What is a debate ?
A debate is an argument about a topic or resolution. It is conducted according to a set of rules designed to give each side a fair chance. Normally there are two debaters in favour and two debaters against.

What is parliamentary debate ?
A parliamentary debate is a debate that follows rules similar to those used in parliament. The side in favour is called the government and consists of the Prime Minister and the Minister of the Crown. The side against is called Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition and consists of the Leader of the Opposition and the second Opposition speaker, also known as the Shadow Minister or Critic. The government is NOT the current Canadian or Manitoban government. The person chairing the debate is called Mr or Madam Speaker and the audience is called the House. The speaking order is Prime Minister, followed by Leader of the Opposition, followed by the Minister of the Crown, followed by the Shadow Minister, followed by a two minute break, followed by the Leader of the Opposition’s rebuttal, followed by the Prime Minister’s rebuttal. Speeches are normally 3 to 5 minutes long and rebuttals are normally 2 to 3 minutes long, although these times can be altered. Speeches may be interrupted by heckles (not allowed in the Junior section), points of order and points of privilege. For more details, see the MSDA Rules of Parliamentary Debate.

What is cross-examination debate ?
A cross-examination debate uses somewhat different terms from a parliamentary debate. The side in favour is called the affirmative and consists of the first affirmative and the second affirmative, while the side against is called the negative, and consists of the first negative and the second negative. The debate is presided over by Mr or Madam Chair and the audience is not called the House. Heckles, points of order and points of privilege are not allowed in cross-ex debate. The most important difference is that, at the end of his/her speech, each debater is questioned by one of his/her opponents. In Manitoba, cross-examination debate is used only at the senior level. For more details, see the MSDA Rules of Cross-Examination Debate.

What is a definition ?
The definition is a statement of what the resolution actually means. For example in the resolution "Hockey is the best sport", "Hockey" could mean professional hockey or amateur hockey or high school hockey, and "best" could mean most enjoyable to watch or most enjoyable to play. In order to have a good debate both sides must be arguing about the same thing, so it is essential to define the resolution. This should be done at the start of the Prime Minister’s speech. A good definition is one which defines all of the terms and which is debatable, i.e. not unreasonable or a truism (i.e. something which is obviously true). You should define in parts, i.e. break the resolution up into at least two words or groups of words and define each separately. For example in the resolution "Hockey is the best sport", you should break the phrase up into two parts, i.e. you could define "Hockey" and then " "is the best sport". You should then put the two parts together and paraphrase your definition to make it absolutely clear.

How should I deliver my speech ?
There are four keys to good delivery. The first is that you should have good eye contact, which means looking up at your audience. The second is that your voice should be effective. This means that your tone and pace should be appropriate and should vary. The third key is that you should stand straight and should not shift from foot to foot or wave a pen around. The final and most important key is that you should sound and look confident, even if you do not feel confident — you will be amazed at how many people you can fool.

How should I come up with my arguments if I am the government ?
If you are arguing in favour of a resolution, just ask yourself the question "Why". The answers will be your reasons. Each debater should try to have two to three reasons. You should then come up with two examples or pieces of evidence for each reason. Examples can be real or hypothetical stories that should contain a lot of detail. The detail will mean that they will be more effective and will help to make your speech longer. Evidence can be statistics, facts or quotes. You should always state the source of your evidence. Good sources include magazines, books and interviews with experts.

How should I come up with my arguments if I am the opposition ?
If you are arguing against a resolution, the process is similar to arguing in favour of the resolution but you should ask yourself "Why not" rather than "Why". When you are the opposition you do not need to prove the opposite of the resolution, although of course that would disprove the resolution. You only need to prove that the resolution is not generally true (i.e. that it is not true for some people or in some circumstances), or that the government’s reasons are not valid.

How can I refute my opponent’s arguments ?
The first thing that you should do is to go back to the definition and consider what the debate is actually about. If you do this you may see that your opponents have missed some important aspect or area of the resolution. The second way to attack their argument is to attack their reasons and show that they are irrelevant or insufficient (i.e. even if true, they are not significant enough to prove the resolution) or questionable (i.e. they are not true or are unproven).

What should I do in my speech ?
All speeches should have an introduction, a body and a conclusion. In the introduction, you should state what the government must prove ( if you are the Prime Minister, you MUST define the resolution) and summarize the reasons presented by both sides so far. In the body you should first refute your opponents reasons, as well as defending your partners, and then explain your own. In the conclusion you should either give a summary of your reasons or you should restate and emphasize your strongest reason.

What do I do in a rebuttal ?
In a rebuttal you are not allowed to introduce new arguments. You may only bring up arguments that have already been made by either side. This is to ensure that the person who speaks last does not have an unfair advantage. You should summarize and refute your opponents’ arguments and restate your strongest reasons.

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