ADVANCED POing
Spreadsheets for Presiding Officers
Digital spreadsheets are the de facto standard for the presiding officer’s communication to other people in the chamber. Digital spreadsheets typically take the format of a Google Spreadsheet which is available for “anyone with link” to view. The spreadsheet should be hyperlinked and accessible with a free external application such as bit.ly or tinyurl.com. Make sure you keep your link short and include your name. I.E. bit.ly/jainpo2. Also, make sure you inform your chamber during your election speech that you have an online spreadsheet! Sometimes it can be the difference between getting elected and not.
But what's the purpose of digital spreadsheets? Transparency, fluency, accessibility, and professionalism.
While each spreadsheet can be personalized, the functionality of the spreadsheet must remain. You should make a new copy of your spreadsheet for each new tournament you go to. You should also come prepared; this means including every representative’s names before you get into the round so that you’re ready to start the round as soon as you get elected. It might not seem like this saves much time, but every little thing adds up.
Tinyurl in action!
What are some key aspects of the presiding officer's spreadsheets?
Clear statement of the presiding officer’s time signal procedures for both speaking times and questioning - gaveling for in-person rounds and time cards for online rounds. This section should also indicate the start and stop time for each round. Presiding officers should consult with parliamentarians regarding the definitive ending time.
Clear indication of each speaker’s speech times, and which side they took on the bill. The easiest way to do this is use a light fill color block to indicate either affirmation (green) or negation (red). You can indicate speech times by putting a dash after each person’s name.
Direct links to the tournament legislation packet and rulebook. Make sure the links are functional from all devices and check which procedures the tournament follows. (Do this before the round too!)
Listing of the legislation voted upon by the chamber. You can do this once the round has started and a docket has been proposed and voted on. After the bill has been voted on, you should also include the votes for each side and whether it passed or failed.
MOST IMPORTANTLY!!
Distinct and readable tables to indicate precedence and recency for speeches. This informs competitors and judges regarding priority for speaking and questioning in the chamber. Cross out or black out speakers who have already been entered into the next column.
I am SPEED
Speed is arguably the most important thing to learn as a PO (whilst still maintaining perfect accuracy, of course). Speed determines how well people perceive you, speed determines how fast the round ends, speed is the difference between a good PO and a great PO. A slow PO can become a nightmare for the chamber, as it means less time to debate for everyone, even potentially leading to not everyone being able to speak. There has to be speed. So how do you obtain speed?
There are several things you can do to cut down on wasted time. First and foremost, the words you say should be concise and straight to the point. Don’t beat around the bush, just say what you need to say. For example, say someone just finished their affirmation speech. What you should say is “Thank you for that speech of X minutes and YY seconds, questioners please rise (gavel once to indicate speakers rise)”. You should NOT say something lengthy like this, “Thank you for that affirmative/negation speech of X minutes and YY seconds, we are now in line for two blocks of questioning, questionnaires please rise (no gavel bang)”. It doesn’t seem like much, but that tiny bit coupled across tens of speeches will save you considerable time.
Secondly, once both questionnaires are finished, you don’t need to reiterate entirely what side that speaker was on. You can say something like “We move into our next affirmation/negation speech, speakers rise (gavel once).” This helps cut down on unnecessary words, since the chamber can always refer to your spreadsheet to see what side the speaker was just on.
Gaveling once after you finish your statement is a minor thing that will take you from a beginner PO to an advanced one. It might not seem like it, but it dictates to the chamber when you have finished talking and now are ready to hear potential speeches/questions. It also ensures that everyone stands up at the same time, ensuring equality when a speaking or questioning order might not have been established.
Speeches and Questioning
The #1 time taker for PO’s is figuring out who is supposed to receive the opportunity to speak/question. So how does one remedy this issue? It’s by planning ahead and almost memorizing the established precedence. It’s very difficult to actually memorize the precedence, but in certain cases it’s very easy to figure out who is supposed to speak. An online spreadsheet can fix the questioning issue, by using formulas to make the questioning priority for you. CJ Getting has developed such a spreadsheet, with his use of it linked here. Getting PO Sheet -- EIF RR
Notice on the left side, it has a questioning priority. But be careful, it only becomes active once everyone has given one question! Until then, you have to randomly call on people until everyone’s given one question.
Even without technology helping you along, you should keep in mind who hasn’t given speeches/questions yet. If you’re following a preset recency, you should memorize who’s at the top of that list, so that in case they stand up, you can call on them immediately. The same goes for questioning; to a certain extent, you can memorize who has the highest priority and be ready to call on them if they stand up.
Lastly, most tournaments will have placards for their competitors, meaning you don’t need to memorize where people sit, since they’ll raise their placard when they wish to speak. But for those tournaments without placards, it’s extremely important to memorize a face from a name. For instance, ICDA tournaments (Illinois circuit) almost never give out placards. Even more crucially, learn how to say it right! Split it up into individual syllables on a piece of paper if you have to, anything to pronounce it properly.
Mastering Presiding Officer Introduction Speeches
A significant portion of the presiding officer’s evaluation comes from the speech they deliver at the beginning of each round. The speech should sound confident, welcoming, assertive, and comprehensive. There are several components of this speech that are essential, and more that can be personalized.
After they have been formally elected, the presiding officer should introduce themselves by name and preferred pronouns. It is also preferable to briefly express gratitude to the chamber for electing them or accepting them as presiding officer. The presiding officer should later review, in a concise but clear manner, their procedures for time signaling and selection of questionnaires/speakers. If the chamber has been assigned preset recency or a seating chart, the presiding officer should also address this. The digital spreadsheet hyperlink should be read aloud during the speech, preferably towards the beginning.
Upon conclusion of the speech, it is ideal for the presiding officer to entertain questions from the chamber, wish competitors good luck, and give judges an opportunity to share paradigms or words of wisdom if they wish.
The introduction speech is generally uniform, however minor adjustments can be made depending on tournament rules and the anticipated experience level of a chamber. If the chamber contains mostly novices or first-time competitors, the presiding officer may adjust their speech to define terms and clarify procedures such as precedence and recency, or explain how to read their speech. If the tournament has rules that deviate from typical circuit or NSDA procedures, the presiding officer should take time to establish and clarify the rules that are expected to be of relevance in the chamber’s proceedings.
Due to the generally non-variable nature of the introduction speech, presiding officers should practice and memorize their speech beforehand. This gives an impression of confidence and preparedness, and allows the presiding officer to weed out stutters or missteps.
Examples of memorized presiding officer introduction speeches:
In-person competition: Representative Parker De Deker, NSDA House Final 2022
Online competition: Senator Alexander Ilacqua, Tournament of Champions Final 2022
Politics
Presiding officer elections are often tense and heated. While a candidate cannot predict the outcome of an election, they can take several steps before, during, and after the round to gain impression points, networks, and favorability from fellow competitors.
The most important factor when collecting votes as presiding officer is being seen as a credible, genuine person. People tend to vote against and talk poorly about presiding officer candidates that come off as arrogant, overly insecure, unskilled, or excessively competitive. Make sure to demonstrate respect towards every person you meet during the competition. Debaters talk, and so do their parents, friends, and coaches! If you present yourself as friendly and humorous, someone is likely to vote in favor of you or mention you in a positive light at a meeting, thereby incentivizing their peers to vote for you.
The easiest way you can do this is to take command of the room before the round officially starts. While discussing docket nominations, you should try and be the one to call for splits or propose ideas that benefit everyone involved. But be careful, as you don’t want to be seen as overcontrolling or arrogant.
Being personable during all interactions is important. While personable does not always entail humor, being knowledgeable about sensitive and current topics or casual sarcasm is a great way to stand out. While being serious or low-energy is not necessarily a bad thing, people are more likely to vote and talk in favor of someone who they see as a relatable friend, rather than a competitor or co-worker.
Always express gratitude if someone states they will or have voted for you. Whether or not you believe their claims to be true, something like “I appreciate it, means a lot to me” or “thanks, I got you next time” is helpful. If someone refuses to disclose their chosen candidate or outwardly states they will not vote for you, do not display anger or frustration. Instead, play it off humorously or say something along the lines of “no problem, good luck in round.”
Typically, a presiding officer candidate will walk around the room before the round and politely ask competitors in their chamber to support their campaign. When “campaigning,” make sure to introduce yourself to unfamiliar people, and greet your companions. Do not begin your interaction with a plea for a vote, and do not leave immediately after asking for their vote. Make the person feel valued, as if they are a friend to you - rather than just a vote. When making rounds, prioritize people who are famous in the world of Congressional debate. If you are unsure, looking up people’s high school and competitive achievements is not against the rules! Prioritize people who come from large schools, are competitively esteemed, or come from a geographically well-represented area (such as Floridians at Sunvite, or Californians at Stanford). Ask them to put in a good word for you to other competitors in your chamber, and express gratitude.
It is important to refrain from serving as presiding officer until you are confident in your abilities. This self-awareness is particularly critical at national tournaments. Utilize spare time, team meetings, and local competitions to practice presiding so that nobody will have a negative impression of your competency. While it is possible to grow skill, impressions are difficult to erase, and so are rumors of “person XYZ was such a bad PO” that unfortunately get spread around group chats, teams, and between-round conversations.
Varying Tournament Policies
While most tournament policies are uniform, there are specific logistics that are variable between circuits or even preliminary and elimination rounds of a tournament. Be sure to check tournament policy prior to the round.
The most commonly altered rules are regarding the required length of a round. Some tournaments require two full hours of debate per round and establish a hard stop time, while others allow the chamber to vote regarding early adjournment or time extensions.
Additionally, tournaments typically have slightly variable procedures for amending legislation. Under some circuits, the germanity of the amendment is ruled upon by the parliamentarian, while others give the presiding officer the power of ruling the amendment germain or dilatory.
Harvards Final Appeal Policy!
Seperate POs?
Most notably, some tournaments separate presiding officers from debaters in the competition. This is seen at the University of Kentucky Tournament of Champions, and a variation of it is used at the NSDA National Speech and Debate Tournament. The TOC will host preliminary rounds as normal, and then identify the competitors who received the highest ranks during their rounds serving as presiding officer. The presiding officers are later entered into a separate competition, competing against each other for the best PO in the tournament. Each Presiding officer is given a certain amount of speeches to preside over in the elimination round, and judges rank presiding officers on a separate ballot from speakers. Therefore, a rank of 1-9 is given for the speakers, and 1-3 is given for presiding officers.
The National Speech and Debate tournament allows any competitor to run for presiding officer in the preliminary rounds. Serving as presiding officer in the preliminary rounds does not guarantee advancement to elimination rounds. However, when competitors advance to elimination rounds, only those who served as presiding officer in the preliminary round may run for presiding officer. Each elimination chamber will typically have four competitors who are eligible to run for presiding officer, of which two will be selected to preside over the two sessions. The two unselected presiding officers are no longer eligible to run for presiding officer in the next elimination round, if they are to qualify.