Prep: How to Do it

1. Prep: How to Do it • Training 1

2. How to prep effectively • DO NOT write a speech, spend your 15 minutes talking and writing • Write bullet points, try to have 3 bits of analysis for each point you make • Don’t do anything for the first few minutes, have a think about the motion

3. What to think about • Think about the motion • Remember your burden training • What’s the problem? Why has the motion been set • What are the other side going to say? • What’s the comparative, there will be harms on both sides, which is more likely to happen? Which is worse? Why? • Which side is more justifiable?

4. Example THW Remove Diplomatic immunity • It’s about politicians abusing their power and making people lose faith in the state and politics • There’s obviously some occasions that they need immunity, think about them, can you caveat out extreme cases like Northern Ireland? • If not, do those cases justify allowing the rest to abuse the system, or does it outweigh the damage done to faith in politics

5. Comparative • Although you can win just by bringing a weight of arguments on your side, you’ll do better if you compare your side’s benefits to theirs • Tell us why your changes to the system are better than the status quo, even with the other side’s oppositions

6. E.g immunity makes people lose faith in politics • If you’re making a point about how it makes people lose faith in politics, give 2 or 3 reasons why • Explain those effects • Weigh them against the harms of removing immunity • Why should we care more about things like voter turnout than a politician’s practical need to act without fear of reprisal

7. Responses • Try to prep 3 or 4 arguments they’ll probably say and how you’ll respond • e.g if the opp would say • 1) polititians need to be able to break the law sometimes • Prep a response like “given that a judge has said that no man should be able to do this, what gives politicians the authority to do this?”

8. Adapt • From that prepped response, you could build an argument • Why is it bad if politicians do things like break libel laws? • E.g the John Terry case, was the MP doing something irresponsible? • Why are judges better placed to make judgements than politicians

9. Continue the comparative • As you prep the other side’s arguments and yours, add all the harms you’re bringing, you can often win just with weight, if you bring out enough harms, and manage to dispute their arguments, you’ll do well

10. Prep • Remember, you need to make sure you ‘get the debate’ • Make sure you’ve thought of what your position is, what’s your team line? • Be generous, talk about their worst case scenarios and best case scenarios • Relax, you’re all competent and bright, it’s more important to do prep than write your speech

11. Writing the speech • Bullet points, a wall of words on paper won’t help you • Circle or ‘flag’ on your paper points of comparative as the debate moves on • Help each other, make sure your responses are consistent with your partner’s arguments

12. Good luck! • I’ll see you at the social! Stefano