Welcome to Warwick Debating Society “Arguably the best society on campus”

Who we are and what we do We aim to promote competitive debating across and outside of campus. Format – British Parliamentary – Steven to explain what this means later. Two sessions a week, plus public debates Radio Show – Section in the BOAR Competitions up and down the country and abroad

Why we’re awesome, in one slide Debating is a fun activity that beginners learn quickly with regular sessions and socials You improve your speaking skills, essay writing skills and confidence. Looks good on a CV! We collaborate with several other societies for public debates and forums. On top of all this we came top 3 in the campus best society award for the last 3 years!

Dates for the Diary Next Wednesday – Session 4pm LIB 1 Next Friday – Sesssion 4pm H0.51 Every Wed/Fri onwards – Session 4pm here. Wednesday Week 3 – Social in Leam! Saturday Week 2 (next Sat) – UCL Pres Cup Saturday Week 4 – NAMDA Novice Cup Thursday Week 2 – Public Debate on Iran!

Pres Cup and NAMDA Novice Both competitions for first year debaters – a great way to try your talents on the debating circuit with all of the other newbies. If you have a lot of schools experience, choose Pres Cup (next Saturday!!!). If you did a bit of schools, or are a total beginner, choose NAMDA Novice (Saturday week 4). Talk to Exec if unsure! Both will be a lot of fun – just reply to a society saying that you wish to sign up!

End of me – things you should do after the session If you haven’t already, join us! We keep the non-member mailing list running until the end of week 3. Sign up for NAMDA Novice or Pres Cup! Find out where our next sessions are! Next wed – LIB 1, Next Fri – H0.51 Join us on facebook! The link is on our website,

The Exec Let us introduce ourselves...

W.D.S. Training Programme 2012/13

Plan for today Short introduction to British Parliamentary debating. Split off into groups of eight. Discuss motion as a group. Have a three minute speech debate. Feedback from judges. Casual drinks at the Dirty Duck.

Common fears “I am awful at speaking in public.” “I have never debated before.” “English isn’t my first language.” “I’m not a fan of confrontation.” Practice makes perfect!

What you’ll learn How to improve your speaking style. How to form arguments. How to refute arguments. How to think on your feet. How to argue with unscrupulous (and scrupulous!) people How to DEBATE!

What we need from you An open mind Patience Enthusiasm

Introduction to British Parliamentary debate 02/10/2012

Overview Every round/game has a motion which will be debated. An example motion you may debate is: “This House Would Pay Smokers to Quit Smoking”. Four teams are involved in each debate. Each team is made up of two speakers. All speeches are of the same length.

Teams There are two teams on the Government bench: Opening Government (OG) and Closing Government (CG). The two teams on the Opposition bench are: Opening Opposition (OO) and Closing Opposition (CO). Despite there being two benches, ALL four teams compete against one another.

Opening Government (OG) Closing Government (CG) Opening Opposition (OO) Closing Opposition (CO) 1.Prime Minister 3. Deputy Prime Minister 5. Member of Government (MG) 7. Government Whip (GW) 6. Member of Opposition (MO) 8. Opposition Whip (OW) 2. Leader of Opposition (LO) 4. Deputy Leader of Opposition (DLO) TOP HALF BOTTOM HALF

Points of Information Used during unprotected time. Making an objection against the speaker’s argument.