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Thank you!!
• We can’t do this without you
• You are performing a teaching role in the
lives of our students
• You make it possible for young people to
learn these skills
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• Based on the British Houses of Parliament
• Covers a wide range of topics: current events,
social issues, and philosophy
• Parli debates tend to be witty, oratorical,
engaging, and entertaining!
You are in for a treat!
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• You already participate in
communication activities.
• It is the speaker’s job to communicate with you.
• It is not your job to be a debate expert.
• Our goal is for our students to speak to “the
thinking man and woman on the street” that’s you! 
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• Two opposing teams argue an idea:
• Government (upholds the Resolution)
• Prime Minister
• Member of Government
• Opposition (opposes the Government)
• Leader of the Opposition
• Member of the Opposition
• Debaters do not choose the side of the resolution that
they will defend.
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• A different resolution is used for each round of debate
• There are different types of resolutions
• It is up to the teams to interpret and explain the resolution
• Students are given “prep time” prior to the debate
• Allowed to access resources
• May only bring handwritten notes, a copy of the parli rules,
and printed copy of the resolution into the round.
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• The debaters are responsible for making
their ideas clear to the judge, including:
• Debate theory
• Details of the topic
• Organization of the round
• It is up to the debaters to persuade you
how to vote and why.
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• Debaters will use notes written in their own hand during their
15 minutes of prep time prior to the round.
• They may also bring into the round a copy of the resolution and the Stoa
Parli rules.
• The level of support may be quite broad.
• You should evaluate which support is persuasive or
unpersuasive, but you should not impose a requirement of a
certain type of support.
• Let the debaters discuss which types of support are best for the
issues at hand.
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• Number of Judges:
• Odd number of judges per room (1, 3, 5, or more…)
• Timekeeping:
• Debaters may keep time
• Tournament may provide a timekeeper
• “Debater’s Greeting”
• Debaters may ask you for your judging philosophy
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• Set aside personal bias.
• Judge the round on the issues debated in the round.
• Decide which side best supports their position.
• Cast a vote (for Government or Opposition).
• Provide written feedback on the ballot.
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• Judges and observers are allowed to provide
audible feedback respectfully during the
round
• “Hear, hear!”
• “Jolly good!”
• Feedback should not be distracting or
“drown out” the speaker
• Audience feedback should not influence the
judge’s decision
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•
The ballot has space for the
four names of the debaters –
make sure the names are filled
in before the round starts!
•
When the debaters introduce
themselves, identify and circle
their speaker position.
•
If the resolution is blank, you
can capture it before the round.
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Order and Timing of Speeches
7 min.
Prime Minister Constructive
7 min.
Leader of Opposition Constructive
7 min.
Member of Government Constructive
7 min.
Member of Opposition Constructive
5 min.
Leader of Opposition Rebuttal
5 min.
Prime Minister Rebuttal
The round will take about 38 minutes.
In Parli, there is NO PREP TIME
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•
Exchanges between debaters during the round
•
Interaction should be respectful
and constructive
•
Debaters will handle these exchanges
•
May or may not affect your ballot
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POI – Content Unlimited
• Debater rises and waits to be acknowledged
• Poses a question or makes a brief comment
• Number of POIs will vary per round
• Speaker at the podium has the right to decline POI
• Not allowed in protected time (first and last minute)
• Timer does not stop for the exchange
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POO – Rules Related
• Debater rises and says, “Point of Order”
• Speaker must yield and respond
• Judge may comment or not
• Allowed at any time during the round
• Timer will stop for the exchange
• May or may not happen in the round
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Flowing
• Organizes the ideas in the round
• Use flowsheet or plain paper
• Just a tool
• Not to be turned in
The right note taking system is the one
which allows you to:
• Absorb the presentation
• Reach a conclusion & cast a vote
• Give the debaters written feedback
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PMC
Prime Minister
Constructive
Cats are
better than
dogs.
LOC
Leader of
Opposition
Constructive
MGC
Member of
Government
Constructive
MOC
Member of
Opposition
Constructive
LOR
Leader of
Opposition
Rebuttal
PMR
Prime Minister
Rebuttal
Dogs are
superior to
cats.
Cats are
adorable and Cats scratch
a lot.
soft.
Dogs
scratch too.
And bite.
Dogs are
loyal.
Dogs run
Dogs protect away.
people.
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• Immediately following round, take your ballot to
the designated area for completion
• Don't ask questions or give verbal feedback
• Don’t disclose your decision
• Don’t solicit opinions about the round from
anyone
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• Speed Ballots help us keep
the tournament on time!
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25
3
21
1
26
4
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• Instructions are on the
bottom half of the ballot
• Turn the Speed Ballot in
once you’ve decided:
• Which team to vote for
• Speaker points and ranking
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Two Independent Decisions:
1. Vote for Government
or Opposition
•
Double Loss =
disciplinary only
2. Reward individual speaking
ability
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Evaluate the Speakers:
• Total Speaker Points
• Rank speakers
• Speaker points
determine rank
• Speaker points may be tied
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• Break ties with rank
• Lower speaker points
may win round
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On the regular Ballot:
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21
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• Add feedback for
each speaker. Offer advice
on how a debater might
better connect to judge.
• Add your
Reason for Decision
• Tournament staff will
be available to
answer questions
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• Provide written feedback to the debaters!
•
This may be the most important part of the ballot for the
debaters. Please explain how you came to your decision.
• Judge the round based upon issues discussed
in the round:
•
Set aside personal bias/opinion
•
Be prepared to vote for a position you do not hold
•
Decide based on how well each side argues for their
position
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• Take your completed ballot to the Ballot Collection
Table
• Please wait while the Ballot Collection team doublechecks your ballot for you.
• After your ballot is turned in, please notify the Ballot
Administration table if you would like to judge the next
round!
THANK YOU FOR JUDGING!
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