But, still, don't stay stuck with your teammate/within your hotel rooms. Talk to other debaters about the weather, about the food (how Manila was awesome and TU sucks!), about debating in their countries, about just under everything under the sun. Argue with adjudicators (when you are dead sure you are right), go out for socials, get a drink, visit local tourist spots, buy random stuff, learn a word or two of a different language. Don't lose your morale after consecutive fourth's :P! Things always brighten up at the end of a tournament. It is the experience that counts, not your points. When everything seems down, just go all out for the next round. More often than not, you will end up winning it.

With this ends a comprehensive summary of the stuff Evita and I learnt at Berlin. Hope our experiences help you somewhat in becoming a debater of Monash standards :P!

Have a fabulous New Year and see in you future tournaments.