How to Do Well in Congressional Debate (NSDA)
Learn the roles., Get to know the possible motions., Know the other terms., Be sure to communicate with other representatives and senators., Always conduct yourself professionally., Be as active as possible., Begin with a catchy intro., Use 2-3...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Learn the roles.
There are lots of roles to understand before you dive in:
P.O, or Presiding Officer, will be the student that runs the chamber.
The P.O will be the student that recognizes others for speeches, questions, and motions.
Representatives and Senators are the students in the chamber, or room, with you.
If you are in a house or senate, you will compete with and against representatives or senators, respectively.
Parliamentarians and Scorers will be the people judging the chamber.
The Parliamentarian is in the chamber for the whole competition (typically 4 hours) and will rank, or score, all representatives and senators in the chamber.
Scorers are typically in the chamber for one to two hours and typically rank the top eight competitors. -
Step 2: Get to know the possible motions.
Motions are how things are accomplished.
Previous QuestionÂ
- to bring the debate to an end, moves to vote on legislation.
Recess
- to take a brief break Point of Personal Privilege
- to allow you to leave the room, move, etc.
Suspend the Rules
- to do anything not traditionally allowed Set an Agenda
- this is what will be debated , They'll come in handy particularly for understanding the order of events:
Docket and Legislation are the packet of topics you will debate.
The packet is called a 'docket' and each individual topic is called 'legislation'.
The Agenda is the order which you will debate legislation.
You won't debate the legislation in the order it is in the docket; rather, you will set an agenda with other students to be debated in that order.
An Amendment is any change to the agenda or legislation.
Authorship or Sponsorship is the first speech on legislation.
This speech opens debate and discusses the criteria, purpose, and importance of the legislation.
Precedence and Recency determine who speaks next.
Precedence is how many speeches a person has given, recency refers to simply how recent the speech was.
This is kept by the P.O and is called speaker order.
It is recommended that other members of the chamber keep track of this as well.
Cross Examination is the short period after a speech during which the chamber, or floor, can question the speaker. , Making connections is an important part of competition.
The only way you will have any pull in the chamber is if you communicate well with others to get help passing motions and amendments. , Scorers and parliamentarians give ranks primarily upon speeches, but will also rank upon overall behavior in the chamber. , You should speak once hourly, to make sure you come up on ballots each hour, and be active when you aren't speaking.
This means asking questions as frequently as possible
- not just on one or two speeches.
Make a list of good, thoughtful questions beforehand. , You can use quotes, short personal stories, jokes that relate to the topic, or anything else to catch the attention of the chamber, scorers, and parliamentarians. , You only have three minutes, so you don't want to try cramming too much into one speech.
Have a list of several points in case somebody else uses one you planned on discussing. , Don't stand up and offer a bunch of rehash.
Bring new arguments and add clash to the debate.
Refute briefly points brought up by other speakers. , This rounds your speech, bringing it 'full circle'. , Think of answers to these questions so that you aren't taken by surprise by questions.
Be sure to answer all questions thoroughly but briefly so that there is plenty of time for other questions. , Be open about your intent to qualify
- in some cases, other competitors in the qualifying chamber that don't care to qualify will help you out. , Now is the most important time ever to master your speech style. , Don't push yourself to give too many speeches.
You should always be worried about quality over quantity.
Don't try giving more than one speech each hour: this can hurt your position on speaker order. , Congratulations! You'll have a few weeks before the new docket is released.
Once the docket is released, research a lot.
Write pro and con speeches for each piece of legislation, not just your favorites. -
Step 3: Know the other terms.
-
Step 4: Be sure to communicate with other representatives and senators.
-
Step 5: Always conduct yourself professionally.
-
Step 6: Be as active as possible.
-
Step 7: Begin with a catchy intro.
-
Step 8: Use 2-3 points.
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Step 9: Always add something new to the debate.
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Step 10: In your closing
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Step 11: be sure to tie back into your intro.
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Step 12: Think about any questions that somebody might ask you.
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Step 13: When trying to qualify to nationals
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Step 14: be sure to have connections with other representatives and senators.
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Step 15: Follow the steps previously mentioned.
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Step 16: Don't try to overdo it.
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Step 17: Once you've qualified to nationals
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Step 18: relax!
Detailed Guide
There are lots of roles to understand before you dive in:
P.O, or Presiding Officer, will be the student that runs the chamber.
The P.O will be the student that recognizes others for speeches, questions, and motions.
Representatives and Senators are the students in the chamber, or room, with you.
If you are in a house or senate, you will compete with and against representatives or senators, respectively.
Parliamentarians and Scorers will be the people judging the chamber.
The Parliamentarian is in the chamber for the whole competition (typically 4 hours) and will rank, or score, all representatives and senators in the chamber.
Scorers are typically in the chamber for one to two hours and typically rank the top eight competitors.
Motions are how things are accomplished.
Previous QuestionÂ
- to bring the debate to an end, moves to vote on legislation.
Recess
- to take a brief break Point of Personal Privilege
- to allow you to leave the room, move, etc.
Suspend the Rules
- to do anything not traditionally allowed Set an Agenda
- this is what will be debated , They'll come in handy particularly for understanding the order of events:
Docket and Legislation are the packet of topics you will debate.
The packet is called a 'docket' and each individual topic is called 'legislation'.
The Agenda is the order which you will debate legislation.
You won't debate the legislation in the order it is in the docket; rather, you will set an agenda with other students to be debated in that order.
An Amendment is any change to the agenda or legislation.
Authorship or Sponsorship is the first speech on legislation.
This speech opens debate and discusses the criteria, purpose, and importance of the legislation.
Precedence and Recency determine who speaks next.
Precedence is how many speeches a person has given, recency refers to simply how recent the speech was.
This is kept by the P.O and is called speaker order.
It is recommended that other members of the chamber keep track of this as well.
Cross Examination is the short period after a speech during which the chamber, or floor, can question the speaker. , Making connections is an important part of competition.
The only way you will have any pull in the chamber is if you communicate well with others to get help passing motions and amendments. , Scorers and parliamentarians give ranks primarily upon speeches, but will also rank upon overall behavior in the chamber. , You should speak once hourly, to make sure you come up on ballots each hour, and be active when you aren't speaking.
This means asking questions as frequently as possible
- not just on one or two speeches.
Make a list of good, thoughtful questions beforehand. , You can use quotes, short personal stories, jokes that relate to the topic, or anything else to catch the attention of the chamber, scorers, and parliamentarians. , You only have three minutes, so you don't want to try cramming too much into one speech.
Have a list of several points in case somebody else uses one you planned on discussing. , Don't stand up and offer a bunch of rehash.
Bring new arguments and add clash to the debate.
Refute briefly points brought up by other speakers. , This rounds your speech, bringing it 'full circle'. , Think of answers to these questions so that you aren't taken by surprise by questions.
Be sure to answer all questions thoroughly but briefly so that there is plenty of time for other questions. , Be open about your intent to qualify
- in some cases, other competitors in the qualifying chamber that don't care to qualify will help you out. , Now is the most important time ever to master your speech style. , Don't push yourself to give too many speeches.
You should always be worried about quality over quantity.
Don't try giving more than one speech each hour: this can hurt your position on speaker order. , Congratulations! You'll have a few weeks before the new docket is released.
Once the docket is released, research a lot.
Write pro and con speeches for each piece of legislation, not just your favorites.
About the Author
Samantha Walker
Specializes in breaking down complex practical skills topics into simple steps.
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