First Speaker Debate Guide: Everything You Need to Know

Summary

The video explains the responsibilities and recommended speech structures for the first speaker in World Schools (WSDC) and Asian Parliamentary (AP) debate. The first speaker is the Prime Minister (PM) on proposition and the Leader of Opposition (LO) on opposition. Both help define the debate, but their roles differ: the PM speaks first, while the LO responds to the PM’s framing and case.

Motion types and setup

Motions may concern:

• Policy: Whether a particular policy should be adopted.
• An actor: What a particular actor should do, or what serves that actor’s interests.
• Regret: Whether a past event or decision should be regretted.
• Comparing worlds: Whether one described world is preferable to another.

The first speaker’s setup establishes the debate’s terms and context. It may cover definitions, framing, the model or countermodel, stakeholders, and the status quo or alternative world. The speaker recommends organizing the setup around two to four questions tailored to the motion.

Prime Minister (proposition): recommended structure

1. Introduction: Open with a brief, engaging framing of the issue or a problem in the status quo.
2. Setup: Define relevant terms and establish the model, stakeholders, and context. Use questions suited to the motion.
3. Team burden: State what proposition must prove to win. The burden should match the motion—for example, showing that a policy is justified and beneficial, or that an action serves an actor’s interests.
4. Arguments: Present one or two developed arguments. Three arguments often leave each underdeveloped; for shorter speeches, one may be preferable.
5. Optional preemptions: In longer speeches, anticipate likely opposition responses and answer them in advance. This is less useful when speaking time is short.
6. Conclusion: Reaffirm how the case meets the team’s burden, ideally echoing the opening.

Leader of Opposition: recommended structure

1. Introduction: Frame the opposition’s position. The LO can be more directly critical of the PM’s case than the PM’s opening can be.
2. Setup: Accept the parts of the PM’s setup that opposition agrees with rather than repeating them. Clarify disagreements, such as faulty definitions, framing, or assumptions. Opposition may also present a countermodel or counter-narrative.
3. Rebuttal: Address the PM’s case, especially weaknesses in its model, interpretation of the motion, or central claims. Keep rebuttal strategic and concise so it does not crowd out substantive arguments. For an eight-minute speech, the speaker suggests keeping rebuttal under two minutes—perhaps around one minute.
4. Arguments: Present one or two developed substantive arguments rather than trying to fit in three.
5. Preemption: Usually unnecessary for the LO because the PM’s arguments are already known. Responses can instead be incorporated into the rebuttal.

Key differences and challenges

• The PM’s challenge is to establish a clear, persuasive debate frame without knowing how the other side will interpret the motion.
• The LO’s challenge is to assess the PM’s setup, identify what is wrong or incomplete, explain why it matters to the round, and adapt accordingly.
• The PM primarily establishes the debate and presents proposition’s case. The LO also has the responsibility of directly responding to that case.

Reply speeches and training advice

The speaker generally recommends that first speakers deliver their team’s reply speech, since they have more time to prepare it than the deputy speaker. A particularly strong debater may instead take both the second-speaker and reply roles.

First-speaker skills provide a foundation for learning other debate roles because they teach debaters to understand the motion, establish burdens, and structure a case. Beginners are encouraged to use a clear, rigid structure with explicit signposting, such as announcing setup questions and labeling arguments. A more conversational style can come later, though a clearly structured style can remain effective throughout a debater’s career.

Speaker featured

• Aaron, the presenter and debate instructor, identified in the video context as Coach Aaron.