Debating is a game of logic and eloquence played in English and in the style of the British Parliament. It consists of a debate on a “motion”, a fictitious law proposal or moral position. The players make their speeches in turn, alternating between “government” - making the case for the motion - and “opposition” -opposing it-; to rebut opponents and convince the audience and especially the judges of the cogency of their position. Their speeches must be great, with rigorous logic, elegant rhetoric, and often humour too.

Here are some notes on World Style debating, but if your wish to learn more, and keep up to date with our events, do refer to the Telecom Debating Website.

A World Style debate involves eight speakers and several judges. The speakers are split into four teams with two speakers per team. After fifteen minutes of preparation, the opening government and the closing government sit on one side of the table, and the opening opposition and the closing opposition on the other side. The prime minister, leader of the government, starts by precisely defining the motion to be debated and presenting his team's reasoning. He is followed by the leader of the opposition, who has to rebut and to state some reasons to refuse the motion. The eight speakers take the floor in turn to give their speeches. Debaters can be interrupted during their speeches only by a point of information: it consists in a brief and precise question asked by a debater from the opposite side of the table. The speaker is free to accept or decline a point of information by either allowing the opponent to speak or by waving him down; but if the point is accepted, the speaker has to react. If he doesn’t he is heavily penalised.

Debating is a widespread activity in Anglo-Saxon universities. It is known to develop speaking and negotiating abilities, to make people at ease in front of an assembly and to master spoken English. Many famous politicians in the United States and the British Isles were initially great debaters. Debating has now reached Germany, the Netherlands and other European countries. Its importance grows in France, and the Paris Intervarsity aims to contribute to its spread. This tournament was founded with the united efforts of four debating clubs of Paris's “Grandes Ecoles; three institutes of technology Ecole Centrale Paris, Ecole Nationale Superieure des Télécommunications, Ecole des ponts et chaussées and one business School, Essec.