AUF Turkish Debating & Public Speaking Competition

DEBATING CATEGORY

Entry

1. The competition will be held in Melbourne on 23rd and 24th May 2024.  
2. The host school is responsible for organising the accommodation, logistics, food and sightseeing tour for the students and their supervisors. 
3. Dress code: Students need to be wearing their full school uniform.
4. All Turkish language students of the host school are welcome to attend the debating category for semifinals and finals as an audience with the permission of the host school management.
5. Sightseeing tour (for the guest schools) in Melbourne. 

• The host school students are allowed to join the tour if they wish as long as all necessary permission slips are organised and completed in a timely manner by their teachers. 

6. The competition is open to Turkish native students of Years 9, 10, 11 and to Year 12 from AUF-affiliated schools.  
7. The competition will be held in two categories: 

Category 1 Debating: Year 9&10 Level, Year 11&12 Level

Category 2: Public Speaking: Year 9&10 Level, Year 11&12 Level

8. Students can take multiple roles in both debating and public speaking competitions. 
9. Schools might have separate/multiple/composite teams from each category. 
10. Each team can consist of 2 or 3 students. 
11. Each student will have max 4 minutes to state her/his views in debating. 
12. Applications must be submitted by Turkish Language Teachers online through the link below by latest Friday 10th May: 

https://auf.formstack.com/forms/munazara

Competitions

Competitions will run two days, the first of which will be preliminary and the second will be finals. 

Preliminary will involve group competitions. There will be 2 groups depending on the number of teams. Each team in each group will play against the other two teams in the group, and the top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals. 

Semi-Finals: The top two teams from Group A and Group B based on the highest number of points earned will qualify for the semi-finals. If two or more teams have the same number of points, tiebreakers such as mark difference may be used to determine the rankings.

Finals: The winners of the semi-finals will verse each other to determine the winner.

Repechage: The 3rd place will be determined by the teams who didn’t make it to the Final.

Best Debater: First 3 Best Debaters will be chosen based on the average points they collect throughout the debating rounds. 

Prizes

Year 9&10

The members of the team who come first will get $150 each 

The members of the team who come second will get $100 each 

The members of the team who come third will get $50 each

Best Debater 1 who come first will get $150 each 

Best Debater 2 who come second will get $100 each

Best Debater 3 who come third will get $50 each

Year 11&12

The members of the team who come first will get $150 each 

The members of the team who come second will get $100 each 

The members of the team who come third will get $50 each 

Best Debater 1 who come first will get $150 each 

Best Debater 2 who come second will get $100 each

Best Debater 3 who come third will get $50 each

Rules

1. From each level, opposing arguments will be presented by two teams, each of whom will have a different side of the issue. (i.e affirmative and negative.)
2. Teams will be randomly selected into affirmatives and negatives by draw.
3. Each team should be respectful, polite, and professional to their opponents.
4. Debaters are not allowed to interrupt each other.
5. Teams will be provided with their topics, including whether they will be affirmative or negative, right after they register (submit their applications).
6. Recommended steps to follow:

• First, do your research. The more you know about the topic, the stronger your arguments will be.
• Then prepare your arguments. Be clear and concise. Your arguments should be easy to understand and follow.
• Use evidence to support your arguments. This will make your arguments more credible.

7. Tips for writing a strong rebuttal 

• Don’t just wait for your turn to speak but listen carefully to the other team’s arguments. Pay attention to what they are saying, and take notes so that you can remember their arguments.
• Identify the key points of their arguments. What are the main points that they are trying to make? What evidence are they using to support their claims?
• Think about how you can refute their arguments. Can you find flaws in their logic? Can you provide evidence that contradicts their claims?
• Be clear and concise. Don’t ramble on. Get to the point quickly and clearly.
• Be persuasive. Use evidence and logic to convince the audience that your arguments are stronger than the other team’s.

8. The affirmative team starts the debate and continues as follows: 
   1. affirmative student 1 vs negative student 1
   2. affirmative student 2 vs negative student 2
   3. affirmative student 3 vs negative student 3

• The affirmative team is the team that agrees with the topic of the debate. The negative team is the team that disagrees with the topic of the debate.

Remember: In debating, we may need to advocate for a position that we disagree with.

It is essential to be able to argue for any position, regardless of our own beliefs.

The positive side of this is that it gives us the chance to understand a viewpoint that is different from our own.

9. Duties of the Speakers: 

All debaters/speakers must begin with greetings  “Günaydın/İyi günler Sayın Başkan, Jüri üyeleri ve Dinleyiciler”

The first speaker on a team is responsible for introducing the team members, the motion, and setting out the team’s case. Additionally, they will state the arguments by showing evidence and finalise the speech with a brief summary.

The second speaker is responsible for rebutting the opposition’s arguments. This involves pointing out the weaknesses in the opposition’s arguments and explaining why the team’s arguments are stronger.

The third speaker is responsible for summarising the team’s case and rebutting the opposition’s strongest arguments. No new arguments will be stated.

10. Reading from the Cue cards: 

Debaters are allowed to read from notes as long as they do so in a way that is natural and engaging. 

Some tips for reading from notes in a debate:

• Use brief notes that are easy to read and follow.
• Practice reading from your notes so that you can do it smoothly and naturally.
• Make eye contact with the audience as you read from your notes.
• Don’t read your notes word-for-word. Instead, use your notes to help you remember your arguments and to keep your speech on track.

11. There will be a moderator who will run each debate. 

Responsibilities of the moderator: 

• Introducing the debaters and the topic of the debate.
• Setting the ground rules for the debate.
• Ensuring that each debater has equal time to speak.
• Keeping the debate on track.
• Intervening if the debate gets heated or off-topic.

12. Room Layout

PUBLIC SPEAKING CATEGORY

Entry

1. The main purpose of this competition is to 

• help students prepare for the VCE/HSC Turkish Oral Exam. 
• help students learn how to communicate their ideas clearly and concisely to an audience.
• help students improve their public speaking skills, build their confidence, and develop new skills and knowledge.

2. The competition is open to Turkish native students of Year 9 to Year 12 from AUF-affiliated schools.  
3. The competition will be held in two Levels as Year 9 & 10 Level and Year 11 & 12 Level.
4. Schools (each campus) can participate in this competition with max 3 students in each level.
5. Dress code: Students need to be wearing their full school uniform.
6. Schools can have as many contestants as possible. 
7. The contest will not be open to the public audience or to the other students so as not to stress the contestants out. 
8. Applications must be submitted by Turkish Language Teachers online through the link below by latest Friday 10th May: 

https://auf.formstack.com/forms/munazara

Rules

1. Speeches should be prepared beforehand. The prepared speech can be on any subject chosen by the contestant and approved by their Turkish language teachers.
2. The student who gets the highest score will be the winner. 
3. Contestants are not allowed to use any props or external aids such as PowerPoint presentations during their speeches. They are encouraged to speak from palm cards, although judges are often more impressed by speakers who do not use any notes.
4. Contestants must prepare original speeches. The reference to any quotations and sources used in the speech must be cited during the delivery of the speech.  Plagiarism will lead to immediate disqualification.
5. The speaking time for the prepared speech is 3-5 minutes with a warning bell at 4 minutes, and two bells when the time is up. Note that speakers are expected to finish at or just beyond the official speaking time. 
6. A lectern should not be used at any level of the competition.

Prizes

Year 9&10 and Year 11&12

The contestant who comes first will get $150 

The contestant who comes second will get $100 

The contestant who comes third will get $50