Defining motions
Introduction
In any debate, the first proposition speaker must define the motion at the start of their speech. This lays out clearly what the debate is about for the other team(s), the audience and the judges.
In many debates, what the debate will be about will be set out obviously in the motion. Speakers should always define the motion as it shows the judges that they understand what the debate is about.
Learning objectives
- To emphasise the importance of structure
- To help improve quick thinking skills
- To help improve critical thinking skills
- To help improve general communication skills
- To encourage an expression of views and debate on issues and current affairs.
How to define the motion
When the proposition team receives a motion, they should try to understand what the motion requires of them. They should think, ‘What does the person who has set the motion want the debate to be about?’
In the debate ‘This house would abolish school uniform', a useful definition may be as follows.
This House
The team should define what the House is. In this debate, the most obvious way to do this would be to define the House as the school in which the debate is taking place.
Abolish
The school will introduce a rule that bans the wearing of uniform in the next academic session.
School uniform
The currently prescribed uniform will be done away with and school pupils will be allowed to wear whatever they want to go to school. (It may be wise to build in a caveat here – that pupils would be allowed to wear anything that wasn’t indecent, revealing, offensive, etc).
This seems a fair definition of the motion. It is within the ‘spirit’ of the motion. The proposition team should never twist the meaning of the debate to suit itself – this is unfair on the opposition and will normally lead to a bad debate.
Teacher notes
How to assess progress
Do the pupils understand what a definition is and why it is important?