Mechanisms and analysis. Recap How many teams are in a British Parliamentary debate? What is the basic structure to a speech? How long are speeches? What.

Mechanisms and analysis

Recap

• How many teams are in a British Parliamentary debate?

• What is the basic structure to a speech?

• How long are speeches?

• What do we never do?

• What is a POI?

• The aim is to convince the Chair person that your team has been the most convincing and therefore deserve to win the debate.

What is a mechanism?

• A brief explanation of your plan of action

• Laid out by the first speaker of the prop

What are mechanisms for?

•To tell the Chair, Audience and other debaters what exactly you plan to do with your proposition.

•To give details of how that proposition will be carried out.

•To show the problem in society, which you will rectify

How to write a mechanism

• Find the problem in society (maybe point out the status quo). Show the need to implement your proposition.

• Explain how it will be implemented; the more thorough this is the less likely the opp is to destroy it.

Loose Framework

Ladies and Gentleman, there is a problem in society today. That problem is that (insert problem here). We on the proposition want to rectify this situation by (insert action here). This action will be carried out by (the government, an independent body, the armed forces etc) over (insert time scale here). Here are my three arguments to support my proposition.

Important things to consider

• Money- where it is coming from.

• Workforce- where they are coming from and will they be over worked

• The state of the current system- why are we not improving it instead of bringing in new policy?

Remember it is hard to get a first as 1st prop, but it is easy to get a second. Feel free to hard line, but be ready for a pretty thorough bashing from the opp.

WHY?

What is your claim? If we ban smoking, public health will improve.

How will it have affect? Stigmatised/ restricted supply

Why should the judges care? People don’t know what is best for them, the government do: Harm principle

BRING IN EXAMPLES

Now, Action, Then

• Given action in motion, but the mech gives you options.

• Find problem with staus quo

• Show why they would change

• Find the better world

• Show how mech would lead to them

Questions to ask yourself

Why?

What?

Who?

Where?

When?

How?

Because, because, because, because

Therefore

Truism- try to boil your argument down to the definitive truth.

Flow charts

Lets practice!

Split into 4 groups

Take 10 minutes to write a mechanism and the first 5 minute speech for each of the given motions.

Remember that the first 3 points should be the most important and convincing of the props argument.

THBT English schools should be allowed to teach creationism in science lessons

THBT the liberation of women has been damaging to children

THW rather be at Hogwarts

THW criminalise all offensive chanting at sporting events

Practice Debate!

THW remove charitable status from organisations affiliated

with religions which prohibit the use of contraception

I want to see your plans