Tips For A Winning Congressional Debate
Winning a congressional debate can be a task in itself because of the sheer volume of young orators that take part in it! A student congress or a congressional debate is an event in which students from different schools take part in a debate wherein each school provides legislation to debate on. The student competitors can speak for or against any topic.
Normally a speech cannot exceed more than 3 minutes and the rules are the same as that of parliamentary procedures. The scoring is done on a scale of 1 to 6 and the student congress elects a presiding officer who is in charge of managing everything so that it runs smoothly.
So here are a few tips for a winning congressional debate.
Table of Parliamentary Procedures
It is imperative to become well versed and familiar with the table of parliamentary procedures and motions. So before you begin, ask your coach for this table and get familiar with it. It is important to become familiar with the table of parliamentary procedures because it contains and explains the rules of congress! After giving it a thorough reading you should be familiar with all the rules of a congressional debate.
Package of Legislation
You must ensure that your school receives the package of legislation at least a week before the student congress. This is because all the participating schools have to provide a legislation to debate on and it is imperative that you receive the bill or resolution and use it for reference in the congress.
Time Crunch
Remember that a speech cannot exceed more than 3 minutes, so time your speech in such a way that you won’t repent later on. And if you have some time left after your speech, you are going to be asked questions and cross examined by other members. The best solution to this problem is filling up all your used time.
So these were a few points that should be kept in mind for a winning congressional debate! But don’t forget to be friendly and cordial to all the other members!