PART I: Parliamentary Debate
What is Parliamentary Debate?
Parliamentary debate is a formal competition featuring critical analysis and strong rhetorical skills by participants. In a parliamentary debate competition, participants represent the advocates for and against a motion that is provided for debate (this is also known as a resolution or a topic).
How Does It Work?
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A motion is presented by the organisers as the subject of debate. It is important to note that for each round of debate, a new motion is used.
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There are two teams involved, one is designated as the Proposition (also known as Government) which speaks in favour of the given motion and the other is called the Opposition.
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The two teams are given approximately twenty minutes (which may differ from competition to competition) to prepare the debate for each round. During the preparation time, students are permitted to consult other students, dictionaries, reference materials, prepared notes, and perhaps even the internet. However, once such duration expires, no reference materials are allowed to bring for the debater’s use during the round.
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There are four debaters in a debate. The person who opens for a side also closes for that side. This means that on each team, one debater will speak twice while the other will speak once.
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There are two types of formal speeches in each round of debate- constructive speeches and rebuttal speeches.
Crucial Tips For Parliamentary Debate Strategy
Use Formal Phrases Wherever Possible
Using professional phrases in speeches creates a greater impact. Phrases such as…
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The first point I’d like to make/to mention, is…
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Let me say that I/we believe that…
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It seems to me/us/my team that…
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Let’s look at…
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I would like to emphasize that …..
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As you know ……
may be used during the course of the speech.
Understanding The Art Of Rhetoric Engagement
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The first part of rhetoric is invention. This means knowing your audience's interests and desires and playing with them.
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A good argument arrangement goes only so far. Try to organize your argument by making your claim, adding evidence, and showing the impact to support the claim.
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Improve your style by remembering your speech. If you know your speech by heart, you can start to work on your speaking style. A memorized speech gives you confidence, and with that confidence, you can focus your efforts on delivery.
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Amplify your performance by enhancing your delivery. Gestures, body language, tone, and eye contact are all significant parts of delivery in debate. It is not just what you are saying, but how you say it that will win over the judges.
Take Your Speaking Skills To The Next Level
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It is important to get rid of filler words. As you practice, take note of when you use filler words such as “like” or “um.” Make a habit of replacing these words with silence. This will make you look thoughtful, rather than unprepared.
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Find synonyms for overused words. When you use the same words multiple times in your speech, you bore your audience, appear unprepared, and are less well-spoken. Avoid this by writing your speech with different words for commonly used ones, and having a list of synonyms for words you believe you will commonly use.
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Slow your pace: Speaking slowly and calmly helps to deliver your points effectively. Be calm when making rebuttals: Making rebuttals can get exciting and heated, but overdoing the emotion is never a good idea. Remain calm but firm and confident during the rebuttals.
How To Make An Impact
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Make all your movements during your delivery neutral, open, defined, and strong. Don’t be afraid to use the full stage to your advantage, but make controlled movements.
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Maintaining eye contact is of paramount importance. Try to connect with as many people as possible by moving your eye contact around the room. Practice doing so line by line so you increase the number of people you make eye contact with.
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Do not be a boring or monotonous speaker, try and change up your tone! Try to act as if you are talking to your audience, not reciting a speech from memory.
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Dramatic pauses are extremely powerful, but when done at the wrong time can be detrimental to the argument. Master the dramatic pause and put it at the right time for your case.
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Use a passionate tone of voice when closing — it’s something that will make your argument memorable.
PART II: Model United Nations Competitions
Model United Nations is an academic simulation of the United Nations where students play the role of delegates from different countries and attempt to solve real-world issues with the policies and perspectives of their assigned country. For example, a student may be assigned the United Kingdom and will have to solve global topics such as nuclear non-proliferation or climate change from the policies and perspectives of the United Kingdom.
The MUN participants, called delegates, must represent the political position that such country takes in the organisms assigned, such as the UN Security Council, the Human Rights Committee, and others. ? Usually, two topics are discussed in each committee. The delegates must be previously familiarized with them in order to be properly prepared for the conference and to be able to faithfully defend their country’s position. The normal functioning of each committee is in the hands of the Chairs. They are in charge of choosing the topics that will be discussed and will also lead the debate. ?
How Is MUN Important For Law Students?
Mastering The Skill Of Diplomacy
Diplomacy, or the art of negotiation, is not only restricted to conversations between two countries, but pertains to any purposeful exchange between two groups, and thus, is a very useful skill to possess. By practising diplomacy at the MUNs, a student is likely to become more knowledgeable and experienced in how to conduct negotiations between two groups in a tactful and result-oriented manner. Apart from learning the skill of diplomacy, students aspiring to become professional diplomats or advocates can practice and groom themselves for the field by participating in MUNs, which are real-life examples of the life and work of professional diplomats.
Upskilling Your Writing Abilities
Most MUNs have an in-house department called the International Press which hosts student reporters and photographers. Student reporters are responsible for covering the proceedings of the different committees in depth in order to formulate daily newsletters. The articles in such a newsletter have to be formally drafted in a manner that clearly demonstrates the stance of the countries on the issue at hand as well as the analysis of the reporter concerned. The newsletter is distributed to all participants on both days and needless to say, a lot of effort goes into it.
Building Analytical Skills
Astute analytical ability is a trait that helps you at every stage of your legal profession, by helping you solve problems through analysis. The MUN is an ideal place to hone analytical skills, as in a simulated environment you will be challenged and required to solve the task after examining the concerns of the other countries, past precedents, and potential solutions to come up with an acceptable resolution.
Getting Better At Public Speaking
Public speaking is one of the key students that one is supposed to develop as a law student. Developing efficient public speaking skills takes practice, and the MUNs provide an ideal platform where you can explore and improve your capabilities. Public speaking is an integral part of the MUNs, as you express your views as a delegate and debate in front of an audience. Since you will make multiple speeches during the overall MUN event, you will have several key opportunities to improve your public speaking prowess. It also improves your abilities to write an impactful time-bound speech that impresses the committee Chairs.
Furthering Your Leadership Skills
Considering all the benefits listed above, it is not a stretch to claim that your personality will flourish at MUNs. The independence, challenges, and teamwork will surely serve to enhance your leadership skills, as you take charge as a representative of a real-world country. You will be encouraged to take decisions and work out solutions as a leader for the country. While the whole experience is undoubtedly enjoyable, it is also empowering and gives you the platform to take important judgement calls and bring your leadership skills into play.
PART III: Judgement Writing
A judgment is a statement given by the Judge, on the grounds of a decree or order. It is the end product of the proceedings in the Court. The writing of a judgment is one of the most important and time-consuming tasks performed by a Judge.
Structure Of A Judgement
Before writing a judgment a Judge must remember that he is performing a public act of communicating his opinion on the issues brought before him and after the trial by observing fair procedures. He is required to tell the parties of the decision, on the facts brought before him, with the application of sound principles of law, his decision, and what the parties are supposed to do as a necessary consequence to the judgment or to appeal against it. It is basically communication to the parties coming before him for a decision.
A good judgment should have:
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Index
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Introduction
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Facts
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Clear articulation of the issues that arise for consideration/points of determination.
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Evidence led to proving each factual issue and appreciation of evidence on each issue.
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Applicable law and the application of law to the facts of the case.
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Reasoning and findings.
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Conclusion
Adopting The Right Approach
The method in which the writer arrives at a conclusion in judgement writing is often the most important part of the exercise. The process by which the conclusion is arrived at, and the statement in the judgement of that process, demonstrates the ability and integrity of the judge. Such a process may be a syllogistic process, inferential process, or intuitive process.
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Syllogism, or the syllogistic process, refers to a deductive scheme of a formal argument consisting of a major and minor premise along with a conclusion. In other words, in this process, the judge takes on a deductive approach in which he accepts an argument on a major premise that outweighs the minor premise in order to draw his own conclusion.
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The inferential process involves the judge relying upon the evidence in order to reach a reasonable conclusion.
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When the judge arrives at a conclusion more by intuition than through other reasons, the psychological process adopted by the judge is called the intuitive process.
Common Mistakes In A Judgement
Needless to say, judgement writing is a considerably complex exercise that requires superlative intellectual abilities. Even someone who is qualified may end up writing something that falls short of being a perfect judgement in terms of articulation. Some of the most common mistakes that can be found in such judgements include:
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things that do not need to be recorded
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deciding things that do not need to be decided
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obscuring the analysis with poor organisation and irrelevant details
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neglecting the “aesthetic” component of persuasion
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making the analysis more complex than it really is. Everything that is unrelated to the issues should be cut out — “every word must earn its right to be on the page”.
To remedy these mistakes, one may keep the following pointers in mind:
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break up any monster sentences
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get rid of legalism or excessive jargon
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replace passive voice with active when active voice works better
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replace the verb “to be” when a better verb is available
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cut out every word that will not be missed
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cut out every detail that has no bearing on the issues
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make sure every word earns its right to be on the page
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give yourself permission to write like a writer.
LegalBots.in wishes you all the best!
