First Affirmative Speaker Template

INTRODUCTION
1. Good afternoon Mr/Madam Chairman, Ladies and
Gentlemen. (Use Madam or Mr depending upon the gender of
the Chairman.)

2. The topic for our debate is That...

DEFINITION
2A. We define the topic as (Explain what the topic means.
Define the key or important words in the topic. Use a dictionary
to help you. You should make sure that the topic is clearly
explained in a sentence or two.)

3. We the affirmative team believe that this statement is

true.

TEAM SPLIT
3A. Today as first speaker I will be talking to you about
(Write down the general heading/s of the points you will be
talking about.)

3B. Our second speaker will be talking about (Write down

the headings of the points your second speaker will be talking
about.)

Our third speaker will rebut and sum up our team case.

REBUTTAL
4-7 There is no rebuttal for the first affirmative speaker.

1 8. I am going to discuss .... points

ARGUMENTS
9. My first point is (Write down your

first point/argument.)

10. This is because/the reason for this is (Explain the

reason that supports your point.)

11. Now to my second point (Write down your second

point.)
12. This is because (Write down a reason that supports and
explains your second point/argument.)

If you have some more points, continue to list them.

ENDING
13. So Mr/Madam Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, in
conclusion (Finish you debate with a sentence that sums up
what your team believes. You can use humour or a quote or
you may say thank you to finish.)
Created by Debating SA 2007. Visit us at www.debatingsa.com.au.

First Negative Speaker Template

INTRODUCTION
1. Good afternoon Mr/Madam Chairman, Ladies and
Gentlemen. (Use Madam or Mr depending upon the gender of
the Chairman)

2. The topic for our debate is That...

3. We agree with the definition given by the affirmative

team.
OR
We disagree with the definition given by the opposition.
(If you disagree explain why the oppositions definition is
wrong.)

However, we the negative team believe that this

statement is false.

TEAM SPLIT
3A. Today as first speaker I will be talking to you about
(Write down the main heading/s of the point/s you will be
talking about.)

3B. Our second speaker will be talking about (Write down

the main heading/s of the point/s your second speaker will be
talking about.)

Our third speaker will rebut and sum up our team case.
REBUTTAL
4. The first speaker of the affirmative team has tried to
tell you (During the debate you will write down on your
rebuttal card what your opposition has said.)

2
5. This is wrong because (During the debate you will write a
reason why that point is wrong.)

6. S/he also said that (Write down another point that was
made onto your rebuttal card.)

7. This is wrong because (During the debate write down a

reason why that point is wrong.)

ARGUMENTS
8. I will be discussing .... points.

9. My first point is (Write down your first point/ argument.)

10. This is because/the reason for this is (Explain the

reason that supports your point/argument.)

11. Now to my second point. (Write down your second

point)

12. This is because (Explain the reason that supports your

second point/argument.)

You may have more points. Continue to list them in the same
manner.

ENDING
13. So Mr/Madam Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, in
conclusion we... (Finish your debate with a sentence that
sums up what your team believes. You can use humour or a
quote or you may say thank you to finish.)
Created by Debating SA 2007. Visit us at www.debatingsa.com.au.

Second Affirmative Speaker Template 3

INTRODUCTION
1. Good afternoon Mr/Madam Chairman, Ladies and
Gentlemen. (Use Madam or Mr depending upon the gender of
the Chairman.)

2. The topic for our debate is That...

3. We the affirmative team believe that this statement is

true.

REBUTTAL
4. The first speaker from the negative team has tried to
tell you (During the debate you will write on your rebuttal card
what the first negative said.)

5. This is wrong because (During the debate you will write

down a reason why that point is wrong.)

6. S/he has also said that (If you have another rebuttal point
write that down.)

7. This is wrong because (Again write down a reason why

that point is wrong.)

RECAP
7A. Our first speaker has already explained (State the
main heading/s of your first speaker.)

ARGUMENTS
8. Today I will be talking to you about .... points.

9. My first point is (Write down your first point/argument.)

10. This is because/the reason for this is (Write down a

reason explaining your point.)

11. Now to my second point (Write down your second

point.)

This is because (Write down a reason that supports and

explains your second point/argument.)

12. My third and final point is (If you have another point
write that down. You can have as many points as you like.)
This is because (Write down another reason explaining your
point.)

ENDING
13. So Mr/ Madam Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, in
conclusion
(Finish you debate with a sentence that sums up what your
team believes. You can use humour or a quote or you may say
thank you to finish.)
Created by Debating SA 2007. Visit us at www.debatingsa.com.au.

Second Negative Speaker Template 4

INTRODUCTION
1. Good afternoon Mr/Madam Chairman, Ladies and
Gentlemen. (Use Madam or Mr depending upon the gender of
the Chairman)

2. The topic for our debate is That...

3. We the negative team believe that this statement is

false.

REBUTTAL
4. The second affirmative speaker has tried to tell you
(During the debate write what the opposition has said on your
rebuttal card.)

5. This is wrong because (During the debate you will write a

reason why what your opposition has said is wrong.)

6. S/he also said that (If you have another rebuttal point
write that down.)

7. This is wrong because (Again write down a reason why

that point is wrong)

RECAP
7A. Our first speaker has already stated
(State the main heading/s of your first speaker.)

ARGUMENTS
8. Today I will be talking to you about .... points
9. Now to my first point

(Write down your first point/ argument.)

10. This is because/the reason for this is (Give a reason to

explain your point.)

11. Now to my second point. (Write down your second

point)

This is because (Give a reason to explain this point.)

12. My third and final point is (List a third or fourth point if

you have them.)

This is because

Use as many or few points as you need.

ENDING
13. So Mr/Madam Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, in
conclusion (Finish your debate with an interesting sentence
that sums up what your team believes. You can use humour or
a quote or you may say thank you to finish.)
Created by Debating SA 2007. Visit us at www.debatingsa.com.au.

Third Affirmative Speaker Template

INTRODUCTION
1. Good afternoon Mr/Madam Chairman, Ladies and
Gentlemen. (Use Madam or Mr depending on the gender of
the Chairman.)

2. The topic for our debate is That...

3. We the affirmative team believe that this statement is

true.

REBUTTAL
4. The first negative speaker has tried to tell you (During
the debate write on your rebuttal card what your oppositions
first speaker has said.)
5. This is wrong because (During the debate write a reason
why what your oppositions first speaker has said is wrong. If
you have some more points then list them as well.)

6. The second negative speaker has tried to tell you

(During the debate write what your oppositions second
speaker has said.)

7. This is wrong because (During the debate write a reason

why what your oppositions second speaker has said is wrong.
If you have some more points list them as well.)

5
SUMMARY

As third speaker it is your job to summarise your case. You do

this by listing the points of your first and second speaker.

8. Our first speaker spoke to you about (List your first

speakers first argument. Include a reason to support this
argument.)

9. S/he also spoke about (List your first speakers second

argument. Include a reason to support this argument.)

10. Our second speaker told you that (List your second
speakers first argument. Include reasons to support this
argument.)

11. S/he also said that. (List your second speakers second
argument. Include reasons to support this argument.

12. Make sure that you have included all your sides
arguments and reasons.

ENDING
13. So Mr/Madam Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, in
conclusion our team (As the final speaker for your side it is
important to end your debating with a really compelling
influential and powerful statement. If you cant think of
anything to say you may say thank you to finish)
Created by Debating SA 2007. Visit us at www.debatingsa.com.au.
Third Negative Speaker Template
INTRODUCTION
1. Good afternoon Mr/Madam Chairman, Ladies and
Gentlemen (Use Madam or Mr depending upon the gender of the
Chairman.)

2. The topic for our debate is That...

3. We the negative team believe that this statement is false.

REBUTTAL
4. The first affirmative speaker has tried to tell you (During
the debate write what your oppositions first speaker has said on a
rebuttal card.)

5. This is wrong because (During the debate write a reason why

what your oppositions first speaker has said is wrong.)

6. The second affirmative speaker has tried to tell you

(During the debate write on a rebuttal card what your oppositions
second speaker has said.)

7. This is wrong because (During the debate write a reason why

what your oppositions second speaker has said is wrong.)

The third affirmative speaker has tried to tell you (During the
debate write on a rebuttal card what your oppositions third speaker
has said if that is important.)

This is wrong because (During the debate write a reason why

what your oppositions third speaker has said is wrong.)

Try to rebut as many of the oppositions points as you can.

6
SUMMARY

As third speaker it is your job to summarise your teams case. You

do this by listing the points of your first and second speakers.

8. Our first speaker spoke to you about

(List your first speakers first point. Include a reason to support this
argument.)
9. S/he also said that (List your first speakers second point.
Include a reason to support this argument.)

10. Our second speaker spoke to you about (List your second
speakers first point. Include a reason to support this argument.)

11. S/he also stated that (List your second speakers second
point. Include a reason to support this argument.)

12. Make sure that you have included all the arguments for your
side.

ENDING
13. So Mr/Madam Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, in
conclusion we, (As the final speaker for the negative, finish your
debate with a really compelling, influential and powerful statement.
If you cant think of anything to say you may say thank you to
finish)

Created by Debating SA 2007. Visit us at www.debatingsa.com.au.

Prime: at the best stage

distressed: afflicted with or marked by anxious uneasiness or

trouble or grief

sacred: made or declared or believed to be holy

ceremonial: a formal event performed on a special occasion

rituals: ceremonies or rites

harmony: compatibility in opinion and action

tout: advertize in strongly positive terms

pristine: pure

encompasses: to contain or include; to surround

site: location

ambiguous: having more than one possible meaning

vague: not clearly understood or expressed

reason: logical thinking

constitutes: makes up; forms

conclusion: a position or opinion or judgment reached after

consideration

universal: present everywhere and affecting all

assumption: a belief or statement taken for granted without

proof

implies: suggests, hints

valid: founded on fact or evidence

validity: soundness or truthfulness

origin: an event that is a beginning

narrates: to tell a story by describing all the events in order

ordained: fixed or established especially by order or command

consequent: happening as a result of something

antecedent: a preceding occurrence or cause or event

devised: planned or created

attribute: a characteristic

triune: being three in one

postulate: maintain or assert

terminology: a system of words used in a particular kind of

study

impersonal: showing no emotion or personality

masquerading: to disguise

humility: lack of pride; modesty

employed: put to use

fundamental: basic; primary; essential

invalid: not supported by facts; not true

premise: a statement that is assumed to be true and from

which a conclusion can be drawn

precise: exact

contradictory: in disagreement

ambiguity: uncertainty; vagueness

depraved: marked by evil and corruption

established: set up; begun; founded

lexical: of or relating to words

extent: an amount or degree

subtle: not obvious

distinction: difference

stipulate: to arrange specifically; to require as a condition of

agreement

concept: idea

theoretical: not proven true, existing only as an idea

clarify: to make clear or easier to understand

(1) When you start saying something / contributing to a
conversation
First of all, I would like to say/state that
To begin with, I
In the first line, I
(2) What can you say instead of "I think"
I would say/think
In my opinion
To my mind
I am of the opinion that
I hold the opinion that
(3) When you want to stress your "personal opinion":
Personally I think
As far as I am concerned
As for me
As I take it
As far as I can see
(4) When you "agree" or when you "don't agree":
I entirely/quite agree with you.
I agree to (with) her plan.
I am of the same opinion.
I differ from/with you entirely.
I disagree with you: I am sure you're mistaken.
I stick to my opinion.
Let's agree to differ!
(5) When you want to say the "opposite" of what someone
else said:
on the contrary! quite the contrary! just the opposite!
That is the very opposite of what I said.
That is quite the contrary to what I said.
I maintain the contrary.
In contrast to what you said, I maintain that...........
(6) When you are "quite sure" of something:
of course!
That goes without saying
It goes without saying that
I contend/maintain that................
It's my conviction that..................
(7) When you want to "ask a question":
May I interrupt you?
There arises the question/point whether/if
This question raises the whole issue
(8) When you "haven't understood":
I beg your pardon. / Pardon?
Could you repeat what you've just said? But slower, please./
Could you slow down a bit?
(9) If you should want to "correct a mistake":
Excuse me (for interrupting) you should have said:"....."
(10)When you want to distinguish one aspect from the
other:
on the one hand - on the other hand
in general - in particular
generally speaking
on the whole
taken as a whole
at first sight - on second thoughts
(11)When you want to "add" something:
In addition
Moreover
Furthermore
Finally
(12)When you want to "emphasize" something:
I would like to lay (put) emphasis (stress) on the fact that..
I just want to point out that
(13)When you want to "say the truth":
To be frank (with you)
Frankly (speaking)
To say the truth
(14)And if you are "not sure":
I don't know exactly.
I don't know for certain.
(A) General phrases:
in other words in this respect
to a certain degree/extent It depends on your point of view
in brief/short
To be brief
To cut a long story short,......
Let me put it this
way:....
I don't know. - I don't know either. Nor/Neither do I.

Add the following expressions to the given categories I agree with /

disagree with you; I see/understand your point but ; Youve got a
point / a case there but; Im not sure. whether ; I have doubts /
 reservations about ; I dont see that working in practice. ; It may
work in the short-term / in the long-term. ; I think thats
debatable. ; Prove it! ; Your argument is flawed because... ; Whats
that got to do with the issue? ; Youre missing the point. ; Its
ridiculous to suggest that.... ; My feeling is.. ; If you ask me... ; As
for me.... ; Bear in mind that ; Youd better do ... ; Lets face
it.... ; In general... ; On the whole... ; As a rule.... ; It goes without
saying that... ; Whats more / in addition / furthermore ; What Im
getting at is... / What Im trying to say is.. / My point is... ; What is
your point? What are you driving at? ; Youre not serious, are
you? ;You must be joking! Thats nonsense / rubbish / ridiculous.

1 Supreme: Epic doesnt mean what you think it means.

Use this instead, meaning classic or perfect.
2 Blunder: For the love of grammar, "fail" is not a noun.
On the other hand, "blunder" works as both a noun and
a verb. How supreme.
3 Triumph: Instead of "FTW," you can say, "For The
Triumph!" We bet you money you can't say it without
feeling like Maximus.
4 Fidus Achates: More than some internet
acquaintance, a fidus Achates ("FEED-us uh-KAH-tays")
is a true friend. It's like "BFF" in Latin.
5 Fancy: It's only a matter of time before you'll be able to
"fancy" a link or status update for which you wish to
show appreciation.
6 Cachinnate: Forget about laughing your a** off. Tell
them you're cachinnating (CACK-in-ate-ing) heartily.
7 Woe is me: It sounds a bit like Yoda-ese, but instead of
saying FML, go biblical with "woe is me."
8 Piquant: If you simply must inform the world how
scrumptious the food you are currently eating is, please
refrain from saying "nom nom nom." Use this descriptor
instead to convey appetizing flavor.
9 Baffling: It's too easy to just drop a "WTH" (or some
variation) on some activity or news that perplexes you.
Why not be baffled?
10 Indubitably: The "Really?" ship has sailed. To express
 ironic dismay, go with, "Indubitably?" Trust us, it's a
can't-miss.
11 Desultory: Don't be a serial "random"-dropper. If
something is unexpected, call it "desultory."
12 Ergo: Starting a status update with "so" is nonsensical
because "so" means "therefore." But if you're going to
use "so" correctly, "ergo" works just as well and makes
you sound twice as classy.

Better Buzzwords

13 Donjon: Men, have you been relegated to a small

segment of the house referred to as your "man cave?"
You dont have to take that. Call it your donjon, like the
stronghold of a castle.
14 Garrison: "Occupy" has been done to death. Use this if
you're moving in and taking over.
15 Aspiration: Something that goes on your Bucket List
(which hopefully you're not still saying) is an aspiration.
16 Pater familias: Bad: "baby daddy." Better: "father."
Best: "pater familias."
17 Minutiae-peddling: This phrase is our own creation.
Since 40% of all tweets are pointless babble, instead of
saying "I'm tweeting" you could say, "I'm peddling
minutiae."

Underage Upgrades

18 Alas: "Oh, snap" is so out. All the cool kids are saying
"alas!" after their putdowns.
19 Forsooth: All the kids (and some adults) simply adore
saying, "I know, right?" Kick it old school Archaic with
"forsooth," meaning "indeed."
20 Jocular: People's eyes glaze over when they read
 "LOL." Send them scrambling for a dictionary when you
reply, "How jocular!"
21 Gamin: It means "street urchin," but we can change
the meaning to be more neutral if we put our minds to
it. After all, we did the same thing with "dude."
22 Paraphernalia: Remember the nice officer who
referred to your "drug paraphernalia?" That was a
fancier way of saying drug stuf.
23 Incogitable: To the kids, everything's "wack" or
"crazy." But the silver-tongued teenager of 2012 will be
sharing his or her disbelief with this mouthful.

Professional Pick-me-ups

24 Demiurgic: "Innovative" is the second-most overused

resume filler word. Since you're already tooting your
own horn, compare yourself to a Gnostic creative deity
with this word.
25 Ambitious: "Motivated" is another rsum snooze-
inducer. Go ahead and say you're ambitious; it'll add a
little edge to it that will help you stand out from the
pack.
26 Assiduous: Dont bother telling employers you are
"dynamic;" everyone they've interviewed has been
dynamic. But if you want an original way to tell them
you are hardworking, use this.
27 Henceforth: For some reason, "going forward" has
caught on as a tack-on to the end of serious statements
to make them sound more complete. We're not sure
how you can go any way but forward, but at least use
"henceforth" instead.
28 "_________": That's a blank to represent an alternative
to saying, "It is what it is." "It is what it is" is the
equivalent of saying nothing, thus it has no alternative.
Just keep quiet for once instead.
29 Pandemic: Sure, a video can go viral by getting a few
 million clicks. But aim higher for your company; shoot
for a billion clicks. People will be forced to admit your
work has gone pandemic.
30 Withal: You're not still using "irregardless" are you?
Make the point of "nevertheless" with withal, a great
word that people will think you misspelled.
31 Veritably: Love, Actually would have been so much
more original if it had been called "Love, Veritably."
32 Impetus: When you execs talk about giving your
employees an impetus, you might be discussing raises
or donuts in the break room or some other motivational
tool.

Romantic Retools

33 Cherish: Take a lesson from The Association and

discover another way to say "I love you."
34 Paragon: Tell your girlfriend she is a paragon of beauty
and you'll score major brownie points once she's looked
it up.
35 Pulchritudinous: Or you could call her
"pulchritudinous." How fantastic is that word? Of
course, you will have to quickly assure her it's a
compliment.
36 Recherch: Your wife's dress isnt just elegant, it's
exquisite, refined, exotic recherch.
37 Despondent: Sad is what you are when you spill wine
on your pants. When your baby leaves you high and dry
in the cold, cruel world, you're despondent.
38 Loathe: People say "hate" is a strong word, but it's got
nothing on "loathe."
39 Abjure: There's no doubt saying you "dumped"
someone is colorful, but if you want to say it in style
and with authority, say you abjured that cheatin' man.
40 Yearn: Do justice to your desire to possess that special
someone. You don't want to date them, you yearn for
 them.

Dignified Descriptors

41 Atrocious: You spilled your coffee, broke a shoelace,

smeared the lipstick on your face. That's not a bad day,
it's atrocious.
42 Spanking: The only socially-acceptable way to
incorporate "spanking" into a polite conversation is to
use it instead of the word "good."
43 Transcendent: If you say something is "awesome,"
you're saying it inspires fear or awe in you. So pizza
cannot be awesome. What it can be is transcendent or
excellent.
44 Gobs: Make your old English teacher happy and stop
using "lots." "Gobs" is so much more fun to say anyway.
45 Opined: "Said" is perfectly functional and perfectly
acceptable and perfectly boring. If someone is giving
their opinion, say they "opined."
46 Parry: Really, there's no reason to use "said" unless
you write for a newspaper. Parry back and forth with
your debate partner using your newfound word gems.
47 Asseverate: Last one: To asseverate is to declare
earnestly or solemnly. So help you God.
48 Altitudinous: Get creative when referring to your tall
friend from high school. "That guy was downright
altitudinous!"
49 Corpulent: If you're going to call someone fat, at least
find an unusual way to do it, like with this word.
Lummox: So many great insult words, so little time.
Take a line from Stewie and call that moron a "bovine
lummox."

A) Accept, Acclaim, Ad lib, Aggressive, Allusion,

Ambiance, Ambiguous, Anecdotal, Animosity, Answers,
Argue, Argumentative, Articulate, Assert, Audience,
Audio, Authoritative, Avoid, Award
B) Basics, Beat, Belief, Blunder, Boring, Brief,
Butterflies
C) Candid, Careful, Casual, Caution, Cautious,
Charismatic, Churn, Clarity, Class, Classic, Clever,
Coach, Combative, Comfortable, Commentary,
Communication, Compete, Competition, Compose,
Composed, Comprehensive, Concise, Conclusion,
Confidence, Conflict, Confusion, Content, Controversial,
Convincing, Course, Credible, Cue
D) Debate, Declaration, Deliberate, Delivery,
Description, Development, Difference, Disagreement,
Discourse, Discovery, Discuss, Discussion,
Disorganized, Dispute, Diverse, Duration
E) Ease, Educate. efforts, Enthusiasm, Exaggerate,
Exchange, Expression, Expressive, Extemporaneous
F) Face-to-face, Facts, Factual, Failure, Fiery, Flat,
Formal, Format, Frustration
G) Genre, Gentle, Gotcha
H) Hostile, Hostility, Humor, Hysteria
I) Imaginable, Improvise, Inclusive, Individual,
Informal, Information, Informative, Intend, Intent, Issues
J) Jitters, Joke
K) Knowledge
L) Labor, Launch, Length, Listen, Listener, Logical
M) Manner, Matter, Matter of a fact, Message, Mistake,
Moment, Mood, Movement, Mumble
N) Necessary, No-show, Note card
O) Observe, One-liner, Open-ended, Opening,
Openness, Opponent, Opportunity, Oral, Oration,
Orator, Organization
P) Participant, Participate, Perspiration, Persuasive,
Petty, Pitch, Planning, Podium, Point, Politicians,
Possibility, Posture, Practice, Precise, Preparation,
Presentation, Professionals, Program, Public, Public
speaker
Q) Query, Question, Questions, Quick
R) Radio, Ramble, Read, Reasoning, Reception,
Receptive, Refute, Rehearse, Reject, Relaxed, Remarks,
Repetitive, Research, Resonate, Response, Rule
S) Savvy, Scant, Schedule, Scope, Script, Setting,
Slip-up, Speaker, Speaking, Spectacle, Spectator, Spin,
Spontaneous, Square off, Stage, Stance, Statements,
Story, Strain, Stress, Subject, Success, Synopsis
T) Team, Teamwork, Teleprompter, Television,
Tendency, Theme, Thorough, Threat, Time, Tip, Tone,
Topic, Treatment, Truth, Two sides, Type, Type
U) Unclear, Understanding, Unintended, Unscripted
V) Vehemence, Viewer, Vital, Vitriol, Vocal, Voice,
Volume
W) Wander, Weak, Weighty, Well done, Well-meaning,
Well-spoken, Willingness, Win, Wow, Written
X)
Y)
Z) Zeal
Useful Debating Phrases (in not quite as small print)

(1) 1st Proposition

opening, definition, teamline, own arguments
(2) 1st Opposition
accepting definition / redefinition, teamline, rebuttal of
1st Proposition, own arguments
(3) 2nd Proposition
rebuttal of 1st Opp., rebuild own case, own arguments
(4) 2nd Opposition
rebuttal of 2nd Prop., rebuild own case, own arguments
(5) 3rd Proposition
general rebuttal, rebuild own case
(6) 3rd Opposition
general rebuttal, rebuild own case
(8) Proposition Reply (1st or 2nd speaker) biased
summary
(7) Opposition Reply (1st or 2nd speaker) biased
summary
opening the debate:
[some nice opening, e.g. quote]
Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to
this debate.
Welcome from this side of the
house...
The motion for debate today is: ...
defining the motion:
Now we as today's
proposition/opposition strongly believe that this is
true/not true, but before we come to our actual
argumentation, let us first define some important terms
in this debate.
We believe that what is meant by ... is ... / that ...
are ...
When we say ... should ... we mean that ...
presenting the teamline:
We as todays proposition/opposition
have structured our case as follows:
I, as the first speaker, will be talking
about ...
Our second speaker, ..., will elaborate
on the fact that ...
And our third speaker, ..., will do the
rebuttal.
rebutting arguments, rebuilding your case:
But before I come to my own arguments, let us first
have a look at what ... has said.
I will continue our case in a minute, but before that
there are some things about the ... speech that need to
be addressed.
The first prop/opposition speaker has told us ...; on
the contrary ...
He/She also said that ...; but in fact.. He/She was
claiming that ...; but as
my first speaker already told you, ... introducing
arguments:
Let me come to my first/second/.../next argument:
[concise label of argument]
My first/... argument is:
The first/... reason why we're
prop/opposing this motion is:

explaining arguments:
[rather abstract explanation on how
the argument should work] giving examples:
There are many examples for this/for ..., for instance.
In fact, you can find many examples for this in real
life. Just think of...
And there are similar cases, such as ..., ...
So in this simple example we can clearly see the
effect of ...
Wouldn't you have to agree ...? / Doesn't what you're
saying contradict with ...? / What about the ...? / How
would you explain, that ... ?
No, thank you, Sir/Madam.
Declined.
Yes, please. / Go ahead.
Thank you very much, Sir/Madam,
I'm going to come to this very point in my second
argument in a minute. [this is an emergency break]
giving reply speeches:
summarizing & linking the argument:
So as we have seen [argument label],
and therefore [motion].
Now because of this ..., we have to
support this motion. summarizing & ending your
speech:
So Ladies and Gentlemen, what have
I told you today? Firstly ..., Secondly..
[some nice closing words]
And for all of these reasons, the
motion must stand/fall.
making/rejecting/accepting/answering points
of information:
Point of information, Sir/Madam.
On that point.
Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome for the last time from
today's prop/opposition. It is now my pleasure to
summarize this debate, take a look at what both sides
have said and see what the outcome of this debate
actually is.
A first/second/... major clash was: ... Today's
prop/opposition told us ...; we had to find ...
[some particularly nice closing words]
And for all these reasons, I beg you to prop/oppose