Rupert's Land 2020

Rupert’s Land Debate and Public Speaking Tournament

Balmoral Hall School

(Grade 10 to 12 Senior Virtual Tournament)

October 30, 2020

Dear Debate and Public Speaking Coaches:

Balmoral Hall School invites you to the annual Rupert's Land Debate and Public Speaking Tournament for Grade 10 to Grade 12 students. This year, the tournament will be hosted virtually in two separate parts. The persuasive speech event will be held asynchronously. This means that students will submit a video recording of their speech and judges will be free to view and submit ballots at their leisure, without being part of a virtual Zoom call. The live synchronous impromptu debating event will be held virtually on Sunday, December 6th using Zoom.

The first part of the tournament will be held asynchronously. Each competitor will submit a video recording of a persuasive speech by November 25, 2020. The submitted video recordings will be distributed electronically to judges on Monday, December 1st. The judges will be invited to judge and submit virtual ballots for the asynchronous persuasive speeches by Thursday, December 4th. The rules for the recorded videos are included at the end of the invitation with the event guidelines.

The second part of the tournament, two live impromptu debates, will be hosted synchronously on Sunday, December 6th. The schedule for the live event is provided on page 3 of this document. The debates will be coordinate impromptu style. This means that the competitors will have a different partner each round, and the partner will not be from the same school. The live debate rounds will be hosted online using Zoom. Competitors and judges must have Zoom installed on the devices that they are using to take part in the tournament. Zoom is available at the Zoom site – let me know if you have difficulties downloading this program on your computer. More information on the technical details of the synchronous live online debate portion of the tournament will be distributed the week prior to the tournament to registered participants and coaches.

Judges: Schools must submit the name of one judge for every 2 debaters for the asynchronous persuasive speeches who are able to judge the submitted videos on a virtual ballot between December 1st and 4th. Each school must ALSO provide a minimum of one judge for every 2 debaters who will be available to judge live on Sunday, December 6th. The same judge is welcome to judge both parts of the tournament. Please have your judges register using the following links. Additional judges would be greatly appreciated. Coaches, please share the links for judges with as many individuals as possible. Anyone who has graduated from high school is eligible to judge, and no previous judging experience is necessary. Conferral judging will take place for the debate rounds.

Judge Registration Link for Asynchronous Persuasive Speeches, December 1st – December 4th

Judge Registration Link for Live-Synchronous Impromptu Debates, December 6th 12:00 – 4:15 PM

There will be awards for the top 3 individuals in both the persuasive speaking and debate events, the top 3 individuals overall, and the top 3 schools, based on the combined scores of top 3 competitors from each school. The top 4 speakers from the tournament will represent Manitoba at the National Public Speaking Championships which will be hosted virtually by SJR. Overall, individual scores will be determined by combining the scores from the pre-judged persuasive speaking entries and the two rounds of debate.

Please find enclosed:

1. Guidelines for Persuasive Speaking and Filming. Instructions for uploading the persuasive speech submission will be distributed after the initial registration period.

2. Agenda

3. A link to the Parliamentary Debating Rules on the MSDA website: https://sites.google.com/site/manitobadebate/resources-for-debaters-and-coaches/rules-and-scoresheets/parliamentary-debate-rules . The speaking time for constructive speeches is 6 minutes, and 3 minutes will be allocated for final rebuttals.

In order to ensure your spot at this tournament, please register your students before Friday, November 12th. Coaches, please register using the google form at: https://forms.gle/czxJaWFd4Gmyj7xU8

There is an initial maximum of 6 students per school. Please indicate, on the registration form, if you would like to enter more students, and I will do my best to accommodate you. Additional spots for competitors will be shared on Monday, November 15th.

Please email me if you have any questions, or phone me at 204-784-1600 ext. 637. I look forward to seeing you, virtually, at the 2020 Rupert’s Land Debate and Public Speaking Tournament.

Sincerely,

Carissa Balcaen,

Debate & Public Speaking Program Coordinator

Debate & Public Speaking Teacher

cbalcaen@balmoralhall.ca

28th RUPERT’S LAND DEBATE & PUBLIC SPEAKING TOURNAMENT

Synchronous Impromptu Debates

Sunday, December 6th, 2020

AGENDA

RUPERT'S LAND PUBLIC SPEAKING TOURNAMENT

RULES OF PERSUASIVE SPEAKING

• 1. This speech is designed to persuade and must be on a serious topic, although this does not mean that humour and wit might not be useful at points in the speech.

  2. A problem/solution approach must be taken, i.e. speakers must identify a problem (it need not be an earth-shattering one) and propose, or at least examine, one or more solutions to the problem.

  3. Speeches should be prepared beforehand and should be from 7 to 13 minutes in length.

  4. Notes are not recommended; however, may be used if they do not interfere with delivery or the effectiveness of the speech. If notes are used, only both sides of a single 3 x 5 inch index card of notes are allowed. Teleprompters are not permitted in the event of a virtual tournament.

  5. There must be a persuasive element to the speech, although this may take a number of forms. For example, the persuasive aspect might be in convincing the audience that a problem does in fact exist, or in convincing them of the causes of the problem, or that the speaker's proposed solution will solve the problem.

  6. There will be a time penalty of 10 points for speeches under 7 minutes or over 13 minutes.

  7. Students should introduce themselves and their topic either within the body of the speech or prior to beginning the speech in the event of a virtual tournament.

Rupert’s Land Debate & Public Speaking

2020 Virtual Tournament

Video Recording Rules for Asynchronous Submissions

Competitors will be required to upload their video link to their personal Google drive and share the link via the Google Form that will be shared on November 20th. All recordings are required to be submitted by November 25th at 12:00 PM.

The following list includes rules for persuasive speech video recordings, along with guidelines for helping you adhere to each rule.

Audio

Rule 1: The audio must be clear and without echo, static or other excessive noise.

• Please ensure that you are in a space without background noise.

• Pods inserted into the competitors ears should not be used as an audio recording device.

Camera

Rule 2: The camera must record in high definition.

• If a competitor does not have a camera that records in high definition, please ensure that the image is as clear as possible.

Rule 3: The camera must have an unobstructed, in-focus view of the competitor from the mid-torso up to the face. The entire speaking area must be visible throughout the recording.

• Competitors should be standing or sitting during their delivery.

• It is recommended that the competitor stay within 3 feet of their camera ensuring that the defined distance still allows their microphone to clearly record their voice.

Rule 4: The speaking area must be fully lit.

• The speaker’s facial expressions must be visible throughout the speech; the image should not be too bright or dark.

Rule 5: The recording must contain an introduction of:

• 1. the speaker’s name

  2. the topic of the speech/reading so that judges know where the reading was taken from or what the speech is about.

The recording may not be edited in any way, such as by cutting two films together, adding text, graphics, images, or anything that does not meet the requirements above.

Tips for a good recording:

• Start the recording a few seconds before the recitation and stop recording a few seconds after the end.

• The speaker may look directly into the camera, at a fixed spot, or at an imagined audience.

• Use a tripod or secure the camera on a shelf.

• Watch the video after you film it. Be sure to check the accuracy of the recitation. If you’re not happy with the video, film it again.

Thank you to Tracey Lee from West Point Grey Academy and Drew Vodrey at Mulgrave School

for allowing us to adopt the above instructions.