Debate Guide — Miri-Piri Leadership Retreat 2026

Part 1

How the 2026 Program Works

Before the Retreat

Sept 5

Participant Packet

Topic, team, articles, and Skills Guide link.

Sept 12

Zoom Kickoff

Meet your coach and team. Skills Guide walkthrough.

Late Sept

Office Hours · Optional

Extra time with your coach before the retreat.

At the Retreat

Sat

Workshop 1 — Think Like a Debater

ARESR skills guide walkthrough. Live practice rounds with your coach.

Sun

Workshop 2 — Present Like a Debater

What great speakers do. Video examples. Practice on your feet.

Mon

Final Debate

~30 min per group. Full retreat attends. All five roles in play.

Part 2

Debate is a search, not a fight

Three values define how we debate. They're also the basis for how you'll be judged.

1

Charitable Interpretation

Engage with what they meant, not the weakest version of what they said

If the other team's argument wasn't perfectly worded, assume the strongest possible version — then respond to that. A debate where both sides attack the weakest version of each other's argument teaches nothing. Engaging the strongest version forces everyone to think harder — including you.

Gurmat Connection

Guru Nanak Sahib traveled across the known world — through Hindu, Muslim, and other traditions — not to win arguments, but to understand and to be understood. The Udasis were not debates. They were searches. That spirit is what we are practicing here.

In the round

Before you refute, paraphrase — accurately enough that they'd nod.Setting up a weaker version to knock down is called a Straw Man. Judges catch it.

Concede a minor point when the other side earns it. Then explain why your side still wins.That's strategy, not weakness.

2

Reasoning Over Evidence

A clear chain of logic beats a pile of data with no logic

What matters is why something is true — the logical chain connecting your claim to reality. Evidence supports reasoning. It doesn't replace it. A debater who can explain why something follows is always more persuasive than one who can only say that it does.

Gurmat Connection

Bhai Gurdas writes that the Gurmukh speaks without pride — not to perform knowledge, but to share understanding. In Gurmat, wisdom that is lived and reasoned carries more weight than wisdom that is merely cited.

In the round

Build the "because" before you reach for a statistic. If the logic doesn't hold, the stat won't save it.

When you cite a source, say what it proves. Don't assume it speaks for itself.A study you can't explain is an argument you haven't finished building.

3

Listening Is Part of the Round

The best debaters are the best listeners

If you spend your opponent's speech thinking about what you'll say next, you'll miss what they actually argued. Listening is tactical. The debater who hears what was actually said — not what they expected — is the one who can respond to it.

Gurmat Connection

Sangat — the practice of collective learning through shared presence — is one of the foundational principles of Sikhi. You do not grow in isolation. You grow in community. That begins with actually hearing the person in front of you.

In the round

Take notes during every speech. The shift you miss in minute four is what the other team closes with.

When you're not speaking, stay visibly engaged — posture, stillness, eye contact.Judges watch the whole team, not just who's at the podium.

From Sikh History

When Mughal Emperor Babar invaded the Punjab, Guru Nanak Sahib witnessed it firsthand. Everyone around him was asking: who won? The Guru asked the deeper question: where were the millions of spiritual leaders when the people needed them — and what does it mean when those who claim moral authority disappear at the moment of real consequence? That question, from the Babarvani composed in the early 1500s, is still one of the sharpest debate motions ever posed. The question beneath the question is not a debate technique. It is a Sikh instinct.

What judges are evaluating

The judging standard

Scores are given to teams, not individuals. Each individual receives feedback on strengths and growth areas.

Five roles,
one team

Five roles. Each one has a different job. Select a role to see exactly what you're responsible for.

Introducer

Opens the round · Most prepared speech

You speak first. Your job is to frame the debate before the other side has said a word. Everything you say is written in advance — this is the most prepared role on the team.

Open with a hook — a scenario, a question, or a single striking claim
Define the key terms your team has agreed on
Preview your team's main arguments so judges know what's coming
You can raise POIs during other speeches. Your own speech has no open window — no one can interrupt you

Good fit if you have limited debate experience. You know exactly what you're saying before you stand up.

1st Speaker

Builds the first argument

Your job is one argument, built completely. Like the Introducer, this speech is pre-written — you know exactly what you're saying before you stand up. You speak before the other team has responded to anything, so go deep, not broad.

Build your team's strongest argument using ARESR
One argument done thoroughly beats three done quickly
No rebuttal — your teammates handle the response
First and last minute of your speech are protected — open window in between

Good fit if you think in clear steps and like having a focused, well-defined job.

2nd Speaker

Adds a new argument · Starts to respond

By the time you speak, the debate has started. You bring a new argument and begin pushing back on the other side.

Deliver a new team argument — don't repeat the 1st Speaker
Pick the other team's strongest point and directly counter it
Take notes during every speech before yours — your job starts with listening
First and last minute of your speech are protected — open window in between

Good fit if you're a strong listener and can handle both building and responding in the same speech.

1st Rebuttalist

Attacks the other side's case · Defends your own

Pure response. No new team arguments. Your job is to take apart the two or three most important things the other team said.

Pick their strongest arguments — not every point, just the ones that matter most
For each: name it, paraphrase it fairly, then show where it fails
Take notes throughout the round — the arguments you need to rebut are scattered across multiple speeches
Depth beats breadth — but explain why those points are the most significant ones in the debate
First and last minute of your speech are protected — open window in between

Good fit if you're a sharp listener who enjoys finding the flaw in a logical chain.

2nd Rebuttalist

Closes the case · Hardest role

You're the last team speaker. You've watched the whole debate unfold. Your job is to respond to what actually happened — and then close your team's case. This is the most demanding role on the team.

Respond to arguments your team hasn't fully addressed yet
Name the central clashes — the key points where the teams disagreed — and explain why your side won them
Close your team's case: synthesize the debate, don't just repeat arguments
Your speech is fully protected — no open window, no POIs

Good fit if you've been paying close attention all round, can see the big picture, and are comfortable thinking on your feet.

Part 4

How the round flows

Proposition and Opposition alternate. The Introducer opens for each team. The 2nd Rebuttalist speaks last — responding to the full debate and closing the team's case. Opposition closes before Proposition, giving Proposition the final word.

Turn	Proposition	Opposition
1–2	Introducer 2 min · Sets the frame, defines terms, previews arguments	Introducer 2 min · Sets the frame, defines terms, previews arguments
3–4	1st Speaker 3 min · Team's strongest argument — no rebuttal	1st Speaker 3 min · Team's strongest argument — no rebuttal
5–6	2nd Speaker 3 min · New argument + begins responding to Opposition	2nd Speaker 3 min · New argument + begins responding to Proposition
7–8	1st Rebuttalist 3 min · Challenges Opposition's two strongest points	1st Rebuttalist 3 min · Challenges Proposition's two strongest points
9–10	2nd Rebuttalist 3 min · Open window min 1–2 · Responds to unaddressed arguments, names the key clashes	2nd Rebuttalist 3 min · Open window min 1–2 · Responds to unaddressed arguments, names the key clashes
11		2nd Rebuttalist 3 min · Fully protected · Closes Opp's case — shows why the clashes Opp is winning are the most important
12	2nd Rebuttalist 3 min · Fully protected · Closes Prop's case — shows why the clashes Prop is winning are the most important