Bottom Half Strategy and rebuttal Training Session 30.10.2015

Today’s Plan Discuss general strategic tips for closing teams Extension speeches Summary(Whip) speeches Analysis and rebuttal tips

Closing teams When in closing, you are expected as a team to have a new contribution to the debate A lot of arguments will be said in top half But motions in general are chosen so as to have ‘depth’ (that is, one team is unlikely to be able to say all the arguments relevant for their side) There is not a fixed set of rules of what an extension is, as long as the contribution is relevant, enough developed and new enough A few examples New arguments New analysis-so further reasons/explanation why some points in the debate are valid Concentrating on a new group affected by the motion Rebuttal

Extension speech The only one of the two that can bring new arguments Not allowed to contradict og Apart from brining the extension itself, needs to show why that extension is relevant and important (also done by summary speech but needs to start in extension) ‘opening government have done a good job at explaining why X, we are going to focus on Y. We think that this is the most important point/area in this debate because…’ ‘we are going to speak about a group that has been missed by top half, but which the motion affects greatly. This is the most important group because…’

Summary speech Start by reinforcing the metric-what is considered the most important in the debate (is it long term results, short term action, etc) Identify main clashes in the debate Explain how your team won each clash –based on what is considered most important ‘My partner told you X. this clashes directly with OO’s contention that…hence this point falls on our side of the house’ Highlight new points brought by your partner that had no response from the opposing side Be comparative (so your world is not perfect but comparing it to their world it’s definitely better)

In prep time: identify burdens -> write a list of arguments that prove them Out of those arguments, think of which are more likely to be said by the opening teams Also think of what arguments are likely to be made by OO(if you are CG) or OG (if you are CO) and possible rebuttal to them Decide on a few possible lines (some of them will become useless after top half)

During the debate: -listen to the opening speeches and look for: arguments that have been not said points of analysis that have not been made for those arguments groups that the motion affects that the arguments do not target burdens not sufficiently proven

Prop: This house regrets reality tv -prop burdens -a list of a few lines of argumentation -what you think oo is most likely to say regrets=would rather live in a world in which X did not happen

Rebuttal Powerful tool and necessary element of your speech. It needs to exist in all speeches apart from pm Practically it is deconstructing an argument and attacking one of the components so that the argument doesn’t work anymore Don’t rebut all points, don’t rebut too few Pay attention to details in the argument, do not assume that you know what the opponent is saying (you risk straw-manning them) Good rebuttal combines criticism to the argument, but also links it to your team’s case

Point Explanation Example Link

Types of rebuttal Reject the first premise. Accept principle/analysis and show that it worsens the problem identified. Mechanism/solution does not work at all. Infringes on a more important principle. Analysis given is not true. Contradictions in argumentation Point Explanation Example Link