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11.1 Offering Points of Information
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11.2 Responding to Points of Information
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11.3 Summary
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11.4 Terms and Concepts from Chapter 11
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11.5 Discussion Questions for Chapter 11
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11.6 Exercise for Chapter 11
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Points of information are elements of Worlds-Style debate as well as other formats of parliamentary debate where debaters have the opportunity for direct exchange with one another. A point of information is a question or a statement made by one debater to another debater who is in the process of giving a speech. The debater who wants to ask a question of or make a statement to the debater who is giving a speech is said to be offering a point of information. In the most positive sense of the word “offering,” one debater is offering another the chance to engage a potential weakness or lack of clarity regarding the argument that is being presented. But, a point of information is not a gift in the traditional sense because it is usually offered as a criticism rather than as a support of a point the debater is making.
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In the true sense of an offer, the debater who is giving the speech can either accept or reject the offer of a point of information. After all, the speaker has been given a certain limited amount of time to speak and, therefore, has the right to use that time as he or she sees fit. So, the speaker can accept or refuse the offer of a point of information as he or she decides. If the offer of the point of information is refused, the person offering the point should sit down and allow the speaker to continue. If the offer of the point of information is accepted, the person offering the point has a maximum of 15 seconds to make a statement or ask a question. After the point of information is given, the speaker then will respond directly to the statement or the question.
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By convention of Worlds-Style debate, points of information are only offered by members of one side (Government or Opposition) to members of the other side. Thus, speakers on the Opposition side can only offer points of information to speakers on the Government side, and speakers on the Government side can only offer points to speakers on the Opposition side.
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As stated previously, the point of information can last no more than 15 seconds, and the person offering the point is not allowed to follow up with an additional comment or question.
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Also, by convention, points of information cannot be offered during the first minute of the speech and cannot be offered during the last one minute of speaking time. The purpose of that convention is to allow the speaker to begin and end his or her speech without the possibility of interruption. As a signal that the time has come when points of information can be offered, the judge will knock one time on the table after one minute of a speech has elapsed. As a signal that points of information no longer are allowed, the judge will again knock once on the table when only one minute remains in the speaking time. The knocks signal when the speaker is or is not in protected time when no other points of information are allowed.
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The remainder of this chapter will discuss points of information from the perspective of the person of fering a point, and from the perspective of the speaker who must decide whether to accept or reject the point and, how to respond if accepted.
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11.1 Offering Points of Information
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Any discussion of offering points of information should include the reasons underlying points of information and how to think about what kinds of points of information to offer. Additionally, the discussion should include the choices available to debaters about procedures they should follow to offer effective points of information.
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11.1.1 Purposes of Points of Information
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Points of information are offered for a variety of reasons. Reasons range from clarifying arguments, to refuting arguments, to telegraphing one’s points to the audience, to setting the overall agenda for the debate.
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One reason for offering a point of information is to clarify what a speaker is saying. Sometimes, a speaker is so unclear that the audience, the judge, and the other debaters have difficulty understanding one or more points that the speaker is making. Offering a point of information as a request to clarify a point that is not particularly clear may not be the best strategy for the debater whose singular goal is to try to win the debate or to try to place first in the debate but an ethical debater may want to offer a clarifying point of information in order to help create a better debate for all involved. A point offered for this reason usually benefits the speaker rather than the person offering the point of information because it signals to the speaker that things need to be clarified and gives him or her the opportunity to that which is confusing.
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However, for the debater who has a genuine interest in creating a better debate for all four teams, such a point of information is a good one. Adding clarity to an opponent’s speech—especially if that speech is the Prime Minister’s speech—has the potential to have a positive effect on the overall debate and, thus, improve the experience for all four teams. Therefore, offering a point of information to clarify an argument or a position can be seen as a positive contribution to the debate, although it is not a selfish contribution to a particular team or debater.
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A second very common reason for offering a point of information is to gain the opportunity to directly refute an opponent’s arguments while the person is in the process of making the argument. In that case, as soon as the speaker makes an argument that the debater wishes to refute, that debater should offer the point. If the point is accepted, the debater will immediately refute the speaker’s argument. Refuting an argument directly using a point of information can be more effective than waiting for the speech to present the refutation because the argument and the refutation are so close together in time. Using refutation in a point of information signals to the audience and judge that the debater is skilled as a critical thinker; that the debater is able to think of and conceptualize refutation on the spot. Debaters need to be cognizant of the fact that becoming overly aggressive in using refutation in points of information can cause judges and audiences to characterize those debaters as antagonistic, intimidating, and even bullying. Points of information should be used to refute arguments that need to be refuted, but should not be used to diminish the debating skills of other debaters. Sometimes, points of information used as refutation have a tendency to distract the speaker from a point he or she is making. Intentional distraction should never be the purpose of a point of information. In fact, a point of information should be used to keep the debate on track, not to push it off track. Debaters who use points of information to intentionally distract their opponents will quite justly be seen in a negative view by judges and audiences.
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A third reason to offer points of information is to telegraph the debater’s own stance to the audience or judge. Telegraphing an argument, as the term implies, suggests that the debater is trying to send a message to an audience or judge in a manner that the argument would be heard earlier than it would normally be heard. So, if the debater intends to make an argument in the Leader of Opposition speech, he can telegraph the argument as a point of information to the Prime Minster so that the argument arrives at the audience and the judge prior to the time that the Prime Minister speaks. Thus, sometimes an opportunity might arise for a debater to insert his or her main argument as a point of information prior to the time he or she is designated to speak. In that case, the argument arrives at the judge and audience before the designated speaker even takes the floor.
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Another situation exists in which a debater might want to telegraph an argument using a point of information. That situation occurs when a debater hears the speaker making an argument that is contrary to one of the very important arguments the debater intends to introduce in a later speech. In that case, the debater can offer a point of information and, if it is accepted, can then state and briefly explain the argument. By making the argument in the point of information, the debater will prepare the judge or audience to pay careful attention to the argument when the debater makes it later. Additionally, if the debater briefly makes the argument in a point of information, and the debater who accepted the point of information later responds, the debater can then more fully develop the argument in the his or her speech.
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A fourth reason for offering points of information involves the opportunity to establish or reestablish the direction of the debate. If, from a particular debater’s point of view, the debate has gotten off track, or if the debater believes the debate is not taking the direction the debater thinks it ought to take, a point of information can be a useful means of refocusing the debate. The notion of focusing the debate or setting the debate is sometimes called setting the agenda for the debate, or simply, agenda setting. By successfully setting the agenda for the debate, one team or one side may be able to dictate the overall outcome of the debate. If one team or one side sees a particular argument or set of arguments as especially important, or if they see a particular perspective on the issue as important, setting the agenda to focus on those arguments or perspectives is a very useful tool of persuasion. The ability to establish the framework or perspective within which the debate is seen by the audience or judge is one of the most important things that a team can do to have their arguments evaluated favorably.
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Using points of information to set the direction or agenda of the debate may be one of the most important uses of points of information for members of the First Government and First Opposition Teams during the second half of the debate. Remember that the debate consists of eight constructive speeches, and the members of the First Government and First Opposition Teams are finished with their speeches after the third and fourth speeches. Without some means to continue to participate in the debate, the members of the teams in the first half of the debate have little to say about the direction or focus of the second half of the debate. Points of information give the members of the first two teams the opportunity to continue to participate, and even to possibly redirect the debate to the issues that they consider most important.
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