What Is a Debate?

Debating is not the same as discussing. A debate is a structured form of discussion that aims to present arguments, advocate points of view and explore an issue from different perspectives. Unlike a normal discussion, which is often informal and unstructured, a debate follows a set format and rules to enable a fairer and more productive exchange of ideas. The relevance of a debate lies in its ability to foster critical thinking, analytical skills and rhetorical skill. By giving debaters the opportunity to build arguments, present them and respond to the arguments of others, debate creates a platform for intellectual exchange and the acquisition of skills that are useful in many aspects of life.

Debating Formats

At the Munich Debating Club we debate in two different formats: British Parliamentary (BP/BPS) and Open Parliamentary Debate (OPD).

• British Parliamentary (BP/BPS)
• Open Parliamentary Debate (OPD)

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What is British Parliamentary?

The British Parliamentary (BP) debate format is a widely used and respected form of debating that originated in the United Kingdom. It is often used in competitions such as the World Universities Debating Championship (WUDC) and is characterised by its demanding rules and focus on teamwork. In Germany, it is the most important format alongside Open Parliamentary Debate (OPD).

How does British Parliamentary work?

A BP debate consists of four teams: two government teams and two opposition teams. Each team consists of two speakers, a main speaker and a secondary speaker. The teams are randomly assigned before the debate and are given either the government or opposition position.

The debate begins with the announcement of the topic by the chair. The teams then have a limited preparation time, usually about 15 minutes, to work out their arguments and strategies. During this preparation time, however, they are not allowed to use external sources and must rely on their pre-existing knowledge and analytical skills. The course of the debate follows a strict pattern. Each speaker has a fixed speaking time of seven minutes. During the debate, the speakers can also respond to intermediate questions (points of information) posed by the opposing teams. However, the respective speaker may decide for himself which questions he accepts or rejects.

Download Handout zu british parliamentary (GERMAN)

What is Open Parliamentary Debate (OPD)?​

Open Parliamentary Debate (OPD) is a very popular form of debating, especially in the DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland). Besides good teamwork, the combination of precise analytical arguments and beautiful rhetoric is crucial here. With British Parliamentary, OPD is one of the most important debating formats in Germany.

How does OPD work?

An OPD debate consists of two teams of 3 speakers each and up to 3 free speakers.  Teams are randomly assigned before the debate and are given either the government or opposition position.

The debate begins with the announcement of the topic by the chair. The teams then have a limited preparation time, usually about 15 minutes, to work out their arguments and strategies. The free speakers only learn the topic at the beginning of the debate. During the preparation time, teams are not allowed to use external sources and must rely on their existing knowledge and skills. The debate process is in itself similar to British Parliamentary (BP).

However, in OPD, not only the argumentative aspects of the speech, but also the rhetorical and communicative factors are taken into account in the speeches and the judging. OPD thus follows a holistic approach.

Example Topics

We debate everything that is socio-politically relevant, e.g. international relations, economics, politics, feminism, LGBTIQ. In principle, there are no limits to creativity. It is always important that both sides argue in a balanced and convincing way.

A debate topic is often called a motion in debate clubs. As the name suggests, it is often about moving or changing something - but not always. Motions usually start with the words "This House believes", "This House would" or "This House regrets".​

A few examples could be:

• This house would actively encourage children to go against authority.
  
• This House believes that it is in Taiwan's interest to have closer relations with China.
• This House would introduce compulsory school uniforms in Germany.
• This House believes that generative artificial intelligence benefits research and teaching more than it harms it.
  
• This House believes that it is immoral not to go vegan, if healthwise possible.
  
• This House believes that the use of erotic capital by female athletes in marginal sports does more harm than good.
  
• This House would impose economic sanctions on Morocco as an EU.
  
• This House would introduce a minimum wage of at least 12 euros for all internships from the age of 18. 
  
• This House believes that social justice movements should reject the glorification of political violence.
  
• This house believes that gay pride parades in extremely conservative areas do more harm than good. 
  
• This house would introduce a 100% inheritance tax.

And we also occasionally debate fun-topics:

• This house would not look in the mirror Erised. (Harry Potter)
  
• This house favours a world where everyone connects their brain to a hive mind.
  
• This house would make it mandatory for Jedi to secure their lightsaber with a wrist loop. (Star Wars)
• This house would prefer watching Barbie to Oppenheimer. (Cinema)