Researching your debate
Last updated Dec-98 by Colm Flynn

Please note that these guidelines are for British Parliamentary Style.

Research is vital and cannot be avoided if you want to make a winning speech. Some people say that only a small portion of your research should appear in your speech and the majority will come into play later. I have yet to see the "later". This may be in the form of points of information but that is assuming that you can predict what information you will need to contradict what the speaker says. If you have information don't keep it to yourself, USE IT.

Look for facts and examples more so than statistics. While statistics can very handy for filling up a few minutes, they are also boring. Your information should back up your argument and be memorable. If you find a little known fact that will surprise the audience and catch their attention use it strategically. Place it at a crucial stage of your speech in a way that everything falls in together and the audience becomes convinced of the truth of what you are saying. Remember that your argument is the most important part of your speech and your research should back it up, not the other way round.

Sources:

There are invaluable sources of information all around and you will very rarely come across a motion which you can find absolutely no information if you look hard enough.

Library:

Although we may complain about our library it is still an invaluable source of information. Look around the sections which relate to your motion and flick through a few books that look relevant. A good source of historical information are the "Chronicle" style, black bound, journals in the history section. These are updated monthly. If you don't know where to go for information take the keywords from the motion and type them into an OPAC terminal. It should give you the book references you need.

Journals Room:

This is easily the best source of information on campus. If you have a motion dealing with a topical political, cultural, or scientific subject then the first thing you should do is look through the back issues of Time and Newsweek. These contain a huge amount of information and not only on current affairs. If you've never read them it is well worth spending a short time flicking through them so that you get a feel for the sort of information they carry and where to find it if you need it later. If you want more information then there is bound to be some information about it in other more specialised journals but it may be harder to find. You could also look up the past issues of newspapers on microfilm but you really would want to know exactly what you are looking for.

T.V. & Radio:

While it is unlikely that RTE will oblige you by broadcasting a program dealing with the subject behind your motion while you are preparing for it you can still use them for information. If you know that there is a documentary, special report or debate on a topical issue why not watch, or listen to, it. You don't have to go out of your way or sit there taking notes like a lecture but if you have nothing better to do you might be surprised how much of it you will remember if it comes up later.

Brainstorming:

This involves a group of people getting together to discuss a motion and come up with ideas. The group meets in a room and trash out the various issues involved from a definition and line to examples and the other sides possible strategy. One member writes down all the ideas and this is best done on a blackboard so a tutorial room is sometimes used. However these can also become side-tracked (one I was at lasted over three hours and only twenty minutes were spent discussing the motion). If used effectively they should work well and we may start doing them on a more regular and organised basis. Even if you don't want to hold a brainstorming session don't be afraid to ask other debaters for ideas, most will be glad to help and may even have debated the motion before.

There are many other sources of information if you know where to look. Perhaps the best source is your own memory. If you remember some fact but are hazy on the exact details of where or when you heard it don't be afraid to use it. A debate isn't an exam so the information you use doesn't have to be 100% true just sort of, from a certain point of view of course.

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