Josh Carey & Joseph Tyler Congress Josh Carey & Joseph Tyler

Congress Basics About 20 students in a “House” or Round A Presiding officer is elected from among the competitors Participants give 3 min speeches affirming and negating issues Following a speech, 1-2 minutes are spent by the house questioning the speaker Issues are brought into the round through Bills and Resolutions Rounds usually last about 3 hours (with breaks)

Objective In a congress round, your goal is to be ranked #1 in the house. This is accomplished by the following: Giving the best speeches, and as many speeches as you can give (Quality and Quantity) Truly debating the ideas and concepts behind bills Asking questions to push new ideas Being the most influential person in the round Letting your voice be heard

Things to do when Affirming (Do one or two of each) Tell me why this issue matters Use Examples from people or areas affected Use predictions for the future -- How people will be affected positively if this Bill is passed Tell me why this Bill solves the issue Use examples of failed programs if available and why this Bill solves the flaws of those Tell me specifics on why this is the best way to solve If a country has the law and it works, bring it up Bring up specific evidence (For Both) If you bring up evidence in round, you need to have the full article and MLA citation available without the internet Cite evidence in your speeches by saying author and year. (Carey, 18) Debate the bill Refute the negation’s attacks on the bill. Show their errors, and build up your bill.

Things to do when Negating (Do one or two of each) Tell me why the Bill would create a worse world Use supported evidence to describe what a world where the Bill is enacted would look like If another country has this law and it doesn't work, bring it up Make sure to clarify the exact negative effects of this Bill If you can bring up faults with the actual text of the Bill If it creates an agency but doesn't give a budget If it doesn't set a time frame If it doesn't give specifics on how the plan will be enacted. Evidence! Debate the Bill Refute specific arguments made by the affirmative side. Use evidence to show that their arguments hold no weight.

Question Period (Asking) Ask open-ended questions Your goal is to be the most influential speaker in the chamber, having the question answered with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ loses any bonus influence you’d receive otherwise. Asking a question that stumps the person you’re asking improves your standing in the round and hurts your opponent, resulting in a win-win for you. Keep the questions short. Don’t build up the question with a lot of background information. Try to ask questions after every speech. Avoid personal questions

Question Period (Receiving) Answer all the questions with confidence. Even if you have no idea what the question is about, do not let anyone know. You stand out as a strong force if you never seem unsure Answer the question with no more than a few sentences. Be brief and efficient with your words If you don’t understand the question, don’t be afraid to ask the Presiding Officer (PO) if you can get clarification. If you have no idea as to the answer, try to relate it to something from your speech. If nothing is coming to mind, be honest and say you don’t have that information at the moment.

Pro Tips Speak on every single bill! Use evidence to back up your claims! Debate the bill. This is best done by taking notes on other speech’s in the round, and refuting your opponents’ points. Show them that your position on the bill will be the best for America. Ask questions after every speech! Make allies. Debate is a game you play with your friends, and congress is best won if you have allies in the house helping you out. They’ll expect help from you as well. And most importantly, HAVE FUN!!!