The Sunday Evening Debating competition will run on Sunday Evenings in term two, 2024.
You can register as an individual, group, or school here: https://forms.gle/gKgDbcu9fymCMaUAA
(or alternatively email SED@speakerscornerau.com)
Details
Location:
All debates take place via Zoom. Students can tune in together from their campus or from home.
Timings:
Log on: 5.45pm Sydney time
Prep: 6pm Sydney time
Debates: 6.45pm Sydney time
Conclusion: 7.45/8.15pm Sydney time, depending on the age group
Speaking times:
Seniors: 5-7 minutes
Year 10: 4-6 minutes
Year 9: 4-6 minutes
Year 8: 3-5 minutes
Year 7: 2-4 minutes
Primary: 2-4 minutes
Cost:
$335 per student including GST for term 2.
Decision-making:
The Convenor (arranged by Speakers’ Corner) will be TBD. They will handle, among other things: results and draws (via Tabbyat), communication, and troubleshooting the Zoom on Sunday evenings.
Logistical backend: competition managed by a Convenot (provided by Speakers’ Corner) using TabbyCat. Team names, team members, adjudicators, results, etc. will all be centrally stored.
Draw: debate matchups will generally be made using power pairing. This means that matchups are not known / drawn before the start of the season, but are instead determined on a week-by-week basis, with teams paired according to win-loss records.
Key Dates
Semester one dates are as follows (n.b. All weeks based on NSW term times):
Round 1: Sunday the 12th May (week 2, term 2)
Round 2: Sunday the 19th May (week 3, term 2)
Round 3: Sunday the 26th May (week 4, term 2)
Round 4 Sunday the 2nd June (week 5, term 2)
No round 9th June (June Long Weekend)
Round 5: Sunday the 16th June (week 7, term 2)
Round 6: Sunday the 23rd June (week 8, term 2)
Round 7: Sunday the 30th June (week 9, term 2)
There will be no finals, and the team with the most wins at the end of each term in a given competition will be crowned the winners.
Key Procedures
Draw generation and Zoom links
This link will be used every week, for every debate, every week: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9166723234?pwd=WXNxdEIxSjNhVVNKK0tzSE5mT0REUT09 .
This Zoom is managed by Speakers’ Corner, via the Convenor.
The Convenor will use Tabbycat to generate the week’s draw by Wednesday each week.
Disconnection and Absence Policies for Online Debates
Where a debater disconnects during a debate, they should attempt to promptly reconnect, and failing this, message the Slack channel named ‘Zoom Disconnections’. Once rejoined, they should also privately message the adjudicator on Zoom to indicate they are back.
Debaters who lose connection or audio during a debate have 5 minutes to reconnect if they are the next speaker or currently speaking. Should they fail to reconnect after 5 minutes, their teammate is invited to give it on their behalf OR their speech is skipped entirely.
Should a debater disconnect during a speech to which they must respond, the speaker they missed may repeat or share content, at their and the adjudicator’s discretion.
Debaters who fail to proceed to their debate rooms after preparation time ends will also have 5 minutes to arrive before the debate starts.
Should they fail to reconnect after 5 minutes, the round will proceed as usual, with their teammate required to be an iron-person during the round.
Disconnection Policy for Online Adjudicators
Speakers should cease speaking if they notice their adjudicator has left the Zoom, or that the Zoom has disconnected, and immediately flag it to staff in Slack.
They should also use Slack to inform tournament staff if an adjudicator has not arrived by 5 minutes after the conclusion of prep.
Adjudicators who have lost connection during the round or fail to arrive on time to their debate will have 5 minutes to reconnect. Please immediately flag their departure to tournament staff via Slack.
The greatest effort will be made to reconnect the previous adjudicator. Should that prove impossible, a new adjudicator will be organised. In some cases it may be necessary to re-do speeches, or the entire debate, though this outcome is very unlikely and a last resort.
Approval for devices to assist writing
Participants may apply to have device use approved to aid speech writing during prep time and rounds, where handwriting proves to be inaccessible to the debater. Approval will be granted on a case-by-case basis. Please email cambridgeschoolsanz@speakerscornerau.com ahead of the tournament with a brief explanation of your reasoning.
Students who are joining online, and who are not approved for advice usage will be required to show their handwritten notes to the camera just before beginning their speech.
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